In recent years, increased attention has focused on how doctoral
programs prepare graduate students to become faculty members at
colleges and universities. One reflection of this interest is the
development of such training programs as Preparing Future Faculty
(PFF), which the Association of American Colleges and Universities
and the Council of Graduate Schools founded in 1993. With financial
support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the National Science
Foundation, and the Atlantic Philanthropies, and with the
participation of several professional associations, including the
American Political Science Association, PFF has grown to include
nearly 300 colleges and universities nationwide. In the recent past,
21 doctoral departments, including four from political science, have
received funding for PFF. In addition to formal PFF programs, the
literature on graduate education suggests that many doctoral
departments have established their own training routines to assist
graduate students as they prepare to teach and/or to assume faculty
responsibilities.