CUIN doctoral students (from left) Tina Ho, Chestin Auzenne-Curl, Monica Gonzalez and Roni Burren were selected from UH to participate as Future Faculty Fellows (F3).

Four Curriculum & Instruction doctoral students, Tina Ho (Teaching); Chestin Auzenne-Curl (Teaching & Teacher Education); Monica Gonzalez (Mathematics Education) and Roni Burren (Reading & Literacy Education) were selected from UH to participate as Future Faculty Fellows (F3).  Twenty Ph.D. candidates were selected from the University of Houston (UH) to participate and awardees were drawn from majors ranging across all the disciplines offered at UH.   

The F3 is funded and based off tenants set forth by the Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, a National Science Foundation-funded network of 23 premier universities. The University of Houston is one of the universities involved in this academic pursuit.

From the 20 scholars, six were also selected to teach an innovative course called CORE 1101 for undergraduates across disciplines. These six teaching fellows will attain a second certification at the end of their tenure. Auzenne-Curl and Ho were chosen to represent the College of Education as two of the six from across the University.

The F3 program has a four-week training component during fall 2015 that is supplemented by subsequent seminars and workshops throughout the 2015-2016 academic year. The teaching load for each student involved varies from departmental-supported assignment to graduate school assignment.

I am honored to be a recipient of this fellowship,” said Auzenne-Curl.  “It is humbling and exciting to have been identified from talented applicants representing all of the colleges of the university.”

And Tina Ho added, “being part of the fellowship, I was able to attend the Summer Boot Camp where I was trained to meet the standards for the CIRTL Designation of Associate. Those experiences will pave my way to a successful career in academia focusing on teaching, research, and service.” 

Gonzalez will teach a section of the ELED 4314: Mathematics in Elementary School I as part of her advanced internship and practicum. “Teaching is at the core of a tenure professor's job. As researchers create new knowledge, they must then be proficient in disseminating that knowledge through teaching,” said Gonzalez. “This fellowship supports future researchers to teach in productive ways.”

Being connected with and supported by other future college professors, is tantamount to being a successful academician. “This fellowship represents the beginning of my journey into academia,” said Burren.  “I spent 12 years in K-12 public education and I enjoyed my time there, however, this fellowship represents the first step toward my journey to become a full time faculty member. It also means that I get a chance to network with other PhD students outside of COE.”

“We are very proud of these students who, after a competitive selection process, were chosen to participate in the Future Faculty Fellowship program,” said Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Jonathan Schwartz.  “I am confident they will represent our College well, as they pursue this valuable experience to prepare them to be faculty members in the future.”

"The F3 program is an important step in preparing future Higher Education faculty by reminding them that while research is important it is nothing without dissemination" said Auzenne-Curl, "and sometimes dissemination isn't publishing-- it's teaching future scholars and preparing the next generation of innovators."