SLU grad students to teach at Fontbonne

This fall, three SLU graduate students began participating in a nine-month pre-doctoral internship program at Fontbonne.

At Fontbonne, the assistants have a similar role to a new faculty member at a university, with their own office space and participation in faculty meetings and other activities.

Fontbonne faculty members and SLU's coordinator, Dr. Donna Eisenstadt, mentor the students, who also receive a travel stipend through Fontbonne.

"We're giving our students an intensive internship experience -- the exact kind of experience most teachers get at their first job," said Dr. Donald Brennan, the Graduate School. "Many of our graduates take academic jobs at smaller colleges and universities. This is excellent preparation for them and increases their competitiveness in the job market."

Participating students are in the fourth or fifth year of their graduate education and seeking their certificate in university teaching through Saint Louis University's Center for Teaching Excellence.

They spend 20 hours per week at Fontbonne, which allows them time to spend with their SLU mentors and to continue to make progress on their dissertations.

Brennan said the initiative provides Saint Louis University's first concrete collaborative effort with Fontbonne at the graduate level.

"This is a win-win collaboration for us and Fontbonne and presents a new partnership that can be expanded," Brennan said. "Once we get faculty talking to each other, many types of collaborative things can happen, including cooperative faculty research."

Brennan said he hopes to continue the program next year and find external funding to increase the number of assistants to six.

"This is an edge for our students in the job market, and it gives us an edge in the long run because employers will be hiring more of our graduates," he said.

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