PHOENIX (June 28, 2023): Insurance is often one of those things we forget about until we need it. GradGuard, the leading college renters and tuition insurance provider, encourages students and their families to protect their financial future on National Insurance Awareness Day.

June 28th is National Insurance Awareness Day. Insurance offers many securities for life’s unpredictable events, including risks that may happen in college. National Insurance Awareness Day is a good reminder to evaluate options to protect yourself.

“College is a time of great opportunity, but it can also be a time of financial risk,” said John Fees, co-founder and CEO at GradGuard. “Paying for college is often the second largest investment college families make. Families are smart to understand how to protect that investment.”

Students can reduce the financial and academic risks they face by understanding the risks of college life and taking steps to protect themselves.

Tuition Insurance*: If your student has to withdraw from college due to a serious illness, injury, or accident, it’s unlikely you’ll receive a full refund for tuition, let alone for housing or other fees. No one wants to think about a condition or incident so severe a student is forced to withdraw, but it does happen. Tuition insurance can provide reimbursement for tuition, housing, and academic fees due to a covered medical withdrawal when schools do not. Covered reasons can include illnesses and injuries such as mono, concussions, and mental health conditions, as well as the death of a tuition payer.

According to the American College Health Association data collected from Fall 2021 through Spring 2022:

• 1 out of 4 students reported being affected by depression
• 1 out of 3 students reported being affected by anxiety
• 1 out of 2 students reported being affected by stress

Renters Insurance: Living on campus is the first time many students live independently. With more than 3 million living in on-campus student housing, they are likely unaware that their college or university is unlikely to replace stolen or damaged student property.

According to Clery Act Reports, an average of over 24,000 crime and safety incidents have been reported annually on college campuses since 2009.

• 2,411 robberies were reported on average annually.
• 1,840 fires were reported on average annually.
• 20,521 burglaries were reported on average annually.

Students living in off-campus housing face a similar situation. When you can’t count on schools, housing companies, or landlords to replace stolen or damaged student property, students are smart to consider purchasing renters insurance.

GradGuard’s College Renters Insurance contains an exclusive student endorsement that provides worldwide property coverage, liability protection, a low $100 deductible, and no credit check.

Health Insurance: Many colleges offer health insurance plans to students or require them to purchase or opt out by showing proof of alternative insurance. A college health insurance plan may make sense for some students. Under federal law, young adults can remain on a parent’s plan until they turn 26. Families are smart to confirm the school requirements and to be sure to not pay twice for coverage.

Travel Insurance: If you’re planning on studying abroad or taking a summer internship, travel insurance can help protect you from financial loss in the event of a trip cancellation, medical emergency, or lost luggage.

Life Insurance: If a parent dies, life insurance can cover college costs including tuition, housing, and fees. The death benefit can also be used to pay off student loans.

“Insurance can help protect your financial future and give you peace of mind,” said Fees. “So take some time on National Insurance Day to review your needs and make sure you have the right coverage in place.”

About GradGuard:
GradGuard is the #1 provider of college renters and tuition insurance. Since 2009, GradGuard has protected more than 1.3 million students at more than 1,800 unique institutions. GradGuard’s innovative protections are embedded within the enrollment processes of the largest and most prestigious universities in the United States, ensuring their students are protected from the risks of college life.

Contact:
Natalie Hubertus
Director of Marketing and Communications
nhubertus@gradguard.com

*Terms, conditions, and exclusions (including for pre-existing conditions) apply.  Plans only available to U.S. residents and may not be available in all jurisdictions.  Recommended and provided by GradGuard, a service of Next Generation Insurance Group, LLC (NGI), the licensed agent for all insurance programs.  Insurance plans include insurance benefits and assistance services.  Pricing may vary by state.  Insurance benefits are underwritten by Jefferson Insurance Company (NY, Administrative Office 9950 Mayland Drive, Richmond, VA 23233) rated “A+” (Superior) by A.M. Best Co.  A+ (Superior) is the 2nd highest of A.M. Best’s 13 Financial Strength Ratings.  Non-insurance benefits/services are provided by AGA Service Company.  Claims are administered by Allianz Global Assistance (AGA).  AGA and Allianz Tuition Insurance are marks of AGA Service Company or its affiliates.  AGA Service Company is an affiliate of Jefferson Insurance Company.  Plans include insurance benefits and assistance services.  Except as expressly provided for under the plan, consumer is responsible for charges incurred from outside vendors.  Contact AGA Service Company at 888-427-5045 or 9950 Mayland Dr., Richmond, VA  23233 or tuition@allianzassistance.com .

Young leaders to receive $5,000 grants and be recognized at DoSomething’s 30th anniversary celebration–The Futures Ball–in New York City this November

NEW YORK, May 31, 2023 – DoSomething.org, the national hub for youth-centered activism, is proud to launch the Generation Future Award, recognizing young visionary leaders who are catalyzing positive change locally and globally. The award invites young people ages 13-25 to share their vision for a brighter future and the work they are doing to make it a reality. This includes actions like launching their own nonprofits, organizing rallies, leading mutual aid efforts and spearheading policy change in their communities. Winners will receive a $5,000 grant to further support their work and will be selected through a peer voting period on DoSomething.org this summer. DoSomething will showcase their leadership at The Futures Ball, DoSomething’s 30th anniversary celebration in New York City this fall.

