Be a 21st Century GSA Founder by Supporting the Next Generation of Scholars Today

On May 18 — GSA Founders Day — the Society begins its 80th year as a professional membership organization advancing research, clinical practice, education, and policy in the field of gerontology.  Thanks to the visionary leadership of five scholars who took the initiative to establish the nascent GSA in 1945, we all enjoy the robust community of 5,500 colleagues that is our Society today.

As we celebrate this milestone, I believe those five pioneers would be gratified to see how the field of gerontology has grown and the role GSA has played in its success. Their vision was a gift to the field from which we have all benefited. What hasn’t changed since GSA’s founding is the need for members to invest time, energy, and resources to continue advancing the field and nurturing the next generation of scholars.

The most common challenge cited by emerging scholars today is inadequate funding to get to conferences, such as GSA’s Annual Scientific Meeting, to present their findings, network with other researchers, and build new collaborations.  

If your career has benefited from those who came before you — professors, mentors, colleagues — please “pay it forward” as the founders did by supporting the next generation through a contribution to a GSA Emerging Scholars Fund (each section has a fund) dedicated solely to student, post doc, trainee, and emerging scholar travel grants to participate in the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting.

Supporting the next generation of scholars connects you to the vision of GSA’s founders, making you a 21st Century GSA founder for the careers of new scholars.