Northern Illinois University
Turning Fellows Into Faculty Conference A Preparing Future Faculty Conference for Graduate Students of Color
Five Year Report
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September 2020 Dear Members of Illinois Higher Education, Institutions of higher learning have now recognized the importance of acknowledging and serving the rich diversity of their student populations. However, although institutions have implemented various diversity, equity and inclusion programs, concerted efforts to diversify the faculty continue to be among the least focused and/or least successful component of campus diversity initiatives. Yet, out of necessity, a diverse faculty must be the dominant component of a quality education if we are truly preparing students to live, work and contribute in a multicultural world. Illinois institutions are in a wonderful position to increase faculty diversity because of the Diversifying Faculty in Higher Education in Illinois (DFHEI) Fellowship program. The DFI Fellowship program has afforded hundreds of graduate students of color to complete their education and go on to make significant contributions in higher education and other areas of society. One of the requirements of being a fellowship recipient is that fellows must try to seek employment in the state upon graduation. However, this is not always possible. And if one is seeking a position in higher education, it is even a bigger challenge if one is seeking a faculty position. As a result, the state of Illinois is losing out on some incredible talent. For the past five years, Northern Illinois University has tried to contribute to increasing faculty diversity in Illinois by hosting a conference, targeted specifically to attract DFI Fellows, created to promote the professoriat as a rewarding career path, and to prepare them to compete in the academic job market. Although new topics and sessions are offered every year, some topics have been consistent (although the format and presenters may have changed). Annual conference takeaways include: • • • • • • • • •
Benefits of becoming a professor How to develop and promote yourself as a scholar Developing a teaching and research statement Developing the curriculum vitae Preparing for the job talk Negotiating the job contract Managing teaching, research and service Dealing with race and gender in the academy Understanding cultural taxation
By many measures, our conference has been successful; filling a void in many graduate students’ professional development and valued by participants. But we need your assistance for an even greater outcome. This report highlighting the conference’s five years of activities is being presented to you in the likelihood that more faculty and administrators from other Illinois institutions will join us at future conferences at NIU. The opportunity to meet and interact with these young scholars could lead to increasing faculty diversity at your institution. These young scholars are doing some amazing research and have so much to offer. I hope you make time to read this report and are encouraged to participate in the future. Sincerely, Janice D. Hamlet, Ph.D. Conference Coordinator Faculty Mentor, Office of the Provost Associate Professor, Department of Communication jhamlet@niu.edu
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Turning Fellows into Faculty A Preparing Future Faculty Conference History of the Conference The impetus for this conference came about in a meeting with Lyndon Perkins, former graduate school recruiter and DFI representative for NIU during the spring of 2015. In discussing diversity recruiting for the graduate school, the subject of the Fellowships came up. When I inquired why was the fellowship program named Diversifying Faculty in Illinois when little effort was made to encourage these fellows to become faculty, Mr. Perkins agreed. He informed me that he had sponsored a program for graduate students of color focusing on preparing for careers in general, and that other universities had done something similar, but he was not aware of any program that focused primarily on preparing graduate students of color for faculty positions. When I indicated that this did not make sense to me in view of the name of the fellowship, the state’s need to increase faculty diversity, and the fellowship requirement that specifies that recipients need to seek employment in the state upon graduation. Mr. Perkins challenged me to do something about it. In my role as Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, I responded to the challenge by submitting a proposal to create a conference that would bring DFI Fellows to NIU for a day and a half conference focusing on promoting the professoriat as a career and providing information on how to prepare for it. It is very important to point out that this conference was proposed focusing only on increasing faculty diversity. According to NIU’s governance document, faculty are defined as all fulltime staff members holding the ranks of professor, associate professor, assistant professor and instructor. The proposal was written with this definition in mind assuming that all Illinois universities defined faculty similarly. Dean Christopher McCord approved the proposal with financial support. Plans began soon after to organize the conference. Letters of invitation were sent to the DFI fellows via their DFI Representatives. The students were invited to arrive at NIU on a Friday evening in October, have dinner with faculty members in their disciplines, stay in the campus hotel and then following breakfast on Saturday morning, participate in a day-long program. All expenses were paid by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The only expense incurred by the students was transportation to and from the university of which assistance from their DFI Representatives was requested. Twenty-five students registered for the conference. Eighteen students attended. The theme of the conference was To Learn is Human, To Teach is Divine. From the evaluations and other feedback from participants, the conference was considered a success. Consequently, the dean and I decided it should continue.