DoSomething is launching The Generation Future Award to recognize and celebrate emerging youth leaders for their exceptional social impact initiatives and to invest in them and their efforts to turn their ideas into action. Beyond the $5,000 grant, DoSomething will offer guidance and insight into navigating the challenges of creating impact and driving systemic change and solicit input from winners on the future of DoSomething programming.

“DoSomething has invested in young people leading change for 30 years – first with Gen X and then Millennials,” said DeNora Getachew, CEO of DoSomething.org. “As Gen Z and Gen Alpha take their place in our society, we launched The Generation Future Award to renew our commitment to and celebration of the young leaders who are redefining the rules by challenging broken and antiquated systems and creating new, more equitable and just paths forward.”

DoSomething’s Generation Future Award is a natural extension of the legacy of the DoSomething Awards and BRICK Awards, which previously celebrated outstanding youth activists and volunteers. This new award allows self-nomination and the opportunity for peers to vote on finalists while continuing the organization’s work of investing in and supporting the next generation of changemakers.

“The DoSomething Award was absolutely game changing in the trajectory, growth, and building of BlinkNow.org,” said CEO and founder Maggie Doyne, winner of The DoSomething Award in 2009. “The award granted us community, connections, platforms, and funding we needed at a critical time in the development of our budding organization. It’s not everyday that a twenty-two year old gets a shot like that! Because of the support awarded by DoSomething, thirteen years later our organization is thriving and doing life-changing community based work. It’s an opportunity I’ll be forever grateful for.”

The submission period for the award is now open through July 12, with winners announced at the end of August. Honorees will be celebrated at The Futures Ball on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

To learn more about the Generation Future award, visit: https://www.dosomething.org/us/campaigns/generation-future/action

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About DoSomething.org
DoSomething fuels young people to change the world. As the national hub for youth-centered activism, DoSomething has activated more than 6 million young people representing every U.S. area code and over 189 countries. DoSomething has registered over 415,000 new voters since 2018 and awarded more than $1.8 million in scholarships to young people since 2010. When you join DoSomething.org, you are joining a reflective and inclusive collective of young people who are collaborating to develop and implement the solutions to the most pressing issues facing society today.

Media Contact
Jessi Kaminski
jkaminski@dosomething.org

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, today announced the recipients of a 2023 Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant. The $1,000 grants were awarded to 125 students across the nation.

The grants are designed to support undergraduates, both members and nonmembers from campuses that have Phi Kappa Phi chapters, as they seek expanded knowledge and experience in their academic fields by studying abroad.

“In today’s increasingly interconnected world, studying abroad provides students with an opportunity to expand their cross-cultural knowledge and competencies,” said Society Executive Director and CEO Dr. Bradley R. Newcomer. “We are pleased to support these students by helping them expand their horizons through our study abroad grant program.”

The selection process for a study abroad grant is based on the applicant’s academic achievement, campus and community service, relation of travel to academic preparation and career goals, a personal statement, letters of recommendation and acceptance into a study abroad program.

Established in 2001, the Study Abroad Grant Program is part of the Society’s robust portfolio of award and grant programs, which gives more than $1.3 million each year to outstanding students and members through graduate and dissertation fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.

For the complete list of recipients from the program, please visit www.phikappaphi.org/2023studyabroad. The application process for 2024 will open on Dec. 15, 2023.

About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society’s mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engage the community of scholars in service to others.” For more information, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

Media Contact
Alyssa Papa
Director of Communications
apapa@phikappaphi.org
(225) 923-7777

5/19/23: An open letter to Anthony Guterres UN Secretary-General from Project NatureConnect’s founder, Michael J. Cohen Ed.D, Ph.D., gives everybody a critical green switch remedy and training article that Guterres has for years requested and deserves.

Guterres says,

“Humanity is waging a ‘suicidal war’ on Nature.

We are facing new heights of global heating, new lows of ecological degradation, new setbacks in mental health and our goal for more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development.

To put it simply, the state of the planet is broken. Nature needs a bailout —it’s time to flick the green switch.”

The green switch remedy Guterres seeks is Cohen’s multiple-sensory tool called, Natureness. It registers directly in our awareness the self-correcting essence of Nature that flows around, in and as us. It’s the critical woke for any individual who has ever been abused.

Cohen says “The daily growth of our war with Nature demonstrates that, by holding an undue prejudice against Nature, all the knowledge in the world to date has not applied the available Natureness antidote for the source of the war.”

“Being scientifically hands-on, Natureness reduces ‘Earth Misery.’ That’s my name for today’s increasingly broken life that we suffer. This horror results from our war’s lies about Nature. It includes our increasing climate change and mental illness dilemmas as well as our abuse and deteriorated personal, social and environmental well-being.”

