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Background

In response to the Teaching Academy's interest in supporting future faculty, in March 1997, the Teaching Academy Chair, on behalf of the selection committee, invited Teaching Assistant Jody Cardinal to participate in Academy activities and to assist in exploring ways to formally involve Teaching Assistants in the Teaching Academy. During strategic planning in 1998, the Teaching Academy developed a vision statement reflecting its desire to work with future college and university educators: "The goal of the Teaching Academy is to promote effective teaching-learning on this campus and beyond by encouraging innovation, experimentation, and dialogue among existing faculty, instructional staff, and teachers of the future." In the 1998-2000 Strategic Plan, the Teaching Academy also listed as one of its three primary strategic directions "the encouragement and development of new faculty to be effective teachers."

To pursue these goals, over the past four and a half years, Teaching Academy Chairs and members of the Executive Committee have explored various options for making connections with future educators and have requested additional information and research on the professional development needs of future faculty at the UW-Madison. On May 5, 2000 and September 18, 2000, the respective Teaching Academy Executive Committees reviewed two formal reports, researched and written by Jody Cardinal, outlining the specific professional development needs of UW graduate students and proposing options for making connections with future faculty. Following up on the Executive Committee's review of these reports, in the Fall of 2000, Teaching Academy Fellows John DeLamater and Gerry Campbell along with Jody Cardinal continued discussions regarding options for graduate student participation in the Teaching Academy. These discussions produced a formal proposal for a new affiliation category titled Future Faculty Partners.

In May 2001, the Academy membership voted, by E-mail, on this proposal: "The UW-Madison Teaching Academy should create a new affiliation category for the Teaching Academy. The new category would allow those with a continuing academic connection to UW-Madison who are engaged in graduate or professional study for a career in higher education teaching to apply to be a 'Future Faculty Partner' (FFP) of the Teaching Academy." By a vote of 28 to 2 in favor of the motion, the Teaching Academy Executive Committee was authorized to develop the details of the Future Faculty Partner affiliation. The proposed details are spelled out in the following paragraphs and in the nomination and selection process.

Purpose

The purpose of the Future Faculty Partner affiliation is to encourage a commitment to teaching in the next generation of college and university educators. By creating this new affiliation category, the Teaching Academy will foster discussion of core teaching issues and challenges with a broader range of those now teaching at UW-Madison, thus continuing its mission to provide leadership in undergraduate, graduate and outreach teaching and learning.

In addition, the FFP affiliation will provide much needed professional development opportunities for future educators, including interaction with academic role models and discussion of core teaching issues with experienced faculty and staff. In turn, FFPs will provide the Academy with the informed perspective of future teachers who can help the Academy work toward its stated goal of "encouraging innovation, experimentation, and dialogue among . . . teachers of the future."

Eligibility

Anyone with a continuing academic connection to UW-Madison who is engaged in graduate or professional study for a career in higher education teaching is eligible to apply to be a "Future Faculty Partner" of the Teaching Academy. Those eligible include (but are not limited to) graduate students, teaching assistants, medical and veterinary residents, and post-doctoral fellows. Prospective FFPs will need to commit to a minimum of one year (preferably two years) of active participation in the Teaching Academy.

Role

As a Future Faculty Partner, you would enjoy the following opportunities:

• To talk about teaching in a research-oriented environment;
• To interact with graduate students across the sciences, social sciences, the humanities;
• To learn from and discuss ideas with some of the most accomplished instructors on campus;
• To discuss challenges that college instructors face and get feedback from others who face similar challenges;
• To get practical advice on topics like designing courses, collaborating with another instructor on courses, assessment techniques, dealing with large classroom sizes, incorporating discussion in the classroom, and applying for jobs at universities;
• To help fellow TA's and improve the TA experience on the UW campus; and
• To document their commitment to teaching through fellowship in an organization devoted to teaching and learning.

Future Faculty Partners will not be eligible to participate in the formal governance of the Teaching Academy.

FFP Nomination and Selection Process

The Future Faculty Partner selection process identifies a limited number of future faculty whose interest in and commitment to higher education teaching suggest they will benefit from participation in the Teaching Academy and be able to contribute to the Academy's work. Nominations will be invited from all schools, departments and divisional committees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Open nominations from faculty and instructional staff will be solicited.

Prospective FFPs will complete an application similar to (but briefer than) that of prospective Fellows. This application will include

Future Faculty Partners application materials are available in MSWord, PDF or HTML.

Publicity

The opportunity to apply for a Future Faculty Partner position will be announced in Wisconsin Week, on graduate student e-mail lists and in other ways that assure broad notification