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prepp

CSU PRE-Professor Program (PREPP)
​What is PREPP?

The PRE-Professor Program (PREPP) supports CDIP Fellows' transition to faculty positions by engaging them in a semester-long program at a California State University (CSU) campus. PREPP aims to immerse participants in the life of a faculty member. PREPP Fellows are partnered with a CSU Faculty Mentor who oversees the project. Fellows will learn what faculty life is like at a comprehensive master's granting institution. Doctoral studies and postdoctoral positions prepare individuals for research and scholarship, while this program focuses on instructionally related activities (teaching, curriculum, mentoring students) and service activities associated with faculty positions. In addition, fellows meet with department chairs and other faculty members within their discipline(s) to get their perspective on faculty life, gain teaching experience, learn about how research is conducted in the CSU, learn about tenure and promotion requirements, and how to write teaching/diversity statements for applications to faculty positions.

Program Features

PREPP Fellows are partnered with a CSU Faculty Mentor who oversees the project. Fellows will learn what faculty life is like at a comprehensive master’s granting institution. Doctoral studies and postdoctoral positions prepare individuals for research and scholarship, while this program focuses on instructionally related activities (teaching, curriculum, mentoring students) and service activities associated with faculty positions. Fellows meet with department chairs and other faculty members within their discipline(s) to get their perspective on faculty life, gain teaching experience, learn about tenure and promotion requirements, and how to write teaching/diversity statements for applications to faculty positions.

Instructional Activities

Instructional activities are a broad topic that encompasses teaching and mentoring. These activities include planning for instruction, planning and teaching lessons, and mentoring students (teaching in small groups or one-on-one).

Campus Culture of a Comprehensive Master’s University & Service

Fellows will learn how a campus runs and the role of a faculty member within the structure of a comprehensive university. First and foremost, Fellows need to learn about department life within their field(s). How does a department run, what i s expected of new faculty, and in what role(s) do junior faculty engage? These questions will be answered by participating in a variety of tasks and discussions. Campus service is explored later.

Typical Program Activities/Assignments

I = Instruction, M = Mentoring, C = Campus Culture, S = Service, JR = Job Readiness

  • Develop a Syllabus (I)
  • Prepare and teach two class sessions in a course within your field (ideally one lower division and one upper division) (I)
  • Observations of teaching with debriefing (I)
  • Identify instructional support services on campus (I)
  • Curriculum Committee (I, C, S)
  • Attend a department meeting (C)
  • Meet with Department Chair (C)
  • Tenure/Retention Expectations (C)
  • Understanding Shared Governance (S, C)
  • Components of a good cover letter (JR, C)
  • Inclusive Excellence Statement/Teaching Philosophy Statement (JR, C)
  • Attend a lab meeting (M)
  • Attend a mentoring meeting between faculty and student (M)

Application Procedures

Interested doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars will prepare an application and submit the following documents to be reviewed by CDIP and PREPP program faculty.​ A PDF with these instructions is available here: Application Instructions

  1. Curriculum Vitae
  2. ​Short Essay
    1. Tell us about yourself.
    2. Why are you applying for this program? What do you hope to gain from the experience?
    3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
  3. Teaching Interest/Experience Statement. Your statement might include responses to the following prompts (500 words or less)
    1. What teaching experience have you had? Describe your strengths and weaknesses as an instructor.
    2. What do you want to learn about teaching and instructionally related activities?
    3. What do you think teaching diverse undergraduate students might look like? What do you think would be the most effective approaches to teaching diverse undergraduate students?
    4. Describe a particular memorable teaching/learning episode.
  4. Indication of Support from Dissertation/Postdoc Mentor – to be emailed directly by Mentor.
  5. Fill out a PREPP Confidential Data Sheet by clicking this link https://tinyurl.com/PREPP-Confidential-Data-Sheet
  6. Once you have completed the above documents, please complete the online PREPP application and upload your documents by clicking this link https://tinyurl.com/CSU-PREPP-CDIP-PREPP by the due date listed on the application.

Once you have completed the above documents, please complete the online PREPP application and upload your documents by the due date listed on the application.

For more program information contact Arturo Zavala at [email protected].​