Planning to enter the workforce as a professor can be extremely difficult without knowing what to expect. Deciding which field to go into, preparing a résumé and having the right work experience can be a long process. Luckily, Iowa State offers a program for graduate students that helps with just that.

The Preparing Future Faculty program has been running since 2002 to help graduate students find their fit in the world of academia.

Karen Bovenmyer, program coordinator of PFF, has been involved with the program since its beginning.

The program consists of four classes taken during the course of a graduate student’s time at Iowa State. The program is open to students working toward their master’s or doctoral degree, as well as postdoctoral scholars.

“It’s for people who want to become professors,” Bovenmyer said. “The first class that PFF students have is we invite faculty members from other universities and colleges to come to Iowa State and talk to our students about what life is like as faculty at their school.”

The first class taken is a one-credit course in the fall, which meets every other week and is designed to expose graduate students to the faculty experience.

“Some of the students that come in have never seen anything other than a research-intensive institution,” said Holly Bender, associate director of the program.

Speakers come in from small private schools, religiously-affiliated schools, highly-selective schools, community colleges and others to talk about their different experiences.

“We get the whole spectrum,” Bender said.

The students prepare all their job materials during spring semester.

“They’ll emerge with a really well-thought out and highly-reviewed vita, cover letter, to apply for the job, teaching portfolio, with a teaching philosophy and sample assignments, etcetera,” Bender said.

The remaining courses include a teaching practicum and a project-oriented practicum.

The teaching practicum gets students to work in the field and gain experience, bringing them to the top of the job application pile.

“The other one we have is the project-oriented practicum,” Bender said. “You could write a manuscript or a grant, there’s a number of things you could do to fill out your vita and also give you an experience that will make you more valuable to the job market.”

In addition to the courses, each PFF student has a mentor they will meet twice a month to review their materials and lend a helping hand to their progress.

Last year, 60 people were accepted into the program after a redesign of PFF allowed for a higher acceptance rate.

Sara Marcketti, associate director of apparel, events and hospitality management, was accepted into PFF in 2003 and is now employed by Iowa State.

“It’s an incredible program because it lets you see different avenues of faculty life,” Marcketti said.

Marcketti received her Ph.D. from Iowa State and was employed as a lecturer immediately afterward.

“Having that level of leadership for graduate preparation really says a lot about the university,” Marcketti said.

Applications require students to submit a letter of recommendation by a tenure-track professor and a set of questions to answer.

Applications for the Preparing Future Faculty program are due Feb. 23 and can be found on the CELT website.

“The Preparing Future Faculty Program is a program that truly exists and enjoys helping grad students with career prep,” Bovenmyer said.