I participated in the Preparing Future Faculty Program (PFF) to be informed and inspired. Both goals are well achieved.
The PFF sponsored seminars provide a great opportunity for new students to meet senior students and the faculty. From casual discussion sections to professional seminars, I learned valuable ideas and methods on teaching and job searching. It was comforting and inspirational to hear the struggle and success of those who have been there and done that.
The PFF program also provides excellent reading material. When I first came to Binghamton University, I had little experience on teaching. Since I am an international student, teaching American students was very frustrating. Also, my course schedule prevented me from attending many seminars. For example, Dr. Thomas Rishel discussed how to overcome the cultural and language barrier in teaching during one of the PFF seminars. Although I was not able to attend the seminar, I read his article, "How to Be an Effective Teaching Assistant" on the PFF bookshelf and greatly benefited from it.
I participated in a visit to a partner institution. It was eye opening. The faculty there discussed frankly about their department and programs. It was helpful to hear about their approaches in teaching and their research interests. We were also informed of their responsibilities and expectations of a new hire. This enables us to make new contacts and keeps us up to date of the academic job market.
My time in PFF is well spent. I highly recommend PFF to graduate students,
from the new ones to the senior ones, as it is never too early or too late
to join PFF.