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Letter from the GSA

Executive Director

Dear GSA Members and Staff, • Build and expand recruitment efforts for our students and profes-
sionals through GeoCareers.
I want to pick up where President • Continue developing virtual field trips with partners and
Gries left off in her letter and share associates.
what we see beyond the first couple of • Involve GSA more in global initiatives, such as climate policy and
years with the Decadal Strategic Plan big data.
(DSP). GSA has made big decisions • Create more mentoring opportunities for the geoscience disci-
in the past about who the Society plines that currently do not have a strong program, particularly in
serves, how the Society does that, and the applied science disciplines.
where the Society operates. All those
decisions are wrapped up in the new plan. A basic question I want GSA FOUNDATION ALIGNMENT IN YEARS 3–5:
to pose for our students and professionals is “who is a geoscientist?” • Continue with the focused activities developed in years 1–2.
Should the Society or an individual filter themselves out of the • Build funding for expanding the scope of research grants
realm of geoscience if they are not following a traditional career programs.
path? What tremendous collaborations or ideas are we losing?
GSA wants to incubate those connections. 6–10-YEAR PRIORITIES:
We think GSA can offer a very broad range of science-related • Consider and plan for a game-changing publication effort, such as
initiatives, multidisciplinary opportunities, and professional collaborating with our Associated Societies to create a worldwide
development to geoscientists no matter how diverse their field of geologic encyclopedia, modeled after GSA’s Decade of North
study or career path. We are retooling our programs, from American Geology (DNAG) publications.
research grants to field experiences, to offer more opportunities • Host an authoritative source of technical data.
for professional success and furthering the geosciences. We are • Add a policy staffer to GSA’s Washington, D.C., office.
also evaluating where we are best located to be a functional and
successful professional society. GSA FOUNDATION ALIGNMENT IN YEARS 6–10:
• Continue with funding the Centers for Excellence and their goals.
ROLLOUT OF THE DSP • Continue to fund public-policy office expansion.
GSA operations have begun the work of defining how we • Develop funding for new publication and database initiatives.
organize around the two Centers for Excellence (GSA Center for
Earth & Planetary Discovery and GSA Center for Professional WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
Excellence) and distilling the numerous programmatic concepts and GSA’s mission remains all about furthering the breadth and scope
initiatives into workable projects with timelines and metrics. Some of geoscience research, maintaining professional integrity, assisting
initiatives necessitate evaluation of our present-day processes and society through the relevance of our applied work, and advocating
will require outside consultation to develop viable business plans. and acting upon stewardship of our planet and beyond. These are
We will be sharing more details of the overall plan over the next great times to be a geoscientist and a GSA member!
few months and look forward to a strategic plan town hall at the
GSA 2019 Annual Meeting & Exposition, in Phoenix, Arizona,
USA, 22–25 Sept.

3–5-YEAR PRIORITIES:
• Continue Annual and Section Meeting planning and revising. Vicki S. McConnell
• Offer field camp programs in more key locations (including inter- GSA Executive Director
nationally) with formal academic credit.
• Expand early career professional development globally; develop a
more impactful Student Advisory Council.

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