To: From: Date: NPSMA Members at Large NPSMA Board of Directors January 9, 2015 Subject: 2014 Year-in-Review & 2015 Directions & Goals As we begin a new year, and following our highly successful 2014 National Conference in Atlanta, we would like to take a moment to highlight our achievements in 2014 and share our directions and goals for 2015. First, for your background, NPSMA was first convened in 2005, and officially incorporated in 2007, so we are relatively young as a professional association. However, we continue to mature and evolve, in accordance with our strategic directions and planned phases over the recent years. As we embark on our next phase of growth, we would like to formally welcome Dr. Kiriko Komura as the new Administrative Director of the National Professional Science Master’s Association (NPSMA). As many of you know, Dr. Komura previously served as Manager for the PSM National Office (PSMNO) at the Keck Graduate Institute. In this new position, which is a shared personnel model, Kiriko will be the Administrative Director for both the NPSMA and the PSMNO. Her appointment began December 1, 2014 following a national search. This direction is the result of the enhanced Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), jointly signed by NPSMA and the PSMNO to have greater collaboration between the two organizations. This is not a merger, but it is a strategic initiative to strengthen the PSM brand in a unified manner, both nationally and internationally. As Administrative Director, Kiriko is responsible for overall management and administration of priority initiatives and endeavors of both the NPSMA and the PSMNO. Priorities for the NPSMA include management of member stewardship and growth, communications and marketing, resource development, and overall support for the work of the NPSMA Board of Directors. For the PSMNO, she will continue managing the affiliation process for new PSM programs and re-affiliation of existing PSM-affiliated programs, liaison to the PSM National Steering Committee, and management of dayto-day operations of the PSMNO Office. On another important note, the NPSMA will continue to retain the services of Debra Warren-Hite, who has capably served as our Coordinator since 2009. She has been instrumental in managing our office and ongoing operations. National Professional Science Master’s Association|P.O. Box 20220 |Worcester, MA 01602-0220 |Phone: 508-471-4487 |Website: www.npsma.org Also in 2014, NPSMA, together with the PSMNO, continued to retain Patricia McAllister as a consultant for Government Relations and Advocacy, continuing the momentum of her valuable contributions in 2013 with the PSM Milestone Event. Patricia has been instrumental in a number of ways, including multiple visits with Board members on Capitol Hill and with federal agencies. One yield was two representatives from the United States Office of Personnel Management (US OPM) who presented an engaging and relevant session at our 2014 National Conference, and also presented a proposal to the NPSMA Board of Directors at our 2014 Annual Meeting to formally establish a partnership with us to advance our mutual goals for meeting STEM workforce needs. We look forward to strengthening that collaboration in 2015. A look at NPSMA’s year-in-review for 2014, includes additional achievements, as follows:  PSM Development & Growth o 322 PSM nationally affiliated programs at 153 universities → 8% growth o NPSMA membership reached 183 members → 3 new university members, 15 new individual members, 43 new student members  PSM Marketing & Branding o National media coverage, including an article in the NY Times → A Degree Where Techie Meets Business Smarts, March 17, 2014 o Joint Webinar with the National Association of System Heads (NASH) → The Professional Science Masters at the System Level, September 18, 2014  NPSMA Signature Events o NPSMA Workshop → Workforce Challenges & Opportunities in the Food & Agricultural Sciences, Lafayette, CA, April 2014 o NPSMA National Conference → Expanding Paths to Professional 21st Century STEM Careers, Atlanta, GA, November 13-14, 2014 → Program included 40 distinguished speakers and presenters, representing universities, federal and state government agencies, industry representatives, and other professional associations; 11 roundtable sessions facilitated by experts, and multiple poster sessions → 110 attendees, including a number of 1st and 2nd time conference participants NPSMA Board of Directors & Executive Committee: Enhanced Meeting Structure & Function o Executive Committee now meets further in advance of the Board meetings to set the agenda; and NPSMA Committee reports are submitted in advance of the Board meeting → Meetings are now focused on deliberative discussion of key issues, rather than on information sharing and reports   NPSMA Bylaws: Revised o Revisions now allow all NPSMA members to serve on committees which will benefit both the Association and individual members through increased member engagement National Professional Science Master’s Association|P.O. Box 20220 |Worcester, MA 01602-0220 |Phone: 508-471-4487 |Website: www.npsma.org  NPSMA Fiscal Responsibility & Stewardship o NPSMA Board of Directors switched accounting firms and banks to increase the level of services we receive, while decreasing our expenses  PSM Systems Network o Maintained our communication and collaboration with this important group to assure we are working together to advance PSM growth and development at the state and system levels Looking ahead to 2015, selected NPSMA strategic directions and goals for the year include:        Increase our membership and member engagement Expand and coordinate our communications, including the multiple PSM-related websites Establish an NPSMA Webinar series to promote PSM growth and development, and generate revenues Deepen our collaboration with our federal agency and industry partners, including the US OPM Expand our government relations and advocacy endeavors Strengthen the NPSMA National Advisory Board Advance the NPSMA Alumni Network While our leadership team, comprised of our Board of Directors; our new Administrative Director, Kiriko Komura; our Government Relations Consultant, Patricia McAllister; and our Coordinator, Debra Warren-Hite; will certainly be very busy and working in coordination to achieve these ambitious goals, there are many opportunities for you to be engaged – through NPSMA committees, new initiatives, and meetings, workshops and events. NPSMA is a membership organization, and we look to you, our talented and expert members, to take our Association to new levels of greatness in 2015! As our year gets underway with our new Board of Directors, we will be reaching out to you, but please feel free to contact Dr. Kiriko Komura at [email protected], Debra Warren-Hite at [email protected], or any member of our Board of Directors, who are listed at www.npsma.org/board-of-directors. Thank you for your continued commitment to NPSMA, and all good wishes for a fulfilling 2015! National Professional Science Master’s Association|P.O. Box 20220 |Worcester, MA 01602-0220 |Phone: 508-471-4487 |Website: www.npsma.org