Forum Home | Agenda| Submission Information |
Poster Abstracts| Program Overviews | Breakout Notes | Presentations

We highlight two University-level programs that provide unique opportunities for STEM graduate students at USC. The first is The Professoriate Preparing for the Future. This is a one-year program of professional development for doctoral students who are considering faculty careers at institutions of higher learning. It consists of a one-unit course taken during the fall semester and a set of follow-up activities in the spring semester. In addition, other tangible results of course participation include a "Certificate of Achievement" granted upon successful completion of the course, and an "Online Teaching Portfolio" developed by each student. The course is open to students in all graduate programs and is designed to provide students with a general overview and contextual knowledge of the professoriate and to prepare them to meet successfully the faculty responsibilities of teaching, research, and service, particularly at research universities. It offers students the opportunity to make informed and enlightened career choices. This course is taught by the Center for Excellence in Teaching's (CET) Faculty Fellows who serve as mentors to the students. The course has a flexible, "customized curriculum" that reflects each student's own goals and learning objectives. Except for 7 required seminars and workshops, each student designs his/her own "curriculum" by selecting an additional 10 topics from the array of lectures and seminars offered by CET. CET gives advisement and approval of this chosen curriculum before the start of the course. This arrangement allows each student to pace his/her learning so as to integrate the course successfully (and with minimum stress) within his/her program of studies and in consonance with his/her professional aims. The Professoriate Preparing for the Future is a unique opportunity for doctoral students from different schools and departments to work as an active "learning community" and develop an understanding of the techniques and diversity of teaching in academic institutions. This course is specifically designed to work, as a flexible module, with the students' learning and practical training needs in mind.
  

The second program is the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Program which is funded by a $20M gift to the endowment. The goal of the program is to increase the representation of women in science and engineering at USC. Although faculty hiring is the primary focus, the Program also provides funding to recruit and retain outstanding graduate students. In addition, the Program serves to raise awareness among science and engineering faculty about the importance of mentoring, networking and departmental culture and climate in order to ensure the retention of graduate students who will go on to increase the representation of women in the higher ranks of science and engineering in industry and academia.