In 2015-2016, the state suffered from budget issues causing a temporary halt of the DFI program. Nonetheless, the dean and I decided that we did not want to lose the momentum that the success of the first conference had created. So, we decided to hold the conference anyway but just with our own students of color. This year we received some financial support from the Office of Graduate Studies. Sixteen students attended. By the third year, the DFI fellowship program was back on track, so invitations to the fellows to come to NIU for the conference were sent out. Because of other campus events, the date for the conference was moved from October to February. This year, the DFI office in Springfield offered to support the conference with a financial contribution. Other NIU units that contributed to the conference were the graduate school, the College of Education and the Office of Academic Diversity Programs. The theme was changed to Turning Fellows into Faculty. Over 50 students participated. This large number was mostly due to the overwhelming support from Lunaire Ford, Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies and DFI Representative at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and Catherine Ocen, DFI Representative at the University of Illinois -Urbana Champaign. In response to suggestions made on the conference evaluation sheet, the fourth year introduced a research poster and digital session which was well attended. A speaker was added to the Meet and Greet reception, giving the fellows an opportunity to hear from a DFI alumni who had sat among them the year before but was now an assistant professor. Her message ignited a “If I can Do It, So Can You” spirit and was very well received. By February 2020, the conference was moved out of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and into the Office of the Provost due to my transition to this office. The Friday afternoon research poster and digital session was held a second year. The Meet and Greet also included a presentation from a DFI alumni now employed as an assistant professor. Also, this year, John Atkinson, chairman of the board of trustees for the Illinois Board of Higher Education attended the Meet and Greet reception and offered comments. On Saturday, over 70 DFI fellows were present for the conference. There were also graduate students of color in attendance who were not fellows but interested in a career in the professoriat. This year’s conference also experienced an increase in faculty from other institutions who participated as session presenters. As with the previous conferences, it was a wonderful success. Following are highlights from these five years. Page 3
YEAR ONE: October 30-31, 2015
To Learn is Human, To Teach is Divine
A Preparing Future Faculty Conference For Graduate Students of Color Northern Illinois University, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Number of Registrants: 25 Number of Participants: 18 Universities Represented: 6 DePaul University. Northeastern University. Northern Illinois University. Southern Illinois University. University of Illinois –Chicago University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign. Program Summary: Friday Evening, Oct. 30
Meet and Greet Reception: An evening with the DFI fellows interacting with faculty of color.
Saturday, Oct. 31 Welcome Remarks: Janice Hamlet, Conference Coordinator. Christopher McCord, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Lisa Freeman, Provost and Executive Vice President of NIU. Morning Session: Panel: Why I Became A Professor Hank Allen, Wheaton College. Victor Etta, Chicago State University. Thomas Hardy, College of DuPage. Laura Vazquez, Northern Illinois University.
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Break Panel: What Faculty Need to Know about Students of Color. Bakari Baker, University of Chicago. Carmin Berchiolly, Northern Illinois University. Jacob Chacko, University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign. J. Christian Martinez, University of Chicago. Heather Hathaway Miranda, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign. Dorothy Reddic – Northern Illinois University, moderator. Lunch Keynote Speaker: Christopher Davis, a new Ph.D., University of Illinois- UrbanaChampaign, and a visiting assistant professor in NIU’s Department of Anthropology. Afternoon Sessions: Presentation of thesis and dissertation projects facilitated by Christopher McCord. Tools for entering the professoriat, facilitated by Janice Hamlet. (Developing the teaching philosophy and research statements, the curriculum vitae, the job talk, the interview, negotiating a job contract). Wrap-up and Evaluation The program ended with students responding to a conference evaluation and receiving a copy of the book, Preparing for a Career in Academia for Graduate Students of Color. Before they left, one of the participants collected the email addresses from all of the other participants and created a listserv so that the students could continue to connect with one another and with me.
