What does a consultant do? Each Project NExT Fellow is assigned a "consultant," who is an experienced faculty member in the mathematical sciences and whose role is to be a friend and adviser from outside the Fellow's department. Each fall, consultants are assigned to the current year's group of Fellows. Most consultants are assigned a single Fellow, but some may be assigned two. The consultant initiates contact with the Fellow(s) to whom she or he is assigned, and responds to specific questions or concerns that the Fellow(s) may have. Additionally, each consultant is added to the Project NExT electronic discussion list for the cohort of Fellows for whom he or she is a consultant. This is a closed list that will have a total of about 85 Fellows and 80 or so consultants on it. Consultants may respond to any posts on this list, and may pose questions of their own. The messages on the list encompass various topics. There are often requests for textbook suggestions or ideas for dealing with a difficult classroom situation, there is information about relevant professional development opportunities, and near the time of national meetings there is some discussion of sharing rides and hotel rooms. Consultants should expect the volume of their e-mail to increase significantly in the first year. A consultant remains on the Project NExT list indefinitely, however, and as the Fellows become established the volume of communication on the list and the need for individual consultation will naturally diminish. Since Project NExT has no funds for travel for the consultants, consultants are not required to attend national or MAA Section meetings. We ask that consultants who do plan to attend a Section or national meeting of the MAA contact their assigned Fellow(s) to see if they also plan to attend, and if so, to arrange for a face-to-face meeting. If consultants and the Fellows to whom they are assigned happen to work at nearby institutions, they sometimes choose to visit one another's campus, but that is not a requirement. More questions about consultants? Contact Judith Covington or Steve Schlicker: or .