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January 14, 2000

Dear MAA Seaway Section Department Liaison,

I would like to remind you about an opportunity that might be of interest to some faculty members that you may know. Please pass this invitation on to your department chairperson, as I encourage you both to inform potential participants about the program. This opportunity is Seaway NExT, a special program of the MAA's Seaway Section which is based on the national MAA Project NExT and the Preparing Future Faculty programs. The Seaway NExT program is open to all full-time, non-tenured faculty and graduate students near degree completion who intend to obtain faculty positions.

The national version of Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) is aimed at new or recent Ph.D.s in the mathematical sciences who are interested in improving the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics. Since its beginning in 1994, the national NExT has linked its participants (called Fellows") in a network with one another and with a number of distinguished teachers of mathematics. The national program has generated such energy and enthusiasm that several MAA sections are now organizing their own smaller versions called Sectional NExTs in order to promote the resourcefulness and networking activity on a more local level.

Here in Seaway country, Jack Graver and I decided to organize a group of existing and potential new faculty using the resources of both the Preparing Future Faculty and Project NExT programs, in which we are, respectively, involved. Interested faculty, national NExT Fellows from the Seaway Section and graduate students have become involved in this local project. The Seaway Section's version, Seaway NExT, has many of the same goals and features as the national NExT program, and it promotes interaction among mathematical sciences faculty in our own region. In April 1999 the first Seaway NExT/PFF workshop was held at Syracuse University and the participants have communicated on a listserve since then. This will be an ongoing program with a new class of Seaway NExT/PFF Fellows each spring, and with the ongoing participation of fellows and mentors electronically as this resource continues to be helpful to them.

We invite applications from interested faculty who will become members of the second class of Seaway NExT Fellows. These Fellows will attend their first meeting at SUNY Oswego in Oswego, NY on April 14, 2000 the Friday afternoon of the Spring Section meeting. They will have a chance to interact with one another, more seasoned faculty, and national NExT Fellows from the section. They will attend special workshops dealing with several of the various aspects of our profession. Last year's program included lunch followed by two sessions, one highlighting models for undergraduate research and another presenting advice from a winner of the Distinguished Teaching Award in the Seaway Section. This year's program will be created from ideas of the participants in the Seaway NExT program. New Seaway NExT Fellows will continue to participate electronically on the listserve during the year to discuss issues which arise during our daily experiences. The Seaway NExT Fellows will then attend the regular Section meeting and participate in the opportunities and activities the meeting will provide. The Fellows' expenses will be partially funded by a grant from the Exxon Education Foundation, and the remainder of the expenses will need to be covered by the Fellows' home institutions. We understand that participation in this program will require making alternate arrangements for classes in order for the faculty member to be present starting at lunch time on Friday afternoon.

The Seaway NExT program is open to full-time, non-tenured faculty members. If this applies to anyone in your department, or to anyone else you may know in our section, please encourage her or him to apply. An announcement and an application form are included with this letter -- feel free to duplicate them. Tenured faculty who are interested in working with us on this project should contact either Jack or me directly.

We are excited about this new Seaway NExT Project, and we thank you for your help in contacting potential participants.

Sincerely,

Cheri L. Boyd
Nazareth College
Chair, Seaway NExT/PFF Advisory Committee
Phone: (716)389-2560
E-mail: clboyd@naz.edu

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