A Challenging Year Sets Recent SH&E Graduates on a Bright Trajectory
Gina T. Chace, Med., ASP; Assistant Clinical Professor of Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences at Keene State College
|
|
To the Class of 2021:
Congratulations! Your graduation represents years of hard work, effort, determination, and tenacity. It is a particularly noteworthy accomplishment given the uncertainties and upheaval presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. A little more than a year ago, we were all tasked to reimagine the ways in which we learn and work. The completion of your academic programs stands as a testament to your ability to adapt, overcome, innovate, and persevere despite significant obstacles.
The dynamic and ever-evolving nature of COVID-19 presents unique challenges and opportunities for safety and occupational health professionals. As you stand at the precipice of the next phase of your professional journeys, you have limitless potential to positively impact both the lives of others and the organizations you will join. You have accepted the weighty and rewarding responsibility of protecting the safety, health, and well-being of your colleagues. In doing so, you will draw upon the technical and interpersonal skills you have honed throughout your academic preparation to anticipate, assess, and effectively mitigate risks to ensure your coworkers return home free from harm.
As your professional responsibilities expand and you grow into positions of leadership, you must consistently self-assess and commit to continuous improvement. True “change agents” lead by example and must model the characteristics you wish to nurture in others. Integrity, humility, and a sound ethical compass provide powerful accompaniments to the broad knowledge base afforded by both rigorous academic study and lived experiences.
While your graduation symbolizes the end of one leg of your journey, it does not represent a destination. Learning is a lifelong process. Your alma maters, your classmates, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP), the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), and myriad other professional organizations are committed to supporting you along the way. I wish to extend my sincerest congratulations and wish you all the best for continued academic and professional success.
|
|
A Depiction of Inspiration: Karly St. Aubin's Journey to the SH&E Profession |
|
|
“I do it because I have a deep and profound respect for the people that put their health on the line every day to serve.”
In 1932, Mexican muralist Diego Rivera began constructing the “Industry of Detroit” mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The mural depicts the geological, technological, and human history of Detroit. More specifically, it shows hundreds of hard-working people performing the type of manual labor upon which cities like Detroit, and to a greater extent the entire country, were built.
For Karly St. Aubin, who grew up in Detroit admiring the mural, it was a depiction of the people who put their blood, sweat, and tears into their work—people who take tremendous pride in using their hands to create something. “The food we eat, the cars we drive, the homes we live in, they are all products of thousands of men and women working,” said St. Aubin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
BCSP maintains the Academic Database for those seeking the knowledge required to become SH&E professionals, looking to earn recertification points, or looking to stay knowledgeable of the latest developments in safety practice.
|
Promote the Value of BCSP to Your School! |
If your academic program is a Qualified Academic Program (QAP), BCSP would like to work with you in making sure individuals seeking quality SH&E education know your school produces future leaders.
|
|
Five Faculty Members Join the BCSP Community |
BCSP is happy to announce that five safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) university faculty members became Associate Safety professionals (ASPs) or Certified Safety Professionals (CSPs) using the free exam waiver for qualified faculty that is offered to new Qualified Academic Programs (QAP) and Qualified Equivalent Programs (QEP).
Gina Chace, a professor at Keene State University, and Dr. Adam Pickens, a professor at Texas A&M University, earned their Associate Safety Professional (ASP) certifications. Mellena Nichols, a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Dr. David Stumbo, a professor at Eastern Kentucky University; and James Shaw, a professor at Columbia Southern University, earned their CSPs!
When asked why she chose to pursue BCSP certification, Mellena Nichols, MS, CSP, ASP said, “I decided to get the CSP because it is a mark of excellence that indicates the quality of my knowledge, skills, and experience. Achieving this certification allows me to advance in my current position.”
|
|
BCSP Foundation's Research and Innovation Summit: Call for Abstracts |
|
|
If you are interested in presenting at the 2021 R&I Summit, please fill out the Abstract Submission application. Be sure to act quickly! The submission end date is May 10, 2021.