Cohen is the maverick genius who, in 1965, determined that wordless Nature had to be alive. To demonstrate this fact, in his letter to the Secretary General, he gives him the power of Natureness:

“It’s an absolute fact that you exist and are alive as you breathe, grow, and read these words this instant.”

It’s a self-evident, 54-sense truth that you experience. If you don’t trust what you experience what can you trust without getting injured by the war?

Note that this indisputable fact is a green switch tool that can be added to any “thing” or relationship and increase well-being. You simply make contact with a natural “something,” like appreciating a cloud or our thoughts, senses and feeling as ‘things.’ As Albert Einstein said, “When the solution is simple, God is answering.”

Our words here, right now let us experience this Natureness moment as our heartfelt, whole truth of our bankrupt world.  When our words and acts include Natureness, we help stop the war and happily recover from its wounds. When our words mislead us about Nature, we increase our Earth Misery pain.

Cohen says that 99% of our time is out of tune with Nature and we suffer our broken lives because they are grounded in our destructive war propaganda, not the Natureness of our planet’s balanced and beautiful natural world.

“The absolute truth antidote for our war’s Earth Misery is to learn Natureness, free, at the Natureness website or via its Natureness gift,” Cohen said. “Natureness is fun, easy and profound. You learn how and why to add the “ness” of Natureness to everything, including yourself. That grows happiness in balance with wilderness in our consciousness because ‘ness’ is Nature’s reasonable love ‘to be, exist or live.’ We can’t afford to start a day without it.”

Contact: Mikeness, Michael J. Cohen, Ed.D., Ph.D.
360-378-6313   nature@interisland.net   www.ecopsych.com/mjcohen.html

Natureness Website: https://www.projectnatureconnect.com/

Natureness Article https://www.projectnatureconnect.com/keyarticle/

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Below is the full content of the letter to Secrretary-General Guterres.  It is also online at www.ProjectNatureConnect.com/openletter/

Dear UN Secretary-General Guterres,

Thank you for, at last, accurately identifying the war we wage against nature and its effects. You’ve made it possible for Project NatureConnect to create the peace-with- Nature green switch we desperately need to increase well-being.

Scientifically, the switch is a  unique social technology but it only works if we strive to be precise. Otherwise the war’s propaganda distortions we addict to and endure continue to warp our reality. That voids the green switch and its Climate Therapy values.

To be authentic here, I let the evidence-based Natureness of the green switch teach itself to you in this narrative. That helps you learn and believe it directly from its source as it demonstrates how it grows itself. This enables you to share that great missing truth with the world and increase our ability to continually expand well-being by 850%. I have attached our professional training article to help you accomplish this.

Adding Natureness to everything is critical because it is the self-correcting essence of Nature that can transform our war against Nature into sufficiently loving the natural world. This is important since the war is the root of every conflict that excessively stresses us.

Here’s Natureness in action

“It’s an absolute fact that you exist and are alive as you breathe, grow, and read these words this instant.”

We are engaged in this indisputable science fact right now. Do you trust this experience? In these troubled times if you don’t trust what you experience what can you trust without getting injured by the war?

The undeniable Natureness truth, above, can be applied as a green switch tool, anytime, anywhere in conjunction with natural things.  This instant, it is the part of me that is attracted to writing this letter to you as well as the attracted part of you or whoever is reading these words right now.

Here and now, our words help us bond to the beautiful, self-correcting essence of Nature that is alive everywhere. It is our shared inborn love with the essence of each thing in our universe, including each other and our inner child. In today’s space-time Universe science, that’s how everything grows in unity as one single life, moment-by-moment.  That’s how and why the existential fact, above, is absolute.

Natureness is happening right now unless one of us stops it simply by not believing it.  That sounds like a miracle because we seldom confirm the obvious: our Universe is wordlessly growing until it doesn’t. Galaxies expanding from each other show this. That’s universal life’s growth, just like the Big Bang, or before, was its birth.

Scientifically, Nature is alive, not Newton’s mechanical and decaying relationship. You know from experience this is true because, as above, and again here and now,  you exist and are alive as you breathe, grow, and read these words this instant while all things are connected and their essence identically growing around, in and as you.  Can you sense or believe Nature’s time and space loves to survive by beginning its and your life this very moment, that we’re all part of the same  universal tree of life?

The above is no different than how our toes, head and heart wordlessly are, by Nature, attracted to live together by growing in unity, as above. That’s the magnificent, self-perpetuating, Natureness green switch that loves our life into being and that society excessively pays use to conquer and grind into money.

No wonder we are broken and can’t stop the war. We are indoctrinated to incredibly believe that we are not wounded victims of this excessive conquest of Nature as it rages around, in and as us. 

The Natureness green switch works because it’s the pure life essence that unifies our physical and emotional conflicts as it composts and recycles them into Nature’s love to begin and grow all of life harmoniously attached including our body organs, mind and spirit.

