(l-r) Scot Evans, Cordelia Brown, Jennifer Eaton, Yuliya Babenko, Erin Henry, Evangeline Easterly, Kimberly Brown and William Tu.

by Jeff Johnston

On May 13, the Graduate School,  along with the Center for Teaching, held a graduation ceremony of its own. Dennis Hall, associate provost for research and graduate education, presented graduate teaching certificates to 11 students for the completion of their work in the Future Faculty Preparation Program (F2P2).

Launched in 2000 as part of a national effort to prepare graduate students for future careers in academia, F2P2 is a voluntary, self-directed professional development program open to all Vanderbilt graduate students, professional students and post-doctoral fellows. Designed to introduce participants to the wide range of faculty roles and responsibilities, the program is organized around three tracks: teaching and learning, professional development and the world of the university.

Through a variety of activities, including workshop sessions, mentoring, hands-on experiences and cohort groups, participants choose their level of involvement – attending only the portions of the program that appeal to them or completing all of the requirements to earn the graduate teaching certificate. Completing the program takes between 120 and 170 hours, spread over the participant’s time at Vanderbilt. 

Since its launch, more than 300 have registered for the program, with participants hailing from the College of Arts and Science, doctoral programs in the Medical School, Peabody College, the School of Engineering, the Graduate Department of Religion, the Law School and the School of Nursing. 

For more information about the program, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/gradstudents/f2p2/index.htm.

Jeff Johnston is the assistant director for the Center for Teaching.

Posted 05/16/05