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Courtesy: Rebecca Henriksen

Courtesy: Rebecca Henriksen

Hello T-birds!

Have you noticed that the weather is getting nicer? For those of you who are new to Arizona, you have almost survived your first Arizona summer. Starting very soon, you’ll understand why people like to live here – our winters are truly lovely.

On a much more serious note, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the recent events in Kenya. To quote one of our students, “And since this is Thunderbird, what happens in Kenya, or really anywhere in the world, affects us.” Tragic events like this shake us all, and I want to make sure that all of our students, but especially our Kenyan students, know that our hearts are breaking along with yours and that our thoughts and prayers are with you.  A group of students are in the process of planning an event, probably a panel discussion, to reflect on and discuss the situation. Watch for information about this from your TSG leaders.

Here is what you’ll find in this week’s update:

Student Insurance Update: Watch for an email from United Healthcare Student Resources in the next day or so with information on how to download your Thunderbird student health insurance ID card and gain access to your health information online.  You can also download the Smart Phone App so you have your health insurance information at your fingertips.

If you need to print a temporary ID card, visit www.uhcsr.com and following the instructions below:

Go to www.uhcsr.com
Under “Find My School Plans” type Thunderbird
Click on Thunderbird School of Global Management
Create an Account
Print Temporary Insurance Card

If you need to find a physician follow the instructions below:

Go to www.uhcsr.com
Under “Find My School Plans” type Thunderbird
Click on Thunderbird School of Global Management
Select Primary Care
To find a physician near you, anywhere in the United States, Click Change Address
Type in the closest zip code

If you need assistance, please email benefits@thunderbird.edu and Sandra Collins will be happy to assist you.

Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations: Become an Honorary Student Member! The PCFR Honorary Student Member (HSM) Program is designed to attract and enroll local graduate level student members with good academic standing that have an interest in Global/International affairs that match PCFR’s membership community charter.  The HSMs are selected from local valley accredited Universities. Website: http://www.pcfraz.org. Through this organization, you will have the opportunity to network with some of Arizona’s greatest minds on Foreign Relations.  This is a great networking and professional organization.  For those that are interested, please see the attached “Honorary Student Membership Program Details: and the “Graduate Application for Honorary Student Membership”.  Further questions can be forwarded to Jay Bryant, jay.bryant@thunderbird.edu or program manager and Thunderbird alumnus, Steven Ranes, at StevenWRanes@gmail.com

Trip Reduction Survey: Early next week you be receiving an email from Andrew Stringer, VP Human Resources that will contain a link to a trip reduction survey. This annual survey is being sent to all staff, faculty and students. The Trip Reduction Program (TRP) began in the late 1980s as part of the State of Arizona’s response to a court ruling requiring greater efforts to reduce air pollution. One outcome of the ruling was the legislation of Travel Reduction Program state statutes that focuses on employers and schools because the approximately 80 million commuter miles driven each weekday are a significant contributor to regional air pollution (carbon monoxide, ozone, particulate matter). Employers and schools are asked to reduce single occupant vehicle (SOV) trips and/or miles travelled to the work site by 10 percent for a total of five years, and then 5 percent for three additional years, or until a 60 percent rate of SOV travel is reached. Progress is tracked through an annual commute survey of employer/school sites. The results of the survey are used to develop an annual plan that commits the employer / school to implementing and documenting various strategies to reduce SOV trips or miles. The school is required to have a participation rate of 80% in the survey and so we would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to access the link and complete the survey. The deadline for completion is Friday October 11.

Smoking on Campus: Arizona Law requires that individuals who chose to smoke must do so at least 20 feet away from the entrance to any public building.  This includes the commons, the pub, and the lecture halls here on campus.  Furthermore, smoking close to the lecture halls has cause the fire alarms to be triggered several times in the past few weeks.  Please keep in mind that if you are going to smoke that you need to do so away from the building entrances.  Your fellow classmates will certainly appreciate this as well. You will notice that the ashtrays have been removed or moved to a location at least 20 feet away. Thanks for your cooperation.