In Natureness relationships, Nature’s wordless intention to love life into being fulfills our excessive wants that arise because they are excessively nature-disconnected. That loss makes us greedily seek artificial satisfactions accompanied by their destructive side effects that make us want more of everything for fulfillment.  This short circuit aggravates our  situation. It defines addiction, that we try in vain to remedy with competitive new technologies that additionally increase our stress.

Mr. Secretary-General, doesn’t your Natureness experience, here, or in a natural area, cry for you to trust its felt-sense wisdom and stop our madness?  Natureness can help you and us because it is  Nature’s fountainhead of authority in how its perfection works.

Natureness eco-arts and science expand and continue the healing bliss that Nature grows in natural areas. Its 54-sense, words and acts reverse our broken world agony. Children easily add it to their lives while my 57 years of living and researching it has substantiated its effectiveness.

Here’s the best part of the Natureness green switch. It is easily achieved by knowledgeably adding “ness” to our name and what we name so, for example,  Jody becomes Jodyness, you become Antonioness a tree becomes treeness, music becomes musicness  and I’m Mikeness. This makes all thing’s essence, since the beginning of time, become the Natureness of any instant’s  happiness. “Ess” means “to be, to exist.” This pure truth phenomenon only occurs moment-by-moment in space-time, including this instant.  Do you recognize and appreciate its total honesty? It’s wilderness

Secretary-General Guterres, to globally green switch, simply lead the world by joining with us and become Antonioness Guterres this Earth Day and whenever else it will be helpful.  It will always expand and strengthen your good intentions by 850%, because it activates today’s known 54-senses instead of limit us to Aristotle’s five senses from 300 B.C. As a world leader, you can simply add ness to yourself and any other situation and bring the missing wisdom of Natureness into play.  Our increasing climate change, mental illness, species extinction, violence, ad nauseam, demonstrate the painful Earth Misery that results from us omitting Natureness.

With justice for all, here’s what we need to do. Wherever our media,

education, counseling or livelihood dismiss Natureness, simply green switch into your personal ness, Antonioness. Learn and invoke Natureness so its benefits can help us help others learn Natureness and reduce our horrible Earth Misery.

The Natureness process creates pure moments that let  Earth’s love and wisdom use our words to teach us what we need to know. Otherwise, we suffer the trauma of our war stories keeping us out of tune with Natureness for over 99% of our lifetime.

In contact with Nature, (For example, appreciating a cloud), our Natureness truth counteracts lies, unifies all things and it can be added everywhere as we learn it with friends on the internet or with our pet and community.

As you well know, since 1974, our conquered personal and planet life has been natural resource (read Nature’s metabolism) bankrupt. Today it is in 45-75% deficit and counting. This means that whenever we don’t invoke Natureness as a remedy for the person/planet abuse we inflict, our global debt, ecocide, polarity, anxiety and depression increase. It’s not a conspiracy, its a consequence of Natureness deprivation.

Natureness works because it therapeutically interlaces our 54-senses with their source and growth in any natural area’s wordless eons of cooperative life experiences. In these Earth-bankrupt times there is no substitute for this that does not intensify Earth Misery.

Obviously, the omission of Natureness violates our legal and moral right to life as it deteriorates life. Our inequality, injustice and disorders are rooted in our tragic Nature holocaust as it flows through us and our planet. Our lives are grounded in war and falsehoods, not the absolute truth of Nature’s essence.

Natureness is available, free, to the public. Hands-on, it creates justice, peace and sustainability because in authentic Nature everything is attractive, wanted and belongs. That’s why Nature doesn’t produce garbage or undue abuse. It’s unconditional love in action.

Help “ness” help you introduce the green switch benefits of Natureness everywhere for personal and global sanity.  Again, simply be publicly known as Antonioness for Earth Day and whenever else possible and help others do the same.  Gain the power you need and deserve. As Albert Einstein noted, “When the solution is simple, God is answering.”

On behalf of Natureness, I thank you for considering this  proposal to stop our madness.  I’d be happy to explore it further with you. Once you experience it in a natural area, you will recognize it’s a major breakthrough that can quickly be taught and applied globally via the internet. It should be required, UN accredited education everywhere including the University for Peace. Without it, education, counseling and the media are not credible and, sadly, most other remedies are just band-aids for the symptoms of how we wound Nature around and in us.

Without Natureness, folks don’t scientifically know or address the core of what’s breaking the world so the core continues to grow. Why would you think today’s Natureness-absent efforts will suddenly stem the tide? Would it be because you are not immune, that your thinking omits Natureness as a green switch?

If  the GreenSwitch Institute or I can be of service in an absolute truth UN Natureness endeavor, please let us know.

