When Michelle Neyman was doing graduate work at UC Davis during the mid-nineties, she wanted to become a professor but wasn't sure how to go about doing it.

"As the first person in my family to go to college, much less grad school, I was pretty naive about what it really meant to be a professor," she said.

Then, in 1994, she got involved in the Professors for the Future program. Neyman, now an assistant professor of nutrition at CSUS, Chico, said the experience helped her get where she is today. "PFTF gave me the advantage of learning some of the unwritten rules of academia," she said.

Professors for the Future, a yearlong program offered to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, was founded in 1992 with the goal of preparing participants for a career in academia. At the time, it was one of the only such programs in the United States.

The program accepted five fellows its first year and has expanded steadily since then due both to increasing interest and growth on campus in general. In 2003-04, a dozen students are participating.

Office of Graduate Studies Associate Dean Melvin Ramey, who directs the program, expects that about 30 applications for the program will be submitted by the March 5 deadline. Applicants must be nominated by fellow students, postdocs or faculty or staff members.

Those accepted will attend a series of seminars, workshops and panel discussions presented by UC Davis faculty. Fellows choose the speakers they wish to hear. Covered are topics including teaching methods, leadership skills, the tenure process and challenges facing new faculty.

Creating an opportunity for service

The fellows' largest time commitment is their service project, which they propose in their application materials and carry out during the year. Students currently in PFTF have proposed a range of projects including developing tools for attaining better work-life balance and introducing video conferencing at the Medical Center.

Service projects can often lead to greater things. Former fellow Nicole Rabaud created a Web-based clearinghouse of information for graduate students in 1999. The tool was picked up and implemented by Graduate Studies, so graduate students are now provided with extra administrative resources and information on social opportunities.

At the end of the year, fellows showcase their projects to a campus audience.

"It's a very satisfying experience," said program coordinator Teresa Dillinger. "You get to see your project proposal come to fruition."

"It's also something of a goodbye," added Rabaud. "It lends closure to the project and provides one last chance to reflect on the year."

The service project is the most important part of the program because it provides training that aspiring academics seldom get, Ramey said. He noted that research universities require their faculty to take part in research, teaching and service, and that graduate students receive training for the first two in school. "But they don't have the opportunity for service," he said.

"That's what this program is for."

For their year-long effort, fellows receive a certificate of completion, a letter of recommendation and, most importantly, experience that will prepare them for life on the other side of the lecture hall podium.

PFTF seems to have accomplished its goal so far. Of the 37 alumni who have completed their studies and have been tracked by the program, 29 have positions at colleges and universities. However, Dillinger is quick to point out fellows don't have to want to become a professor in order to participate.

"It's not a criterion of the program that they commit to academic life," she said. "We're hoping that the leadership they get from the program will serve them in both academia and elsewhere."

"The skills they get here can be mapped onto many different things," Ramey added.

Rabaud said her experience with the program helped her get a job in the governor's office of planning and research working on environmental policy. Seven former fellows now hold jobs within government or industry.

Varied viewpoints lend insight

Many fellows, past and present, agree one of the best aspects of PFTF is its multi-disciplinary nature. Fellows studying everything from English to engineering, geography to genetics, convene to discuss their ideas.

"In grad school, there is an emphasis on staying focused on your own discipline, and it's a bad habit we carry into our careers," said Tony Waters, chair of the Chico State sociology department who was a fellow in 1992. "Too often, we get buried in our own disciplines, without focusing on the overall teaching and research mission of the university. Professors for the Future is one of the few programs I've been involved with that moved past this insularity."

"I spend all day around animal behaviorists and population biologists," added current fellow Elena Berg. "PFTF gives me a chance to meet people in English, Native American studies and other areas."

The program is about more than just preparing for a career though. The special bonds formed between students -- passionate about their respective studies -- are just as valuable, fellows say. "It was really terrific to work as a team rather than singly," said Rabaud. "The whole of us was much more than the sum of our parts."

Aaron Rundus, a current fellow, added: "I have come away with 12 new friendships."

When asked about their experiences, both current and past fellows respond with long answers, recounting fond memories. Neyman ends with sentiments openly shared by many of the program's other 83 alumni. "PFTF greatly helped get me where I am today," Neyman said.

"I appreciate this opportunity to reflect on how I got here and how grateful I am."