All confirmed speakers will receive complimentary admission to the 2021 R&I Summit and will be notified of selection no later than May 19, 2021.
The R&I Summit provides a unique forum for individuals and organizations dedicated to the advancement of EHS. The Summit is your forum as a leader, practitioner, researcher, and student. Together, we can share essential research with practical implications and dare to ask the questions that will shape the future of EHS.
**Please keep in mind that this event is scheduled to be an in-person event. If changed to a virtual event, all guests will be notified within the appropriate time frame in order to make the necessary arrangements.**
|
|
|
|
|
Have Your Degree and Need a Job? |
The BCSP Career Center connects job seekers with prospective employers in the safety, health, and environmental industry at no cost!
Visit the BCSP Career Center today, and start your journey to your dream career in SH&E!
|
Subscribe to our eNewsletters!
|
BCSP offers unique eNewsletters:
|
|
What is the Value of the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) Designation? |
If you are attending or have a degree from a safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) college program, you may have heard about the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) designation from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).
But what is it? And how do you get it?
The GSP is a designation that puts you on the path to attaining the Certified Safety Practitioner (CSP)—BCSP’s premiere safety certification. It demonstrates your knowledge and commitment to professional development, leading to greater career opportunities and higher salaries. Companies participating in the BCSP Virtual Career Fair and the American Society of Safety Practitioners (ASSP) Future Safety Leaders Conference look for it, and it sets you up for the salary boost received by CSPs.
“The GSP was an added perk to getting my bachelor’s degree,” explains Erin McAlister, GSP a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Occupational Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) program. “Graduating with the GSP put me ahead of the game, it has been something many prospective employers see on my resume that tells them I am serious about my career.”
If you plan to one day achieve the CSP, being a GSP will save you valuable time and money! When applying for the CSP, you must hold a BCSP-approved qualifying credential. The GSP satisfies that requirement at a fraction of the cost of the other qualifying credentials!
|
|
Education Now Serves as Pathway to STS, STSC Certifications |
|
|
The eligibility requirements for the Safety Trained Supervisor® (STS®) and the Safety Trained Supervisor Construction® (STSC®) certifications were expanded earlier last year to include education, training, and apprenticeships.
Under the new criteria, applicants may now apply for the STS or STSC with an associate degree in occupational safety, risk management, or construction management. Completion of a two-year trade or union training program or apprenticeship is also recognized.
The change comes in an effort to provide a pathway for graduates who may not yet have the work experience but who possess the comprehensive knowledge required to demonstrate proper work safety practices.
The new requirements for the STS and STSC, in full, are 30 hours of safety, health, and environmental training and one of the following: two years supervisory experience; OR four years work experience; OR an associate degree or higher in occupational safety, risk management, or construction management; OR completion of a two-year trade or union training program or apprenticeship.
For more information about the STS and STSC certifications and the ways in which they can benefit recently-graduated safety professionals, visit bcsp.org.
|
|
BCSP Foundation's Youth Safety Outreach Guide |
Hazards exist in every workplace across the globe, and where there are hazards, there exists a need for safety professionals. Safety professionals prevent injuries and incidents, protect people, and ensure they return home safely.
For more information about youth safety, including testimonials from safety professionals and BCSP's Academic Database, read the Youth Safety Outreach Guide!
|
|
|
|
|
We want to hear from you!
We love to feature current and future certificants in our newsletters!
|
Newsletters and Annual Reports Archive |
Have an upcoming job fair, conference, or chapter meeting that you would like to share with readers? Would you like to invite a BCSP representative to attend an event? We would like to hear about it!
|
|
Congratulations to the 2020 QAP/GSP Scholarship Recipients |
Every year, the BCSP Foundation offers scholarships to students of Qualified Academic Programs (QAPs) holding accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) or Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).
In 2020, BCSP provided $193,352 in total funding to QAP student scholarships; QAP accreditation; and American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF), and Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) scholarships.
The BCSP Foundation is proud to provide these scholarships to an amazing group of students and future safety professionals. These scholarship recipients are determined to make great changes and positive impacts in the safety industry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
