In the fall semester of 1999, my dissertation adviser, Dr. Luise-Charlotte Kappe, obtained a grant from the NSF to establish a Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Program at SUNY Binghamton's Mathematics Department. The program she established picked up where previous programs from the Math Department left off, while adding several new seminars and activities. I have participated in PFF from its inception and I had the opportunity to serve as the Graduate Student Coordinator for the program during the 2000-2001 academic year.
As the Graduate Student Coordinator, I obtained a unique perspective on the program, since I was involved in scheduling and coordinating many of the activities, as well as attending almost all of the PFF events. Of the many activities that fall under the PFF program, I benefitted most from visits to partner institutions, mentoring undergraduates in their research, and attendance at professional meetings.
The visits to partner institutions allow our graduate students to visit the Mathematics Department of another school and to interact with the faculty of those departments. The conversations and presentations by the partner institutions give the opportunity to feel the atmosphere at that department and obtain a ``faculty'' perspective of their program. In addition, during our visits to the partner institutions, one of our PFF-Fellows gives a presentation on some mathematical topic. I have given a talk on fair-division at a number of the partner schools, which in itself has been a positive experience (researching and writing a talk and then presenting it).
I have twice had the opportunity to pair up with an undergraduate student at SUNY Binghamton and oversee their preparations in researching a talk for the Undergraduate Algebra Seminar. In both instances, my experiences have been positive. Through teaming up with these students, I feel adequately prepared to pursue the area of ``Undergraduate Research,'' which is stressed at many math departments today.
Through the grant that Professor Kappe obtained, resources became available to sponsor attendance at professional meetings. Attendance at regional meetings of the MAA were rather inexpensive, but they allow our PFF-Fellows to participate in the mathematical community. In particular, I had the opportunity to give talks at these meetings and to establish some contacts with faculty members at various institutions. Of greater significance was my attendance at the Joint Meetings in New Orleans. Due to the prohibitive cost of travel, I would not have been able to attend without the help I received from PFF. At the Meetings, I gave talks about my research, some mathematical history and participated in a panel on PFF. Most important, however, was the Employment Center, through which I have now obtained a job! Leading up to my participation in the Employment Center, Professor Kappe held several panel discussions and seminars on interviewing and navigating the Employment Center. I found these preparatory activities to be invaluable.
The previous paragraphs only highlight some of the benefits and preparation I have received through the PFF Program at SUNY Binghamton. In addition to the above, there have been a number of workshops and seminars that have been of interest to me. These range from technology in the classroom to various issues of pedagogy and assessment.
In closing, I want to thank Professor Kappe for her investment of time and effort in seeing this program established at SUNY Binghamton and for keeping it running smoothly for the past two years. I hope that the resources will continue to be available to carry on as many of the PFF activities as possible. Lastly, I would unreservedly encourage any graduate student to participate in the PFF Program as much as they can. The time and effort that I have spent on PFF activities has been a worthwhile investment, and I believe that the same will hold true for any other graduate student.