Future Professors Institute Keynote Talk
June 17 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
The Future Professors Institute engages graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in workshops, panel discussions, and talks focused on preparing them for faculty careers across institutional types.
The primary audiences for the institute are Cornell University graduate students and postdocs interested in faculty and academic career pathways who are committed to advancing access to higher education and supporting inclusive learning, mentoring, and research environments. Scholars external to Cornell who are affiliated with specific programs are eligible to register as well.
Additionally, we invite interested Cornell faculty and staff to register for the networking lunch and institute keynote talk by Dr. Wayne Scales on June 17.
There is no cost to attend; however, this is a space-limited event.
2025 Keynote
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 12:30 pm ET (Lunch from 12:00-12:30 pm)
Fostering Strategic University Partnerships for Excellence and Innovation
Developing strategic collaborations and partnerships is a key element of any university faculty member’s success. These partnerships advance both research, educational, and professional development agendas. There is a relatively broad spectrum of organizations and strategic agendas to develop such partnerships, but this discussion will consider one type of partnership that has received continued growing attention over the past decade. Although substantive partnerships between majority institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been occurring at least since the 1970s, in recent years due to the research trajectory of many of these institutions, expanding opportunities exist presently. For example, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has described these institutions as a relatively untapped national resource for talent. The importance and benefits of this type of partnership in higher education and recent examples of strategies used to create equitable and sustainable partnerships with HBCUs will be discussed.
Speaker
Dr. Wayne A. Scales (Cornell PhD ‘88), J. Byron Maupin Professor of Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Prof. Wayne Scales received BS and MS degrees in Honors Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from Virginia Tech and the PhD from Cornell University in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics with focus in Space Plasma Physics. He was an ASEE Postdoctoral Fellow in the Space Plasma Physics Branch of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Afterwards, he joined the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and is currently the J. Byron Maupin Professor of Engineering and was founding Director of the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space@VT) and founding Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program in Remote Sensing. Prof. Scales is also an affiliate Professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. He has served as Special Assistant to the Dean of Engineering and Senior Consultant to the Vice President of Research and Innovation working on special initiatives in Quantum Information Science, Nanoscale Science, and Postdoctoral Affairs. He currently serves as Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs where his responsibilities include supporting special initiatives involving faculty development as well as research and workforce development partnerships with MSIs and HBCUs. His work in this area has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, and the Genentech Foundation Fund.
This keynote will be held on Cornell University central campus, and livestream access will also be available to remotely participating graduate students and postdocs.
Sponsorship
This is a collaborative initiative of the Cornell Graduate School Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement (OISE), the Office of Career and Professional Development Future Faculty and Academic Careers program, and the Office of Postdoctoral Studies,
Questions?
Institute Dates: Tuesday, June 17 (In-Person & Zoom); Wednesday, June 18 (Zoom)
Times: June 17, 12:00 – 2:00 pm ET; June 18, 12:30 pm – 4:45 pm ET
Locations: June 17, G10 Biotech & Zoom; June 18, Zoom
Registration: https://blogs.cornell.edu/futureprofs/registration-2025/
Registration Priority Dates: June 12, 2025 (for In-Person Participation); June 16, 2025 (for Virtual Participation)
Please direct any questions to: futurefaculty@cornell.edu
