Preparing Future Faculty of Color Conference

The Preparing Future Faculty of Color Conference, held annually at NIU, brings together graduate students of color from universities across the state.

Preparing future faculty is a national movement focused on transforming the way aspiring faculty are being prepared for their careers. The NIU program is unique in its focus on students of color, designed to create a pipeline to increase faculty diversity within the state and nation.

Faculty presenters at the conference inform, encourage and inspire graduate students of color to consider the professoriate as a career path.

“The diversity of faculty and the level of expertise of the faculty presenters was very empowering and inspiring. The resources provided were also very helpful.”

- 2015 conference participant

Topics are presented in various formats including individual presentations, panels, mini workshops, keynote presentations and roundtable discussions with professors and graduate students. Students are also given the opportunity to present their scholarly research.

The conference has been in operation since 2015 and has drawn support from the Illinois Board of Higher Education. It is considered an essential conference for graduate students across the state, especially recipients of the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) Fellowship.

“Networking with other fellows and faculty committed to the advancement of minorities in academia was great! Having the opportunity to share with them one-on-one during the meet and greet, as well as learning from peers’ questions during sessions was priceless. Lodging assistance was extremely helpful.”

- 2019 conference participant