YEAR ONE
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YEAR TWO: February 25, 2017
To Learn is Human, To Teach is Divine
A Preparing Future Faculty Conference For Graduate Students of Color Northern Illinois University, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Number of Registrants: 16 Number of Participants: 12 Universities Represented: NIU Colleges Represented: 3 College of Business. College of Education. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Program Summary Date Breakfast Welcome Remarks: Janice Hamlet, Conference Coordinator. Christopher McCord, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Morning Sessions: Presentation: Developing your Professional Brand, Joyce Keller, Associate Director of the NIU Career Center. In this presentation, Keller discussed how your professional brand can benefit your career and offered strategies for getting maximum value out of the brand that you establish through social media and interpersonal interactions. Panel Presentation: Why I Became a College Professor. Dennis Brown, associate professor, physics, NIU. Lydia Gerzel-Short, assistant professor, education, Rockford University. Willetta Greene-Johnson, senior lecturer, physics and chemistry, Loyola Universit.y Theon Hill, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication, Wheaton College. Proffessor Bilal Hussain, Diverse Teaching Fellow, Harper College. Kristine Molina, assistant professor of psychology, University of Illinois – Chicago.
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Lunch Keynote Speaker: Willetta Greene-Johnson, Loyola University. Title: Diversity in Creativity – Renaissance as Reboot. Greene-Johnson discussed the sciences and the arts and highlighted the creativity and qualitative outlets of some of the nation’s notable scientists who she referred to as “artsy scientists,” including theoretical physicist Albert Einstein; engineer, physician and NASA astronaut Mae C. Jemison; as well as herself. Greene-Johnson discussed her position at Loyola University as a theoretical physicist but also shared with the participants her love for music as a songwriter, conductor and arranger. Concurrent Sessions: Tools for the Professoriat facilitated by Janice Hamlet. This session focused on explaining the difference between an advisor, mentor, and sponsor developing the teaching portfolio – the curriculum vitae, the teaching philosophy and the research statement; and preparing for the job talk and negotiating a job contract. Questions about the Professoriat facilitated by Bradley Bond, Dean of the NIU graduate program and Christopher McCord, Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In this session Bond and McCord responded to questions that had been submitted by the participants as part of their conference registration. The participants were divided into two groups and each group had the opportunity to participate in both sessions. Wrap-up and Evaluations
YEAR TWO
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YEAR THREE: February 23-24, 2018
Turning Fellows into Faculty
A Preparing Future Faculty Conference For Graduate Students of Color Northern Illinois University, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Education
Number of Registrants: 56 Number of Participants: 60 Participating Universities: 10 DePaul University. Governors State University. Illinois State University. Loyola University. National Louis University. Northern Illinois University. Southern Illinois University. University of Chicago. University f Illinois-Chicago. University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. Guest: Diverse Faculty Fellows from Harper College. Friday, Feb. 23 Meet and Greet: An evening with DFI Fellows, administrators, and faculty of color. Welcome remarks: Janice Hamlet, Conference Coordinator. Lisa Freeman, President, NIU. Judy Ledgerwood, (Acting) Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Saturday, Feb. 24 Welcome Remarks: Janice Hamlet, Conference Coordinator. Christopher McCord, (Acting) Provost. Judy Ledgerwood, (Acting) Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Laura Elish-Piper, Dean, College of Education. Presentation: Positioning Yourself as a Scholar in Your Discipline by Joseph Flynn, Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum, and Instruction, NIU.