With Great Appreciation for Your Dedication,

Mikeness

Michael J. Cohen, Ed.D, Ph.D.  360-378-6313 Pacific Time. Email nature@interisland.net

Green Switch Website   https://www.projectnatureconnect.com/

Book Preview www.ecopsych.com/NATILLUSTRATED.pdf
Online at https://www.projectnatureconnect.com/keyarticle/

Virtual Discussion: “Environmental Sciences: An Empowered Path to Publishing for Early Career Researchers,” Monday, April 24, 9:30 a.m. (EST)

(PHILADEPHIA, April 13, 2023)— To mark Earth Month, Taylor and Francis, a leading scholarly publisher, is hosting a webinar for early career researchers in the environmental sciences. This live virtual discussion is designed to empower researchers with essential insights and timely tips they need to get their research published, making an impact on the world and in their careers—while also addressing a host of environmental issues.

While the interactive discussion is designed specifically for early career researchers, knowledge makers at any career stage will find tremendous value in the session, including a robust Q&A session following a panel discussion of experts in scholarly publishing, according to event organizers.

The event, “Environmental Sciences: An Empowered Path to Publishing for Early Career Researchers,” will be moderated by Martin Wilson, Head of Content, Researcher Services, Taylor & Francis.

Among the panelists offering critical insights are:

• Douglas Hilderbrand, Preparedness and Resilience Program Lead, for the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Hilderbrand is also a published author within the Taylor & Francis Environmental Sciences Portfolio.
• Debora F. Rodrigues, Ph.D., Program Director, Partnerships for Innovation, National Science Foundation
• Liz Marchant, Global Portfolio Director, Life, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Taylor & Francis
• Andrew Bostjancic, Open Research Policy & External Affairs Manager, Taylor & Francis

To register, copy the following link into your browser. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4543262740449376864

About Taylor & Francis Group

Taylor & Francis supports diverse communities of experts, researchers and knowledge makers around the world to accelerate and maximize the impact of their work. We are a leader in our field, publish across all disciplines and have one of the largest Humanities and Social Sciences portfolios. Our expertise, built on an academic publishing heritage of over 200 years, advances trusted knowledge that fosters human progress.

Our 2,650 people, based in a global network of offices in 17 countries, use their skills and the latest technology to curate, validate and share impactful advanced, emergent and applied knowledge. Information Classification: General Under the Taylor & Francis, Routledge and F1000 imprints we publish 2700 journals, 8000 new books each year and partner with more than 700 scholarly societies. Taylor & Francis is proud to be a Global Certified Accessible™ publisher and our operations and all our print publications are certified CarbonNeutral™.

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Contact

Tanya Howard, U.S. Communications Director
Tanya.Howard@informa.com
+1-757-266-6050

FCAS Introduces the Blue Square as a Unifying Symbol Against Antisemitism

Foxboro, Mass. [March 28, 2023] – The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism today launched a new, national campaign to mobilize all Americans, and especially non-Jews, to #StandUpToJewishHate by using the blue square emoji – 🟦 – as a unifying symbol of support. Jews only make up 2.4% of the American population^[1] yet are the victims of 55% of religious-based hate crimes^[2]. That startling discrepancy is the cornerstone of this new omnichannel campaign, created through a $25 million investment by Robert K. Kraft and his family, which combines alarming data with humanizing storytelling representing everyday instances of antisemitism to encourage audiences to recognize Jewish hate in order to stand up against it.

Through the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism is establishing 🟦, the Blue Square emoji already on all smartphones, as a simple, but powerful symbol of solidarity and support for the Jewish community. The 🟦 will make its debut by taking up 2.4% of TV and digital screens, billboards and social feeds to call attention to the disturbing disparity between the Jewish population size and scale of hate the community faces, both online and in-person.

While high-profile events have started to make more people aware of antisemitism in the past year, many outside the Jewish community still are not aware of or recognize the scale of Jewish hate. According to a survey by Wunderman Thompson SONAR, over 52% of U.S. adults 18+ do not believe “antisemitism is a big problem,” and 45% believe that Jewish people are more than capable of handling issues of antisemitism on their own^[3]. Another recent study from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that 85% of Americans believe at least one anti-Jewish trope^[4]. Additionally, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism has observed an increase in discussion of antisemitism online over the past two years, with the biggest increases in conversation in 2022 related to antisemitic flyers, conspiracy theories, and the Holocaust^[5]. We cannot let 2.4% of the population fight antisemitism on its own.

“The #StandUpToJewishHate campaign is designed to raise awareness for the fight against antisemitism, specifically among non-Jewish audiences and to help all Americans understand that there is a role for each of us to play in combating a problem that is unfortunately all too prevalent in communities across the country today,” said Robert K. Kraft, Founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. “We must stand up and take action against the rise of all hate and I hope everyone will post and share the Blue Square to show their support in this fight.”

Viewers will first see the 🟦 as part of an integrated ad campaign across NBCUniversal programming – including tonight on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning series, “The Voice” – with hosts and talent from some of the network’s most popular shows introducing the 🟦 and raising awareness to the rising threat of antisemitism. Utilizing NBCUniversal’s platform to bring this crucial message to audiences everywhere, the 🟦 will additionally be featured on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” and the Daytime Emmy-winning talk show “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” Also, Kraft will appear on “TODAY” to discuss the rise in antisemitism and efforts to combat it.

