This symposium focuses on foreign-born geographers pursuing careers in US colleges and universities. Though foreign-born scholars make up a significant portion of the US geography professoriate, little is known about their experiences, the cultural problems and legal issues they confront in the US, and policy and institutional changes that might…

This paper focuses on strategies for enhancing the preparation of geographers moving into academic careers. Based on research and experience gained from the Geography Faculty Development Alliance and Enhancing Departments and Graduate Education in geography projects, several suggestions for improved practice are detailed. These move beyond…

Interviews and a survey were conducted to assess both the structure and content of mentoring and advising provided to early-career faculty in geography. Results indicated three broad conditions for structuring effective mentoring: (1) regular, proactive meetings; (2) engaging diverse groups of individuals within and outside of a department; and…

This paper discusses the Geography Faculty Development Alliance (GFDA), a five-year project begun in 2002 with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to improve professional development opportunities for early-career geography faculty members in U.S. colleges and universities, and to improve the…

Discusses the essential skills that students need in order to participate in a Web-based learning environment: (1) selecting a starting point for research; (2) using search engines and online databases; (3) taking notes in digital form; and (4) evaluating Internet resources. Addresses the standards of conduct expected of students. (CMK)

Professional experiences during graduate school through the first few years of an academic appointment shape patterns of work and social behavior that prefigure the long-term success of new faculty members, including prospects for tenure and promotion. We explore these experiences through interviews and surveys with a sample of early-career…

Focuses on using the World Wide Web as a means for creating large-scale collaborations that cut across institutional boundaries. Examines different strategies for employing these collaborations; in particular, centralized publishing using common guidelines and format, distributed publishing using common interfaces and protocols, and…