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Presentation: Developing a Professional Brand by Joyce Keller, Associate Director, Career Services, NIU. Repeated her presentation from the previous year. Panel: Why I Became a College Professor. P. Zitlali Morales, University of Chicago. Theon Hill, Wheaton College. Shawn Hitchcock, Illinois State University. Bilal Hussain, Diverse Faculty Fellow, Harper College. Joseph Flynn, Northern Illinois University. Lunch Keynote Presentation: Is the Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty? Murali Krishnamurthi, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, NIU. Krishnamurthi’ s presentation focused on his personal narrative as a professor, a story of triumphs and defeats, opportunities and challenges. Concurrent Sessions Preparing for the Professoriat I: Attending professional conferences, beginning the networking process; initiating the publication process; Developing a teaching philosophy and research agenda; seeking a Mentor. (Therapi Than and Ismael Montana). Preparing for the Professoriat II: Understanding the difference between a résumé and a curriculum vitae; the academic job search and interview; negotiating a job offer; and being a faculty of color at a predominately white institution. (Brenda Aranda, Ying Xie, and Sundiata Djata). Following a 15-minute break, the facilitators switched rooms and conducted their session with a different group. Wrap-up and Evaluations and Presentation of Certificates.
YEAR THREE
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YEAR FOUR: February 15-16, 2019
Turning Fellows into Faculty
A Preparing Future Faculty Conference For Graduate Students of Color Northern Illinois University, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Research Poster Presentations Number of Presenters: 13 Number of Attendees: 25 Evening Meet and Greet Dinner After dinner Speaker: Natalie Young, College of Education Title: My Journey from DFI Fellow to Assistant Professor. Saturday, Feb. 16 Number of Registrants: 56 Number of Participants: 52 Participating Universities: 13 Adler University. Aurora University. DePaul University. Eastern Illinois University. Governors State University. Illinois Institute of Technology. Illinois State University. Loyola University – Chicago. Northeastern Illinois University. Northern Illinois University. University of Chicago. University of Illinois – Chicago. University of Illinois -Urbana - Champaign. Program Summary Breakfast Welcome Remarks: Janice Hamlet, Conference Coordinator. Judy Ledgerwood, (Acting) Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Arthur Sutton, Deputy DFI Director, Illinois Board of Higher Education. Presentation: Christopher McCord, (Acting) Executive Vice President and Provost. Title: What it Means to be a Member of the Professoriat.
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Concurrent Sessions The Diversity of Academic Work Contexts. Which One is Right for You? (Janice D. Hamlet). From Course Assignments to Journal Publications: Positioning Yourself as a Scholar in our Discipline, (Emerson Sebastiao). Demystifying the Academic Job Search. (Ralph Wheeler and Sundiata Djata). Faculty Roles and Responsibilities: Managing Teaching, Research and Service, (Teresa Fisher and Laverne Gyant). Lunch Keynote Presentation: Willetta Greene-Johnson, Loyola University Title: “Art and Science: Closer than you Think: Renaissance Reboot.” Because Professor Greene-Johnson’s 2017 message was so well received but was presented to a small group, she was invited back to repeat her presentation, this time to a larger and more academically diverse audience. Concurrent Sessions The Professoriat and Parenting. (Tharaphi Than, Karen Samonds and Mitch Irwin). Faculty Roles and Responsibilities: Managing Teaching, Research and Service. (Teresa Fisher and Laverne Gyant). Negotiating Dual Contracts and Dual Careers. (Christina Abreu and Eric Hall). From Course Assignments to Journal Publications: Positioning Yourself as a Scholar in your Discipline. (Emerson Sebastiao). Presentation: “Negotiating Race in the Academy.” (Simon Weffer). Wrap-up and Evaluations and Presentation of Certificates.
