Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future (PCFF)

Overview

Funded by the National Science Foundation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), the goals of the PCFF project are to:

• provide professional and leadership development for women of color faculty in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), or in NSF natural and behavioral science disciplines; and
• improve undergraduate STEM education at HBCUs and beyond.

Women of color faculty in STEM disciplines at HBCUs are the critical focus of PCFF. Preparing these faculty members for the future is critical because enrollment at HBCUs typically consists of approximately 70% women and because HBCUs confer nearly 25% of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans. HBCUs are among the nation’s leading institutions in producing graduates who go on to obtain PhD degrees. By uncovering useful strategies for preparing women faculty of color for academic leadership in STEM fields, PCFF expects to improve STEM education broadly as well as at HBCUs.

The project seeks to achieve its goals through a yearlong series of activities designed to hone participants’ leadership skills and abilities, and assist them in introducing cutting-edge teaching techniques into their classroom and laboratory practice. All participants will be financially supported, either partially or fully, to engage in either one or two national events. These events will include national experts in academic leadership and effective undergraduate STEM education and practice. Throughout the year, PCFF staff will keep participants connected to each other and to national experts though a variety of social networks and online activities. The project will provide participants with the opportunity and the financial support to engage in and influence the national dialogue on improving undergraduate STEM education, and project participants will both contribute to and gain from national efforts to develop and implement innovative strategies and effective practices.

Faculty members from up to thirteen HBCUs will be selected annually to participate for one year during each of the project's three years. A small number of individuals from each of the first two campus cohorts may be selected to participate for a second year. The participation of two women of color faculty from STEM disciplines will be fully subsidized by the PCFF project. All other participants will receive partial subsidies of up to 75% of the estimated total participation cost of participating. Additional travel subsidies may be available to participants from campuses with existing HBCU-UP grants.

The project has space annually for two non-HBCUs, bringing the total number of possible participating institutions to fifteen. However, no financial support is provided through this NSF program for institutions not classified as an HBCU.

A list of selected institutions for the PCFF project can be found here. For AAC&U's press release of cohort II see: http://www.aacu.org/press_room/press_releases/2011/pcffcohort2.cfm.