Campus liaisons play a critical role in ensuring the success of the FFTF program on their campuses. The University Graduate School is deeply appreciative of the often intensive work that accompanies this role. Among the most important duties of the liaison is ensuring the distribution of fellowship applications, as well as a copy of the host campus guidelines, to the appropriate departmental staff on their campus. The University Graduate School respectfully requests that any liaison experiencing difficulty with this task, or who finds themself unable to “get the word out” about the program, to please contact our office to request assistance: fftf@indiana.edu.
Please note that the FFTF program is more than happy for any host campus to appoint more than one campus liaison where needed. We will rely on the liaison’s knowledge of his or her campus to recommend a co-liaison or replacement. In cases where a new liaison finds him or herself in need of guidance on procedures associated with the application distribution and placement request processes, we ask that the individual contact our office for assistance at their earliest convenience.
Mentorship of the fellow is a vital component of the fellowship program. Each fellow should have a faculty mentor, selected by the chair of the host department. Mentors receive an honorarium paid by the University Graduate School.
The mentor should be someone who is genuinely eager to take on that role and who will have the skills, time, and commitment to fulfill the responsibilities and serve as a true advocate and guide as the fellow prepares for the academic profession. Mentors are expected to contact fellows shortly after their arrival to campus to greet them and offer guidance through, and assistance with, the transition into faculty life. Briefly, the University Graduate School expects that the mentor will meet regularly with the fellow to:
- Assist the fellow in becoming familiar with the campus and the community.
- Introduce the fellow to colleagues within the department and outside of it whenever possible.
- Advise on and oversee teaching and occasionally visit the fellow’s classes.
- Offer insight about life as a faculty member.
- Assist the fellow in experiencing aspects of faculty life such as faculty meetings and service activities.
- Arrange opportunities for the fellow to present his or her scholarly work and to attend presentations by faculty members.
PLEASE NOTE: Because mentorship is an essential component of the FFTF program, in cases where a fellow contacts program staff to inform them that the mentor has not been making adequately consistent contact with the fellow, the University Graduate School reserves the right to contact either the host department or campus liaison and request that the fellow be reassigned to another faculty mentor.
Alternatively, program staff may request that the mentor not be assigned to future fellows in subsequent years.
Applications will be provided to the campus liaisons shortly after the student deadline in October. Applications are then distributed by the FFTF faculty liaison on the host campus to the relevant departments.
After reviewing the files, department chairs may contact applicants to arrange interviews. Department chairs should copy the campus liaison on email communications regarding scheduling interviews with students.
Following the interview process, the chair should inform the campus liaison of any candidate to whom they would like the University Graduate School to make an offer to, as well as the salary the candidate would be paid (minimum of $2,750 per course at 2 courses per semester, for a total of $11,000 minimum for the academic year). The liaison will forward this information to the University Graduate School via email. Any department or program wishing to make offers to more than one applicant must also submit a ranking, in order of preference, of their selections.
After the interview process/placement request closing date, the University Graduate School will, in consultation with the campus liaisons, allocate the placements in a manner that attempts to be fair to all potential host campuses.
Once selections are finalized, the University Graduate School will inform the liaisons and send drafts of the offer letters to the liaison and host department for their review.
Upon approval, The University Graduate School will send offer letters to the candidates. Applicants will be asked to accept or decline the fellowship offer by the beginning of March via written correspondence directed to the FFTF program in the University Graduate School. Host department chairs and campus liaisons will be notified promptly of the candidates’ decisions.
PLEASE NOTE: Department chairs may not extend offers directly to applicants. Final decisions regarding offers are made by the University Graduate School based upon information provided by host departments and applicants. We ask that you do not discuss the possibility of an offer with any applicant.
The Future Faculty Teaching Fellowship entails teaching two (2) courses per semester. The teaching salary is paid by the host department at a minimum of $2,750 per course for a total of $5,500 minimum per semester. Fellows should be compensated at a rate consistent with standards of the department. Departments are free, and encouraged, to set higher salaries at their discretion and as budgets permit.
The teaching salary should be paid according to the department's usual procedures and schedule for adjunct and visiting faculty. For payroll purposes, fellows should be listed as faculty, not as student hourlies or associate instructors. According to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs on the Bloomington campus, fellows should be coded in the payroll system as adjunct faculty. Please remember that they should receive the same treatment and privileges as would visiting faculty within your department, program, or school.
The University Graduate School also provides a fellowship stipend, paid directly to the fellow via the IU Bloomington financial aid system. For the current academic year, the stipend is $11,000 (plus an additional $2,000 (if requested) if the fellow will be moving to the area of the host campus). The University Graduate School will provide health insurance if this is not part of the package offered to the fellow.
Fellows should be considered visiting lecturers, not adjunct faculty. The usual title given to fellows at the host campus is “Teaching Fellow.” In order to ensure that fellows can become a part of the host campus community and gain the best possible immersion experience of life as a faculty member, we ask the host department to assist in the following ways:
- Provide office space and equipment appropriate to the fellow’s needs.
- The department chair should write to the head librarian on behalf of the fellow, stating that the fellow is a faculty member in the department and is entitled to faculty library privileges.
- Allow access to communications that regularly go to full-time faculty, and include the fellow on faculty listservs.
- Provide the fellow with ample opportunities to participate in faculty activities, such as: attending new faculty orientation; sitting in on departmental and campus faculty meetings; taking part in service activities; attending campus community functions; attending faculty lectures; and assisting with student advising.
Fellows are required to live at or near the host campus during at least part of each week for the length of the fellowship. Fellows placed at the campuses in Bloomington, Indianapolis and Columbus may choose to continue to live in Bloomington, but are expected to spend a major portion of each week at the host campus. The host departments are expected to assist the fellow in finding affordable housing if needed.