YEAR FOUR
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YEAR FIVE: February 27-28, 2020
Turning Fellows into Faculty
A Preparing Future Faculty Conference For Graduate Students of Color Northern Illinois University, hosted by the Office of the Provost
Friday, Feb. 27 Research Poster and Digital Session Number of Presenters: 10 Number of Attendees: 40 Meet and Greet Dinner Welcome Remarks: Janice Hamlet, Conference Coordinator. Lisa Freeman, President, NIU. John Atkinson, Chair, Board of Higher Education. After Dinner Speaker: Shondra Clay, Assistant Professor, College of Health and Human Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DFI Alumni from University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign. Title: “Never Settle, Go Further, Reach Higher: From DFI Fellow to Tenure-Track Professor.” Social Hour (lower level of the Holmes Student Center) Saturday, Feb. 28 Number of Registrants: 77 Number of Participants: 85 Universities Represented: 15 Adler University. Chicago State University. DePaul University. Eastern Illinois University. Governors State University. Illinois State University. Loyola University – Chicago. National Louis University. Northeastern Illinois University. Northern Illinois University. Roosevelt University. Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. University of Chicago. University of Illinois – Chicago. University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign. Program Summary Breakfast
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Welcome Remarks: Janice Hamlet, Conference Coordinator. Beth Ingram, Executive Vice President and Provost. Morning Concurrent Sessions Academic Job Markets Trends and Possibilities (Tamara Johnson, Adler University). Panel: The Diversity of Academic Institutions: Which One is Right for You? Monica Shirley, Harper College. Jessica Schultz, Augustana College. Sheila Caldwell, Wheaton College. Judy Ledgerwood, Northern Illinois University. From Course Assignments to Journal Publications: Positioning Yourself as a Scholar in your Discipline, (Emerson Sebastiao). Creating and Maintaining A Hassle-Free Curriculum Vitae. (Natalie Young and Lydia Gerzel-Short). Faculty Roles and Responsibilities: managing Teaching, Research and Service. (Laverne Gyant). Negotiating Race, Gender, Sexuality in the Academy. (Ronnie Wooten and Laura Vazquez). Lunch Keynote Speaker: Jerlando F.L. Jackson, Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Education, Director and Chief Research Scientist of Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (WEI lab), University of Wisconsin-Madison. Title: Planning for Success: Being Strategic about the Promotion and Tenure Process. Professor Jackson offered an in-depth presentation on how to be successful in the academy, from the entry level assistant professor to achieving full professor status.
YEAR FIVE
Concurrent Sessions Combating Cultural Taxation in Higher Education (Dawn Brown). Dr. Mom: The Challenges and Triumphs of Juggling Both Worlds (Natalie Young and Lydia Gerzel-Short). Preparing for Interviews. (Chad McEvoy). Roundtable Discussion: How Institutions Can Better Support their DFI Fellows and other Graduate Students of Color (Arthur Sutton). Invisible Labor by Faculty of Color: Another part of the Cultural Tax (Miltonette Olivia Craig, Illinois State University). Establishing an Online Presence (Alicia Schatteman). How to Get the Mentoring You Need and Deserve (Janice Hamlet). Wrap-up, Remarks and Evaluations and Presentation of Certificates.
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Implications for Future Conference Programming The success of this conference has several implications for the future. It has the potential to be transformed into an entity in and of itself, joining many other institutions of higher learning as part of the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) National Movement, a movement focused on transforming the way aspiring faculty members are being prepared for their careers. However, often, students of color are not highly involved or even informed that such programs and other opportunities exist. The NIU program is and can continue to be unique with its emphasis on increasing faculty diversity by focusing on graduate students of color. It is my hope to expand the participation of this event to also include graduate students of color who are not DFI fellows in an effort to “cast the widest net� in getting graduate students of color at both the doctorate and masters level to think seriously about the professoriat. We also have a wonderful opportunity to follow up with program participants in creating strong networks in facilitating diverse faculty recruitment and faculty hiring. It will be beneficial if we keep annual data on where DFI Fellows get hired. Pending research assistance, the conference will begin to keep records on where conference participants get employed to determine how many attendees become professors. These implications could be a vital part of this conference program if we are truly interested in diversifying our faculty with support from all our state institutions.
Conference Planning Committee For the past five years, I have worked mostly solo in coordinating this conference. By fall 2020, I will have assembled a conference planning committee who will assist in recruiting (session presenters), coordinating, promoting and assessing future conferences. It is my hope that there will be faculty and administrative representation from other institutions in the state on this committee.
