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Preparing Future Faculty

PFF Annual Schedule

Summer

The Summer Seminar brings postdocs and advanced graduate students from a variety of disciplines to interact with faculty from UNL and partner institutions to discuss hiring and tenure procedures, professional development, preparing for the job market, constructing research and teaching portfolios, new faculty experiences, the meaning of scholarship at various academic campuses, and challenges and opportunities for the university in the 21st century.

PFF Fellows will enroll in GRDC 900A, GRDC 900B, and GRDC 900D in the Second Five Week Summer Session. The Summer Seminar will meet two afternoons per week during the second five-week summer session.

Fall

During the fall semester, each Fellow engages in structured mentoring activities at a partner campus with a faculty member in the Fellow's own discipline.

PFF Fellows and mentors develop an agreement that establishes an individual series of activities during the semester to best acquaint the Fellow with the campus academic environment and mission.

Spring

Fellows may opt for a spring mentoring opportunity at a second campus. Spring placement is not a program requirement.

Typical mentoring activities may include:

  • Observing classes in the mentor's department
  • Practicing a mock job interview
  • Discussing PFF Fellow's vita, dossier, and cover letter
  • Arranging meetings with other faculty members to discuss academic life in the department and on the campus
  • Discussions with faculty, chairs, and administrators concerning tenure and promotion requirements
  • Shadowing a faculty member during a typical day
  • Attending departmental/division meetings
  • Participating in new faculty orientation/talk with faculty development folks
  • Visiting the teaching & learning center/campus life office/meet with college assessment officer
  • Delivering a research talk at a faculty/student colloquium
  • Discussing/participating in curriculum development
  • Visiting with faculty/administrators working with instructional technology and/or the delivery of distance education
  • Visiting with representative from faculty senate and/or union representative
  • Meeting with minority faculty members
  • Talking with undergraduates about the experience of graduate school or assisting the department at the university's graduate school fair
  • Touring lab/clinical/computer facilities

This list is not meant to exclude other activities that PFF Fellows and faculty mentors may find useful. Also, we understand that a single semester provides time enough for engaging in only a subset of these suggested activities.