Conference to benefit graduate students

Finding a job out of college is a daunting task for graduate students. Compiling portfolios and preparing for interviews are tasks that can require time, effort and, in some cases, a little help. \nThe Preparing Future Faculty Conference seeks to help students conquer these tasks so they stand out as they enter the job market.\nThe PFF Conference, now in its 11th year, was established to aid graduate students in preparation for their entry into the professional world. Speakers, including noted members of the IU-Bloomington faculty, give thoughts and advice to graduate students on how to enhance employment opportunities coming out of school. The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday in the Georgia Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. Free lunch will be served, and the event is open to the public.\nKeynote speakers this year include Eugene Kintgen, associate dean of the University Graduate School, and departing College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble Subbaswamy. Kintgen will give opening remarks and Subbaswamy will be the featured speaker. \nPlanning committee member Spring Duvall said having someone of Subbaswamy's experience and stature makes this year's program special.\n"I think that he actually brings an incredible amount of experience," she said. "It will be nice to have him speaking to what the future holds."\nSubbaswamy said he was "flattered" to be invited to speak at the program because he said it provides an invaluable service for graduate students about to leave school. \nThe COAS Dean said he believes the experience students will garner from the conference is invaluable.\n"It is an opportunity for graduate students from various disciplines to come together and learn from each other and others about what to expect as future faculty members," Subbaswamy said. \nThe conference is sponsored by faculty members from several departments and planned almost entirely by graduate students. Duvall stressed the importance of involving both of these parties in planning the details. She said the benefits of such a program make involvement important.\n"When you're in grad school, being a professor seems very daunting and very strange," she said. "(The conference) really is about making this seem less mysterious and more accessible."\nThe conference focuses on cultivating an impressive resume in several ways. The first panel of speakers will talk about how to best advertise research skills, followed by a similar talk concerning teaching by the second panel. \nThen, following Subbaswamy's remarks, a third panel will talk about how to find a job that best fits what a particular student wants to do upon leaving graduate school. A fourth panel will conclude the conference with discussion about bringing all of these aspects together to find employment. \nDuvall said a major feature of the conference this year was that the planning committee was able to involve more departments than in previous years. Subbaswamy headlines a slate of speakers that cover a broad range of human and life sciences. \nDean Subbaswamy said he hopes to impress upon students that being successful in education is about more than knowledge. \n"Always remember that as faculty members, you are role models for your students," Subbaswamy said. "Commitment to excellence, personal integrity, ethical behavior and compassion are the hallmarks of a successful professor"