The Preparing Future Faculty and Scholars (PFx) program helps graduate students and postdocs explore careers in and outside of academia, build career readiness confidence, consider the value and future of higher education, and critically engage with an interdisciplinary group of peers and mentors through seminars, workshops, events and other opportunities.
PFx enabled me to think critically about my values, interests and skills so that I could confidently explore and pursue the jobs that best align with them.
Mark Huerta, Engineering Education Systems and Design
PFx Seminars
Fall 2022 PFx Seminar: Faculty Career Development
The PFx Faculty Career Development course offers a broad overview of the academic landscape, access to career mentoring networks, and a realistic look at realities and expectations of a faculty career in higher education. Students in this seminar, in consultation with instructors and their advisors, may develop projects toward certification with the Center for Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL)
We looked at the structure of the University in ways that were not typical of graduate students. In this, I gained an understanding of high-level university issues.
Sean Moxley-Kelly, English, Writing, Rhetoric and Literacies
Seminars
The seminars will meet every Friday on the Tempe campus unless otherwise indicated by university policy in response to COVID-19 or directed by seminar faculty.
Each session provides you with opportunities to learn from and connect with diverse speakers, such as university administrators, faculty and other leaders in the field.
Topics may include: Structure and Organization of Academia; Inclusive Pedagogy; Pitching your Research; Essentials of the Faculty Search and Application Process; Service and Leadership
Application
The PFx seminar is open to ASU MFA and doctoral students who have completed their coursework or to ASU postdoctoral fellows. Due to the career-focus of the course, it is not intended for students still completing course requirements or completing non-terminal degrees.
Eligible students and postdocs will be required to complete an application with a statement of expectations for the course and a recommendation from their faculty advisor. Completed applications should be submitted via email to gradinfo@asu.edu.
You are expected to attend all PFx seminars, engage with online content and complete all assignments with graduate quality work.
An essential learning experience of each seminar is the final group project.
Other required assignments may be:
article length readings
self-assessments
reflections and position statements
presentation
Beyond preparing for an interview or preparing materials, I learned how hiring committees vary by department and are interested in qualities of job candidates on and off the page.
Celina Osuna, English Literature
PFx helped me talk to experts in my field earlier in my PhD program so that I could make changes in research priorities during the remainder of my program.
Joshua Steele, Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering
Introduction
A nationally recognized professional development program
PFx stands for Preparing Future Faculty and Scholars – where “x” is the variable that you determine as scholar-professionals in the making.
The Graduate College provides PFx offerings to complement the skills you develop in your discipline through tools and resources for growth.
The PFx class showed me that the skills I developed in my PhD program are valuable in many areas even beyond academia.
Evvan Morton, Sustainable Engineering
Where will you make a difference?
PFx helps you consider this question by encouraging you to recognize ASU as a unique kind of research university and remember what it was that attracted you to its mission to begin with. ASU is not merely interested in replicating itself, but in producing innovative thought leaders who enhance their regional, national, and global communities.
In PFx, we emphasize that as a comprehensive public research university, ASU produces scholar-professionals who are unlike many of its peers. Here, you’re trained to learn from inclusivity rather than exclusivity, and you’re charged with using the knowledge and skills you acquire to responsibly shape the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities you serve.
PFx supports an environment in which the diversity and variety of human experiences are welcomed and valued. The program, staff, and administrators recognize that race/ethnicity and gender are historical markers of diversity in institutions of higher education, and also further recognize that diversity includes socioeconomic background, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, nationality and intellectual perspective. As PFx reflects and represents the makeup of our regional and national populations, we acknowledge and appreciate the unique history of each student and are committed to meeting the needs and providing a safe and welcoming atmosphere sensitive to all students.
For more information, review the Q&A or email us at gradinfo@asu.edu.
FAQs
How do I enroll in the PFx seminar: Preparing Future Faculty and Scholars?
The PFx seminar is open to ASU MFA and doctoral students who have completed their coursework or to ASU postdoctoral fellows. Due to the career-focus of the course it is not intended for students still completing course requirements or completing non-terminal degrees.
Eligible students and postdocs will be required to complete an application with a statement of expectations for the course and a recommendation from their faculty advisor. Completed applications should be submitted via email to gradinfo@asu.edu.
Is the PFx seminar a huge time commitment?
Most students will find the demands of the seminars to be reasonable with a moderate amount of time spent on assignments. Activities completed through PFx help to prepare students for successful career pathways.
Will PFx make a difference in career prospects?
Students who have completed the PFx seminars have reported that participation provided them with an edge in applying for and securing competitive positions, as well as giving them a better understanding of the demands of their chosen career paths.
Can PFx count toward my degree?
It depends on the academic unit. Students should check with their program advisor and graduate program coordinator to see if the PFx seminars can count as credit toward their Program of Study (POS). Most units do not allow PFx to count toward the degree at this time.
Will the PFx Seminar help me be a better teacher?
Although teaching is covered in the PFx seminar, it is only one part of the syllabus. There are many other professional development opportunities at ASU to improve teaching, including CIRTL certificates.
This is my last year, can I still participate in PFx?
Absolutely! While it is ideal to engage with multiple offerings from the PFx program throughout a student’s time at ASU, even in the final year, the PFx seminar, workshops and events are still extremely helpful for students to better understand the expectations and realities of their future career possibilities as they prepare for that transition.
