Career Pathway Committees are volunteer groups who have a unique focus on supporting the career pathway of individual plant scientist.
The purpose of Career Pathways Committees
To provide community and networking
opportunities to scientists working in similar
career spaces with a goal of increasing
opportunities for scientific collaboration and increasing the value of an
individual’s membership through a sense of community. (
Strategic Goal A)
To highlight particular career or lifecycle needs, opportunities and results within
the various career spaces to support APS’ mission. This may include
the development of educational offerings
for members or external stakeholders to support Strategic Goals A, B and C.
Career Pathway Committee Charges
- Convening a minimum of two virtual
meetings of the committee per fiscal year, creating a community where
scientists can discuss relevant issues or advances in “career or lifecycle space”.
These meetings may include both community-building opportunities for
members to get to know one another, share ideas and potentially collaborate on APS or external projects.
- Identifying emerging or persistent professional development or other
relevant career/personal issues, and developing educational materials
such as workshops, webinars, whitepapers, research tools or other project that
help to create and/or maintain a growing
and competent workforce within the relevant
career space.
Academic Unit Leaders Forum (AULF): Facilitate discussion of disciplinary issues of particular relevance to plant pathology units across the country and representation of those issues before Council. The Unit Leaders Forum (AULF) promotes interactions among the leaders of academic units that encompass their institutions’ plant pathology enterprise for discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing the discipline of plant pathology regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Careers 101: works with the APS Leadership Institute, Early Career, and Graduate Student committees to aid in career skills training.
Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion: Assists APS members in areas such as training, career development, professional growth and networking; facilitates development of social contacts; promotes communication and interaction among members with diverse backgrounds; enables integration of all underserved or underrepresented groups into the organization.
Early Career Professionals: Assists early career professionals in academic, cooperative extension, governmental, or industry positions in areas such as training, career opportunities, professional advancement, activity participation at APS annual and division meetings, communication and facilitation of professional contacts and encouragement of greater personal growth.
Extension: Represents the members of the society who deal with extension or outreach educational activities. It addresses requests from the membership, the president, and Council concerning extension-related subjects and provides leadership within the society in the area of extension. It is the intent of this committee to provide equitable representation for each of the divisions on the Extension Committee roster.
Family & Caregiver Support: Mission is to advocate and champion diversity and inclusion of APS members, specifically by caregivers as they pursue their scientific career. This will be achieved by providing information, services, and grants that support and facilitate participation of caregivers in APS and pursuit of their scientific careers and assist them in balancing the demands of their personal and professional lives. The office will work to include APS family members to encourage future generations of plant pathologists.
Graduate Student: Strives to integrate students into society affairs and activities and to recommend ways to address student concerns. It is composed of graduate students in plant pathology. Division councilors will serve as liaison to the committee. The Graduate Student Committee chair serves as chair of the selection committee for the student travel awards to the APS annual meeting. The chair also serves as an ex officio (voting) member of the APS Foundation Board.
Industry: This committee promotes close working relationships between the seed, biotechnology, agrochemical, equipment, and other plant health related industries. The committee facilitates discussions of issues and policies of mutual interest to industry and APS. The committee sponsors the New Products and Services session at the annual meeting to highlight new products and technologies available to agriculture.
Regulatory Plant Pathology: Identifies diseases that pertain to or are amenable to regulation by federal or state agencies. Important diseases not occurring in the United States, but constituting a threat if introduced, are identified and concerns are expressed to the appropriate governmental agencies after consultation with Council.
Teaching: Considers aspects of instruction and education in the discipline of phytopathology, other than those traditionally reserved for continuing education such as those activities carried out by the Extension Service and other agencies.