The #StandUpToJewishHate campaign will also appear on other major media networks and within other popular programming, including the NBA, NHL Playoffs and NFL Draft as well as be featured on numerous social media platforms in partnership with Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.

On the heels of introducing the 🟦, a series of advertisements directed by Derek Cianfrance will highlight scenarios inspired by real-life antisemitic activity the Jewish community currently faces, such as the fact that nearly 70% of Jewish Americans faced antisemitic hate online last year.^[6] While many Jews will be able to easily relate to the everyday scenarios in the spots, they were shot and scripted to especially humanize and contextualize antisemitism for non-Jewish audiences and feature the role non-Jews can play to #StandUpToJewishHate.

“Our Foundation has tracked a steady rise in antisemitic rhetoric on social media since 2020, with an increase of 14 percent in the past year,” said Matthew Berger, Executive Director of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. “We hope this campaign educates and empowers all Americans to speak out against antisemitism when they see it, either online or in their communities, and #StandUpToJewishHate.”

People can #StandUpToJewishHate in a number of ways:

1. Post and share 🟦 – an emoji already available on most smartphones – as a hashtag across social media alongside a message of support for the Jewish community and commitment to stand up to Jewish hate.
2. Activate your network by making them aware of the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign and how they can use 🟦 as a powerful symbol of solidarity with the Jewish community.
3. Tell your story to followers on social media, describing an instance where you’ve either encountered antisemitism and how it affected you or witnessed someone standing up against hatred towards Jews.
4. Visit StandUpToJewishHate.org and subscribe to the Foundation’s ”From the Command Center” e-newsletter to keep up to date on how antisemitism is spreading online, learn ways to identify and report it, and find helpful tools and resources around antisemitism.
5. Follow the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign at @StandUpToJewishHate on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to keep up-to-date with 🟦 and learn more about antisemitism.
6. Report antisemitism immediately when you see it, and if it is an emergency, dial 911. You can learn more about how best to report antisemitism by visiting StandUpToJewishHate.org.

FCAS partnered with creative agency Wunderman Thompson, media agency Mindshare (including their content unit Content+), PR agency Weber Shandwick, and influencer agency Noun for #StandUpToJewishHate.

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About The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism

Robert K. Kraft founded the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2019 to help address the rising hate against Jews in the United States and the existential threat it poses to Jewish people. The Foundation is focused on winning the hearts and minds of non-Jews through powerful, positive messaging and partnerships, motivating and equipping them to be defenders and upstanders for Jews as they continue to face antisemitism. FCAS’ work includes understanding and responding to antisemitic messages and hate speech posted online and sharing the story of the Jewish people and the threats they face today to drive awareness and solidarity amongst all audiences, especially non-Jews.

Different from historical strategies to fight antisemitism, The Foundation and Kraft Family use innovative approaches to analyze and respond to the new reality of antisemitism and hate against Jewish people. The Foundation’s key areas of focus include: raising awareness of antisemitism, monitoring and analyzing trends in antisemitism and hate on social media, engaging individuals to build familiarity, empathy and understanding toward Jews, and celebrating Jewish identity.

Media Contact

Sherman Fabes: sfabes@webershandwick.com
Anisha Chakrabarti: anishac@fcas.org

[1] “Jewish Americans in 2020,” Pew Research Center, May 21, 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/the-size-of-the-u-s-jewish-population/

[2] “2020 FBI Hate Crimes Statistics,” The United States Department of Justice, February 21, 2023, https://www.justice.gov/crs/highlights/2020-hate-crimes-statistics

[3] “Wunderman Thompson Bespoke SONAR Quantitative Study,” March 2022

[4] “Antisemitic Attitudes in America: Topline Findings,” Anti-Defamation League, January 12, 2023, https://www.adl.org/resources/report/antisemitic-attitudes-america-topline-findings

[5] “Command Center,” The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, 2022

[6] “The State of Antisemitism in America 2022: AJC’s Survey of American Jews,” American Jewish Committee, 2022, https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2022/AmericanJews

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, today announced the recipients of a 2023 Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellowship. The $10,000 fellowships are designed to support active Society members in the dissertation writing stage of doctoral study.

This year’s class of fellows represents a group of 15 students spanning a number of academic disciplines from science and technology to arts and humanities.

The 2023 Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellows are:

• Petra Banks, Texas State University
• Cassandra Beattie, Kansas State University
• Paige Figanbaum, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Justin Z. Goldstein, Texas State University
• Jessica N. Hoyle, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Sojung Huh, Texas State University
• Wesley Jeffrey, University of California, Irvine
• Hong-My Nguyen, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Dylan O’Hara, University of Maine
• Iqra Pervaiz, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Rotana M. Radwan, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Keyur Savla, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Elliot Varney, University of Mississippi Medical Center
• Rachel Washburn, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Emily Wiedenmeyer, Texas State University

“In its mission to support academic excellence and engage the community of scholars in service to others, Phi Kappa Phi created its Dissertation Fellowship to enable doctoral students to have the necessary resources to support the writing phase of their studies. By providing financial assistance to these doctoral students, our Society supports their continued academic and service journey,” said Society Executive Director and CEO Bradley Newcomer. “We are proud to support these scholars and look forward to seeing their completed dissertations in the not-so-distant future.”

