ASCO held its fourth biennial Future Faculty Program (FFP) on April 20-22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. This year’s program was co-chaired by Dr. Joan Portello, Associate Professor at SUNY, State College of Optometry, and Dr. Jeffrey Walline, Associate Dean for Research at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.
The program was attended by twenty participants from fourteen schools and colleges of optometry. 100 percent of the program attendees stated that the program met or exceeded their expectations.
A few comments from attendees were:
“I expected this program would be beneficial, but the organization really helped to hold attention and the topics really covered a lot of questions I hoped would be addressed. I expected that the interviewing and job search topics would not hold my attention as well because I had already signed a contract. However, the opposite was true. The information was very valuable and so pertinent to effective communication. It brought up topics to be considered in a long term plan as well. Thank you for everything!”
“I really didn’t know what the program would be like coming in, and you all answered so many questions I didn’t even know I had. I am amazed at how much I learned, and so excited to utilize this information as a new faculty member this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
The purpose of the program is to provide graduate students and residents with an opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their success in an optometric academic environment as career-long, productive faculty members. The FFP is comprised of formal presentations, workshops and shared activities in the areas of teaching and learning, academic culture, and professional development. Each attendee developed a long-term career plan with specific goals, objectives and action strategies through the mentoring program.
ASCO would like to express its appreciation to Walmart and Sam’s Club for being the sole contributor to the program.
For more information on the Future Faculty Program, contact ASCO’s Director of Meetings and Special Interest Groups, Ms. LaShawn Sidbury, CMP, at lsidbury@opted.org or (301) 231-5944 ext. 3012.