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The 2021 Conference February 2021 will undoubtedly be different. The spread of COVID 19 has forced the world to adapt to a new normalcy. As a precaution concerning the health and safety of our students and faculty, plans are currently underway to host a virtual conference that will be open to all interested graduate students of color. The committee will be seeking participation for online presentations from faculty across our various institutions. Without a doubt, this conference will be different but has the potential to be just as powerful. In concluding this report, I want to acknowledge and express appreciation to Lyndon Perkins for challenging me to address the issue of DFI fellows and faculty diversity. Perkins has since retired from NIU but continues to check up on how the conference is progressing. I also want to express appreciation to former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Christopher McCord, for approving my initial proposal for the inaugural conference without hesitation and supporting the conference not only through financial support but also by being present at the conferences. This act of support, both financially and participatory was continued by Acting Dean, Judy Ledgerwood. Much appreciation to NIU President, Lisa Freeman, and Vice President of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Vernese Edghill-Walden for supporting this conference and for always being present. My thanks to Arthur Sutton, Deputy Director of the DFI Fellowship program and the Illinois Board of Higher Education for their support. Finally, and most importantly,this conference would not have existed without the wonderful support of the numerous DFI representatives across the state and the DFI fellows. Thank you!
We need diversity among our educators in order to create a culture of change in higher education — in order to face the opportunities and the challenges of a new generation and a new world.
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Conference Evaluation Responses Collection numerical yearly
Thank you for attending today’s conference. Please take a moment and share your experiences with us. Your feedback will help us in planning future conferences.
Scale: 5-Strongly Agree; 4- Agree; 3- Neither Agree nor Disagree; 2- Disagree; 1- Strongly Disagree October 2015 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Today’s program provided me with a better understanding of the professoriat. Today’s program strengthened my interest in the professoriat as a career path. The length of the sessions were sufficient for the topics covered. I would recommend this program to my peers. Programs like this should be annual events. October 2017
5 4.5 3 5 5
1. Today’s program provided me with a better understanding of the professoriat. 2. Today’s program strengthened my interest in the professoriat as a career path. 3. The content of the individual presentations strengthened my interest in the Professoriat. 4. The length of the sessions were sufficient for the topics covered. 5. The luncheon gave me an opportunity to interact with faculty and get more of my questions answered. 6. The breakout sessions provided me with tools to get started on preparing for a career in the professoriat. 7. I would recommend this program to my peers. 8. This program should be an annual event. February 2018
5 4 5 4.5 5 5 5
1. Today’s program provided me with a better understanding of the professoriat. 5 2. Today’s program strengthened my interest in the professoriat as a career path. 4 3. The content of the individual presentations strengthened my interest in the Professoriat. 5 4. The length of the sessions were sufficient for the topics covered. 4.5 5. The luncheon gave me an opportunity to interact with faculty and get more of my questions answered. 5 6. The breakout sessions provided me with tools to get started on preparing for a career in the professoriat. I would recommend this program to my peers. 5 8. This program should be an annual event. 5
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February 2019 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Today’s program provided me with a better understanding of the professoriat. Today’s program strengthened my interest in the professoriat as a career path. The content of the individual presentations furthered my interest in the professoriat. The length of the individual presentations were sufficient for the topics covered. The content of the panel presentation furthered my interest in this career path. The length of the panel presentation was sufficient for the topics covered . The breakout sessions provided me with tools to get started on preparing for a career in the professoriat. The luncheon gave me an opportunity to interact with faculty and get more of my questions answered. 9. I would recommend this program to my peers. 10. Programs like this should be annual events. February 2020
1. Today’s program provided me with a better understanding of the professoriat. 2. Today’s program strengthened my interest in the professoriat as a career path. 3. The content of the individual presentations furthered my interest in the professoriat. 4. The length of the individual presentations were sufficient for the topics covered. 5. The content of the panel presentation furthered my interest in this career path. 6. The length of the panel presentation was sufficient for the topics covered. 7. The breakout sessions provided me with tools to get started on preparing for a career in the professoriat. 8. The luncheon gave me an opportunity to interact with faculty and get more of my questions answered. 9. I would recommend this program to my peers. 10. Programs like this should be annual events.
