We’ve had some trouble with the membership application form so if you’ve filled out a membership application on this site and we haven’t welcomed you to the PMSA, please fill out the application again.  You can always email us at pmsa@gwu.edu if you have any concerns about an application or form you submitted.

Thanks,

Craig.

I am graduating in the fall, so I will not be returning.  I’ve held two positions with the PMSA: 2008-09 VP of Marketing and 2009-10 President.  As most of you know, I am a distance student, as are many of my fellow board members.  This year we’ve proven that it is possible to do almost everything from a distance but I’ll admit it isn’t easy.  Virtual management is always tricky but it’s more complicated in a school setting where most of the resources assume you’re on campus.

It is, however, very rewarding.  As the VP of Marketing, I had a chance to create marketing campaigns and explore various social marketing strategies.  As president, I’ve had an opportunity to make strong connections and work with a lot of people I would not have met otherwise.  The experience and connections I gained through serving have really added another dimension to my education here at GW.

If you’re interested in serving on next year’s board, I invite you to fill out our Board Member Application, on our site: http://bit.ly/bqqMbX  You must be a graduate student to serve on the board but you do not have to be in the MSPM program.

I do have two recommendations: first, the president usually speaks at orientation and, because it’s easier to start partnerships face-to-face, it’s a role best suited to someone who can come to campus once a semester.  Second, the role of VP of Events is probably best suited to a campus student because it involves coordinating local activities like finding rooms and venues.

We will accept applications until April 15, an easy to remember deadline.  If you have any questions about the responsibilities, please feel free to send me an email.

The PMSA is in a truly unique position to add value to the students, engage the alumni, and increase the visibility and prestige of the MSPM program.  I encourage you to consider serving on the board and taking the association in new directions.

Craig Baker
President,
GW PMSA

To answer these questions and more, the PMSA and the Career Center are teaming up to offer a webinar to cover the services available to you.  Sylvia Gray, a career consultant with the Career Center, will deliver the presentation and also answer your questions.

A lot of things have changed since most of us went through orientation.  I’ve been using their services to help me plan for a career transition and I’ve been really impressed.  I encourage you to attend the webinar to learn more.

The webinar is open to students and alumni only, so we’re asking you to register with your GWU email address.  There is more information on the webinar below and you can always send questions to pmsa@gwu.edu.  I hope to see you there.

The webinar is now available here.

It runs 1 hour and 20 minutes.

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The F. David Fowler Career Center (FDFCC) provides full service to all MSPM students.  We have a myriad of resources including:

In-house or telephone appointments with a career coach for:
· Career strategy and advising sessions
· Professional document review (resume and cover letter)
· Self Marketing Plan construction
· Networking advice
· Interview prep
· Offer negotiation

An extensive Resources webpage which includes access to:
· Our online job board (GWorkSB). Access GWorkSB through our webpage and Register to create an account.
· A full suite of online tools including VAULT Graduate, GoinGlobal,  Selectory (for in-depth company research), and Interview Stream.
· Meridian University Solution’s online career management course,  Career Navigator, as well as Quantum Career Momentum for professionals transitioning within their own company, and Entrepreneurship for those students wanting to determine if starting their own business is right for them.

First, I’d like to welcome the 41 new students and wish all of you luck. The program you are entering is a challenging, yet rewarding one. You will meet a lot of talented people from a wide range of backgrounds, industries, and locations, making this an excellent way to increase your network. At the same time, you will undoubtedly learn something new regardless of how much experience you have in project management.

If you’re a student who has been in the program for a semester or more, you may be interested to know that orientation has changed somewhat. Anne has expanded the previously 1.5 day program to two full days and the first day now includes the Bridge Game from the Fundamental class, a change that allows distance students to participate.

Another thing you may not realize, especially if you are a distance student, is that the David Fowler Career Center has put together an impressive array of career tools accessible from anywhere. These new resources include resume assistance, salary information, tips on writing cover letters, virtual interviews that actually record you so you can see how you perform, and late night or weekend access to counselors. The Career Center has agreed to partner with the PMSA to offer webinars to students, the first of which will cover all of the new resources available. Future webinars could include resume tips, interview advice, or almost anything you as members might be interested in.

You may recall that we’ve decided to support the George Washington Cancer Institute this year. They have agreed to open an account for donations from the PMSA and to work with us in organizing various events such as the Marine Corps Marathon and an Avon Marathon Cheer Station. They will keep up apprised of their activities and we (the board) will pass the information along to you.

I also had a chance to meet with Russell, the president of the new MSPM Alumni Association. The alumni are finalizing the organizations structure and choosing leadership. For you distance students, the new organization includes representatives for both local and distant members. We will be working together in the months to come and if you’re graduating soon, I encourage you to contact Russell for more information.

Finally, I met with Elizabeth Panker from the DC PMI. We discussed options for webinars and future WDC-PMI collaboration, so look forward to that.

Well, that’s about all I have for now. I hope to add a blog post or two each week this semester, so please return or subscribe to our RSS feed. As always, we welcome your input!

Have a great semester,

Craig Baker

President,

GWU PMSA.

I’d like to give you a brief idea of what we’re planning for the upcoming year but first, I’d like to take a moment to thank the outgoing board members Ron Schmelzer (President), Jhaymee Wilson (VP, Finance) and Matthew Levy (VP, Outreach). They decided last year to try something new and that idea grew into Transitions 2009, a tremendously successful one-day project management conference. Starting with little more than a good idea, they delivered an event that included 7 speakers and attracted over 40 people. Attendees gave the PMSA high marks for the event and everyone asked to be informed of future PMSA conferences. The event was so successful that this year’s team has decided to host another such conference. Our job will be considerably easier because of the work these three did.
Thank you Ron, Jhaymee, and Matthew!

Okay, I guess I let one of our ideas slip already: we’re planning to host another conference and possibly to expand it some. We’ve also discussed building up our website in order to make it more useful, holding more student-alumni networking events, and arranging seminars that we’ll make available using the classroom recording technology or Elluminate Live. A final idea we’re working on (this one might be my favorite) is to get the PMSA more involved in the community. Community
in this case means the DC area but also national events, like walk-a-thons. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure or the AIDS Walk are great examples.

So this year the PMSA is focused on three things: engaging alumni, providing more opportunity to our distance students, and becoming involved in the community. So far we’re off to a great start.  You’ll hear more about our plans here on our site- in the meantime, be sure to check out our team in the About Us section.

If you’re interested in getting involved, we’d love to have your help. Please contact us at pmsa@gwu.edu.

Craig Baker
President, PMSA