The recipients were selected based on a number of criteria including how the fellowship will contribute to the completion of the dissertation, the significance of original research, and endorsement by the dissertation chair.

Established in 2014, the dissertation fellowships are part of the Society’s robust award and grants portfolio, which gives $1.3 million each year to outstanding students and members through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.

To learn more about the Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellowship Program and this year’s recipients, please visit www.phikappaphi.org/dissertation.

About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society’s mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.” For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org.

Media Contact
Alyssa Papa
Director of Communications
apapa@phikappaphi.org
(225) 923-7777

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, today announced the recipients of its Graduate Research Grants. The grants of up to $1,500 are designed to support graduate students who are active Society members seeking funding for research in support of career development opportunities.

The 20 grant recipients include students spanning a number of academic disciplines:

• Sabrina Rahman Archie, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Elisabeth Cuerrier-Richer, Texas State University
• Lacy Dolan, Mississippi State University
• Emma Erwin, University of Maine
• Shreyas Gaikwad, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Mario Jackson, North Carolina State University
• Ashley Jellison, University of Louisiana at Monroe
• Arjun Kafle, Texas Tech University
• Elizabeth L. Leclerc, University of Maine
• Aubree Marshall, Radford University
• Hong-My Nguyen, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Donovan Nichols, The University of Toledo
• Aine Norris, Old Dominion University
• Dylan O’Hara, University of Maine
• Mariam Oladejo, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
• Kartik Kumar Rajagopalan, Texas A&M University
• Alexandra C. Sheldon, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Brannon Smithwick, University of Southern California
• Natasha Strydhorst Unsworth, Texas Tech University
• Xinwen Zhang, University of Texas at Arlington

“The Graduate Research Grant program has had another amazing year.  This year’s recipients represent a diversity of institutions and disciplines. I am excited to see this award program fill an important need for our graduate student members.  It is a privilege to part of their academic journey, and we look forward to seeing their works mature in the future,” said Society Executive Director and CEO Bradley Newcomer.

Established in 2018, the grants are part of the Society’s robust award and grant portfolio, which gives $1.3 million each year to outstanding students and members through study abroad grants, graduate fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.

To learn more about the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Research Grant and this year’s recipients, please visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org/GraduateResearch.

About Phi Kappa Phi
Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society’s mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engage the community of scholars in service to others.” For more information, visit www.PhiKappaPhi.org.

Media Contact
Alyssa Papa
Director of Communications
apapa@phikappaphi.org
(225) 923-7777

Global designation evolves to shape today’s investment profession and the professionals who operate within it

Charlottesville, Virginia — 20 March, 2023: CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, announces significant enhancements to the CFA Program as part of its continual efforts to evolve the Program. These changes address the way today’s candidates learn and prepare them for successful careers as investment professionals, while also supplying the industry with the well-trained, ethical professionals it so requires.

Margaret Franklin, CFA, President and CEO, CFA Institute, commented:

“These enhancements represent an important milestone for our candidates and employers in the industry. In fact, they constitute the most significant changes we have ever made to the CFA Program since its inception in 1963. We conducted extensive research to get feedback directly from employers, candidates, prospective candidates, and the industry at large to inform how best to advance the knowledge and skills we provide to the investment professionals of the future.

“We can say with certainty that candidates are exceptionally keen to get an edge in the market for employment, and they are willing to work very hard for the advantage that the CFA Program provides. These changes will meet their needs by helping them to understand how to put investing concepts into practice on the job and be desk-ready on day one. The CFA Program signals clearly that candidates are serious about a long and successful career in investment management.”

The six changes are as follows:

1. Self-contained, digital practical skills modules will be introduced to the CFA Program to teach candidates on-the-job, practical applications. The initial practical skills modules include Financial Modelling for Level I; Analyst Skills at Level II; Python Programming Fundamentals (Level I or Level II) and Python, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (Level II). Additional practical skills modules are in development for Level III for the calendar 2025 exam series. Beginning in 2024, at least one practical skills module must be completed for each of Levels I and II but will not be graded as part of the exam.

2. Specialized pathways will be introduced at Level III beginning in 2025. A common core of study will exist for all three pathways at Level III, and candidates will be able to choose one of three job-role focused pathways:

I. Portfolio Management (the traditional version of Level III)
II. Private Wealth
III. Private Markets

All three pathways will be equally rigorous and in pursuit of one credential: the CFA charter.

3. An improved digital badging strategy will reinforce the value of Level I and Level II achievements to candidates on their CFA Program journey. Candidate feedback suggests that a formal acknowledgement of completing Levels I and II would be beneficial in their search for internships and full-time positions as an indicator of the seriousness of their commitment to a career in the investment profession.

