PFF Exploratory Phase (First Year)

First year PFF students: Capstone Fair 2007

 

Through participation in the Exploratory Phase (First Year), students will:

• Understand the hierarchical structure of colleges and universities and how the faculty roles vary at different types of institutions.
• Learn strategies for productivity in one’s Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activity within the academy and how the requirement of productivity can differ between disciplines.
• Understand the grant writing and awarding process, the importance of starting early, proofing the work, making it readable, and utilizing the institutional support that is available to assist with the process.
• Understand the importance of a good syllabus and be able to identify teaching pedagogies that are utilized and are successful or unsuccessful within a given discipline.
• Learn the definition of “diversity in academy,” know how to address diversity issues, and understand how issues of diversity can affect students’ attitudes within the classroom.
• Learn what makes a good CV, how to set oneself apart from others, where one’s CV is lacking and how to improve it, and develop a good working proof upon completion of the program.
• Understand the process of preparing for the academic job search, what dean’s are looking for in applicants, what the process looks and feels like, and how recent PFF students successfully managed the process.
• Understand how institutions differ based on type, what factors affect the hiring process, and how the classification of the institution affects the requirements of scholarship/research, teaching, and service.
• Learn what the first year of an academic position is like, how to balance the demands placed upon new faculty, and how to navigate the university to be successful in the first faculty position.
• Know who is involved and what the critical issues are within the promotion and tenure process and understand what factors have positive and negative impacts on the determination of promotion and tenure, and how this might differ depending on the type of institution.

The three main components of the Exploratory Phase (First Year) are:
 
Seminars
There are five seminars in the fall semester and four in the spring semester.  Attendance at the seminars is required.  The seminars address a wide range of topics and provide a unique perspective on the faculty roles by well respected and highly regarded faculty and administrators.  Click here for a listing of the 2007-2008 Seminar topics.

Reading Groups
Students attend three Reading Groups during the year on topics that enhance the seminars and provide an opportunity for students to engage in a group discussion.  The Reading Groups are facilitated by students in the Participatory Phase (Second Year). Click here for a listing of the 2007-2008 Reading Group topics.

Guest Scholar Breakfast Series
Students in the Exploratory Phase (First Year) host the Guest Scholar Breakfast Series.  Students are divided into groups, usually by discipline and asked to invite a speaker from outside of ASU to come in and speak about the academy.  The Breakfast Series not only allows the students to gain a perspective from a faculty member from another campus, but also requires the students to work in groups to plan an event, invite a speaker and coordinate the speaking engagement, and work within a designated budget to provide refreshments. Click here to see the list of presenters and topics.

Syllabus 
The syllabus for the Exploratory Phase (First Year) contains more detail and can be downloaded here.