Annual Fund: Support USENIX and Open Access

Annual Fund letter from the USENIX Co-Executive Directors:

At USENIX, we believe in open access, in sharing research and ideas for the good of everyone. We have always been on the forefront of the open access movement by offering our conference proceedings to the public one year after publication. In 2008, we again set the standard by making our proceedings entirely free and open upon publication; we did the same with our conference videos in 2010.

Many USENIX supporters have joined us in recognizing the importance of open access over the years. We are thrilled to see many more folks speaking out about this issue every day. If you also believe that research should remain open and available to all, you can help. With a tax-deductible donation to the USENIX Annual Fund, you can show that you value our Open Access Policy and all our programs that champion diversity and innovation.

In addition to making our research free and open, we pride ourselves on our commitment to serving students and the underserved populations. Through conference grants and reduced fees, USENIX has opened the door to numerous networking and career-building opportunities.

Consider Tadayoshi "Yoshi" Kohno. You may know him as an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington and a former USENIX Security Symposium Program Chair. Did you also know that he got his first major career boost through a USENIX student grant?

The grant helped him attend his first technical conference, the 7th USENIX Security Symposium in 1998, where he began networking with other attendees. He writes:

USENIX had a huge role in advancing my career! I honestly don't think that I would be where I am now if it was not for the support and community that USENIX provided me. The opportunity to attend my first conference—on a USENIX scholarship—was transformative for me. As a student, I attended USENIX Security as often as possible after that. Every time I attended, I learned something new—something that I would then incorporate into my research program. Attending also gave me the special opportunity to network with other students and more senior people in the field. The networking opportunity is invaluable for students and cannot be understated. I would not be where I am today if it was not for USENIX, and I am grateful for being part of the wonderful, supportive, and friendly USENIX community.

Now that I am a professor, I try to send all my students to USENIX conferences as much as possible. I want my students to be able to benefit from the USENIX conferences, just like I did when I was a student. I know that attending the USENIX conferences will help advance their careers, just like attending helped advance my career.

Individuals like Yoshi know that the advanced computing industry needs to look to the future. As a member of his practical-minded community, you can join him and us in this effort by contributing to the USENIX Annual Fund.

USENIX is a small but dedicated nonprofit organization. Each day we’re working hard to update our free digital library, provide diversity grants, reach out to students on college campuses, set up networking events, and more. With your help, USENIX can continue to offer these programs—and expand our offerings—in support of the many communities within advanced computing.

Best,
Anne Dickison and Casey Henderson
USENIX Co-Executive Directors

P.S. Make an online donation by December 30, 2013, and we’ll recognize you on the USENIX Annual Fund Web site, and send you a "I Support Open Access" laptop sticker in thanks.

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