4. The volume of study materials will be reduced at each Level to ensure candidate preparation remains at around 300 hours for each exam. In our research, we found that today’s candidates are spending significantly more than 300 hours to study for each Level of the CFA Program. Best practices in instructional design are therefore being incorporated to ensure that the content is efficient, accessible, and relevant while maintaining the rigor and value-add of the CFA Program. Some introductory content that most candidates would have learned during undergraduate studies will remain available to registered candidates in the preparatory materials but will not be tested on the exams.

5. Additional practice materials: when registration opens for the February 2024 exams this May, Level I candidates will have the opportunity to purchase the CFA Program Practice Pack, a new product that includes 1000 new practice questions and six additional Level I mock exams. Candidates are currently granted access to two mock exams at no additional charge eight weeks before their exam window. Based on candidate surveys, it was determined that significant demand exists for more mock exams and practice questions from CFA Institute.

6. Level I CFA Exam eligibility has been extended by a year to those who are two years away from completing their undergraduate degree. This change was previously announced on 16 November, 2022.

Chris Wiese, CFA, Managing Director and Head of Credentialing, said:

“We spent years researching market needs while contemplating these changes. We spoke to candidates, students, employers, our members and societies, and others in the financial industry ecosystem. As the $10 trillion private markets continue to play a larger role in investment portfolios and as the $130 trillion[1] wealth management segment requires more highly trained professionals, we landed on adding these two new pathways at Level III in addition to the traditional portfolio management route. We also know that the new Financial Modeling, Python, and Analyst Skills modules will be valuable to candidates and employers alike and dovetail with existing curriculum content.”

For further information on the CFA Program, please visit https://evolve.cfainstitute.org, where you can also watch a video explainer from Marg Franklin, accompanied by more detailed on the six changes by Chris Wiese.

For further information please contact pr@cfainstitute.org

[1] https://www.bain.com/insights/in-a-new-world-time-for-wealth-management-firms-to-shift-course/]

About CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion of ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. Our aim is to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. There are more than 190,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in more than 160 markets. CFA Institute has nine offices worldwide and 160 local societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on Linkedin and Twitter at @CFAInstitute.

Blameless Will Award Two $2,500 Scholarships to College Students Studying Computer Science and Engineering

San Mateo, Calif.– March 16, 2023 - Blameless, the incident management workflow solution for DevOps and SRE teams, today proudly announces the launch of their Blameless Reliability Scholarship. The brand-new scholarship program will award two scholarships worth $2,500 to current or prospective college students in computer science, engineering departments or other relevant science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM occupations are projected to grow 10.8% between 2021-2031. This is compared to only 4.9% growth for all other careers. At the local collegiate level, 730,394 or 18.3% of college graduates earn degrees in STEM fields.

The Blameless Reliability Scholarship is the first step that Blameless is taking in investing in the future of STEM by aiding students in their pursuit of a science degree. The requirements to enter the scholarship program include:

• Be a resident of the United States and the District of Columbia;
• Be at least 17 years old at the time of application;
• Currently enrolled full time at an accredited 2 – 4-year technical/vocational college or university – to see if your school qualifies, go to ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home;
• Or have applied to an accredited college or university and are in the last year of high school;
• Be majoring in a computer science, engineering or other relevant STEM field;
• Have at least one (1) full academic year remaining in their program.

To apply for one of the two Blameless scholarship awards, students will need the following:

• Legal name and birth date;
• Current GPA (via official or unofficial course transcript);
• Proof of enrollment or acceptance in a college or university (this document can usually be obtained from the university’s student portal);
• A 400 – 800-word essay on the topic of “How Resilience Empowers” attached as a document or a Google docs link (ensure the sharing settings are updated).

The deadline to apply for the scholarship is Tuesday, May 30th, 2023. Please provide all of the required information by sending an email to community@blameless.com and find out more information at https://www.blameless.com/scholarships.

“We believe that human beings are at the heart of reliable services. We’re so excited to help empower the next generation of resilient engineers to build services that people can trust.” – Emily Arnott, Community Manager at Blameless

Additional Resources:

What is Site Reliability Engineering?
The Blameless Blog
Blameless Reliability Scholarship for Computer Science

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About Blameless

Blameless is an incident workflow solution that carries teams through a codified playbook from start to finish in one fluid motion. DevOps, SRE and on-call teams command, communicate, and complete incidents faster than ever before. Everyone learns through retrospectives and data-based insights. Leading brands such as Procore, Under Armour, Citrix, Mercari, Fox, and Home Depot, rely on Blameless to embrace a culture of continuous improvement, do more with less, and protect their customers.

Blameless is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Accel, Third Point Ventures, and Decibel. For more information, please visit www.blameless.com and LinkedIn or Twitter.

Media Contacts

Elena Lopez | Sebastian Moradi
Jmac PR for Blameless
blameless@jmacpr.com