VerdeXchange Volunteer & Networking Opportunity: VerdeXchange, one of the world’s top “Green Marketmakers Conference and Expo” will be coming to the Phoenix area on October 8th and looking for students who are interested in volunteering for the event.  As part of the volunteering opportunities, you will have the opportunity to meet and network with some of the top minds in green business, truly at an international level. VERDEXCHANGE commits to: 1) connecting the green dots to spur growth of the green economy and the use of clean energy while reducing greenhouse gas pollution; 2) offering commercial entrepreneurs, global investors, environmental stewards, and public officials information and a marketplace for continually learning of innovations, opportunities, and public policies that are driving the trillion dollar global energy and climate change marketplace; and 3) spurring growth of the green economy. The conference date is October 8th and does require a commitment for the full day.  This is a great chance to get your name out there with individuals in this marketplace if you are interested in pursuing a career in the Green Economy! Program information is located at the following site: http://www.verdexchange.org/node/669. If you are interested in volunteering for this opportunity, please contact jay.bryant@thunderbird.edu by no later than Tuesday October 1st with your interest.

Women International Club: BYOLunch Internship Experience Discussion for Women:

When: Oct 1th or Oct 8th Lunch time: 1:00pm-2:00pm
Where: Tower
Who: Audience: new students and old students who are looking for internships
Speakers: Around 5 A few other great student speaker will have experience from (ConAgra), (Amway), (Bayer), (Stryker), (finance)
Special guest Gbemi Disu from the CMC. Contact Moore.christine@global.t-bird.edu for more information

A Special Limited Time Discount Offer for Thunderbird Students, Faculty and Alumni Members to attend the “Global Connect: Arizona Trade Finance Seminar” at Thunderbird School of Global Management on Friday, October 4, 2013: You are cordially invited to attend the “Global Connect: Arizona Trade Finance Seminar” on October 4, 2013 at Thunderbird School of Global Management, the number one ranked school of international business in the world.  This seminar, which will be available in person and at-a-distance via teleconference, is (1) a must attend event for SMEs interested in entering, growing, and succeeding in global markets; (2) a major networking occasions for financial professionals seeking to expand their client base; and (3) a great learning opportunity for students interested in international trade and global businesses.  Participants will learn about: (a) How to Get Paid from Your Export Sales; (b) How to Access Export Working Capital and Trade Credit; (c) How to Increase Export Sales while Reducing the Risk of Nonpayment by Your Foreign Buyers; (d) How to Export and Get Paid in Foreign Currencies; (e) U.S. Government Export Assistance Resources; and (d) Global Business Development Resources for Hispanic and Other Minority-Owned Businesses.  In Partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Global Connect: Arizona Trade Finance Seminar is co-sponsored and presented by Thunderbird School of Global Management, FCIB (Finance, Credit & International Business Association), the Arizona District Export Council, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.  To register or for more information, visit: http://fcibglobal.com/events/event-calendar/details/199-arizona-trade-finance-seminar.html

Limited Time Discount Offer: Receive a $30 off the general registration fee of $60 and an additional $15 off the Thunderbird fee of $45
Discount Registration Fee: $30
Discount Code: TSGM50OFF
Availability: Friday, September 27th, 9:00 am PST – Monday, September 30th, 9:00 pm PST

Business Communications Course – required for graduation: Students who haven’t completed the business communication course required for graduation must register for it for next module. This effects all students who started before this fall. Beginning spring module this course will be offered for credit, which will affect academic plans. If you have questions, contact Nate Stickney at nathanstickney@global.t-bird.edu

Act now to be included in our employer résumé books: Opt-in résumé books are a great way for you to get your résumé to appear in search results for Thunderbird employers. To take advantage of this option:

1) Visit GlobalConnect > Documents > Opt-In Résumé Book.
2) Designate the specific résumé (or résumés) from your approved documents that you wish to be searchable in the functional books that show in the drop-down menu.
3) Complete these steps before October 1 to ensure your résumé is included (The CMC will be creating these résumé books on October 1).

Last day to apply for a Corporate Liaison position: Get valuable one-on-one time with participating organizations, speakers and recruiters by applying to be a Professional Development Week Corporate Liaison. As a Liaison, you’ll handle all logistics for career fair employers but still have ample time to participate in PDW activities. The final day to apply is October 1. Apply now on GlobalConnect – job #8377.

Have you completed your Career Search Update yet: Reminder – If you have not yet submitted your Career Search Update survey (using the tab in the upper right corner of your TLE home page), please submit it by the October 11 deadline. This survey takes just two minutes. Follow these simple instructions:

1) Log in to learning.thunderbird.edu using you Thunderbird student ID and password
2) Click on the Career Search Updates tab (top right corner)
3) Click “Enroll me” – if you have not enrolled yourself already
4) Scroll down to the bottom and click “Career Search Update #1 (Sep.3 – Oct. 11, 2013)

As always, I am available for questions, concerns and ideas – don’t hesitate to reach out.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Rebecca