During the Spring 2000 semester, Professor Luise- Charlotte Kappe asked me to become a member in the PFF Program for the upcoming academic year. I was very happy to accept her invitation. I saw the program as a means of acquiring valuable knowledge about being a first year faculty member. Additionally, I knew that the program would allow me the opportunity to meet current faculty members from various institutions.
I found the PFF workshops to be most informative and enlightening. The workshops allowed me to discover what other instructors were doing in their classrooms. In particular, I learned how technology is being used in the classroom. I was involved in discussions that considered both the positives and the negatives of technology-based education.
Another aspect of the PFF Program that I found to be very useful was the visits to King's College, a partner institution of SUNY-Binghamton. During one of the visits, I had the distinct pleasure of presenting a talk to the King's undergraduates and math faculty. Presentations are not the same as class lectures and I believe I gained precious experience in giving a professional talk. Further, I was able to interact with the faculty at King's College and this exposure helped me to gain an assistant professor position at their school.
Finally, because of the PFF program I was able to attend the joint meeting in New Orleans. I gave a presentation at the meeting and I had many discussions with statisticians and math faculty from around the country. Additionally, I participated in the employment center and gained much information on how to handle an on-campus interview.
I would encourage all graduate students who plan on a career in academia to become involved with the PFF program. It was through my participation in the program, as well as Professor Kappe's guidance, that I became fully prepared to join the job market and successfully earned the assistant professor position at King's College. I can honestly say that the time and effort that I spent on the PFF program was definitely a worthwhile investment.