5 4.5 4.5 5 4 5 5 4 5 5
5 4.5 4.5 5 4 5 5 4 5 5
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Collective qualitative responses, representative of each year.
I. What did you like the most about the conference? The opportunity for open discussion. Professoriat panel and the journeys that led to their becoming teachers. Having the opportunity to meet other students and professors who have similar experiences and struggles as my own. Very specific perspectives and helpful points. Everything about the program was helpful. The ability to ask structured-institutional questions regarding the diversity structure of an academic institution. Job search strategies, CVs, teaching philosophies, etc. Everything! I really enjoyed the panels. It was so informative. I really learned a lot from all the program and breakout sessions. I have tools and knowledge that I plan to take with me always on my professional journey. Diversity of faculty and the level of expertise of the faculty and other presenters was inspiring. Also, resources provided were very helpful. The opportunity to interact with faculty and administrators on an intimate level while being near other students of color and potential colleagues. I enjoyed learning about the areas that I can involve myself in. I personally found myself challenged and I think that this program has provided me the opportunity to make decisions needed to further my journey. Academia frightens me, but the sessions strengthen my resolve to fight the good fight. The sessions I attended were not only informative, but very openly communicated. They indulged in the direction we wanted to go in. The diversity of workshops offered and the presenters sharing their experiences and knowledge. The food and lodging accommodations. The conference length and time is well spent.
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As a first-year doctoral student and DFI fellow, I greatly appreciated all the exposure and awareness I gained. I have learned different ways to enhance my experience as a student and as a fellow. The frankness of the black speakers in terms of the struggles they face as professors of color. I liked the fact that this conference exists. I simply believe the space must be reimagined. It might be a good idea to send out a pre-survey as a part of next year’s registration to see what people are needing and wanting to get out of the space. Keynote speakers were great and very inspirational. Breakout sessions were also great and very informative. Research Poster Session: this was inspiring. I gained perspective and walked away with ideas for my own research. Breakout sessions: great topics. I learned a lot. Sparked excitement about my future career as a Professor. I hope this event can continue each year. It would be great to recruit more non-minority professors to come in and hear the struggles and advice of minority students. II. What did you like the least about the conference? Nothing! Would like more information on tenure and ways and means to negotiate contracts. Not having enough time! There is much to be said and much to do to continue to encourage minority students to become professors. Wish it were longer. Greater diversity needed - more LGBTQ faculty. I would like to see more DFI representatives and mentors at the conference. They couldoffer a lot of useful information on how fellows can apply what is learned in the presentations directly to their institutions. The roundtable discussion was interesting and needed but certainly needs more organization and preparation.
That it had to end. I know it is a small conference, but I think having a building map would be helpful. Can past fellows attend this conference? Conference gets better every year, but would like to see more professors from other DFI institutions-the burden should not be solely NIU. III. Additional Comments This is a must for all graduate students of color! This was a great program and opportunity. The conversation was encouraging and informative. Hopefully, this can continue to be an event. I would attend in the future. Thank you for this opportunity. This was amazing!! Please continue this program and others like it. I learned so much today and feel inspired. This presentation has left me wondering if a career as a professor may be nearer than I originally thought. This was an informative event that answered my questions about the process from Ph.D. to Professor. The event should be every year. Excellent! I think programs like this are necessary and it really ensures that folks (particularly grad students) know the step-by-step process to joining the professoriat. Appreciate the organizing and planning for the event, and I look forward to coming back next year.
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For information about the DFI Conference, contact: Janice D. Hamlet, Ph.D. Senior Faculty Mentor Office of the Provost Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 jhamlet@niu.edu 815-753-6346
Page 20 Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Printed by authority of the State of Illinois.