New Faculty Orientation & Learning Community
Each year, CITLS coordinates and hosts New Faculty Orientation as well as an ongoing learning community for new faculty. With the start of the fall semester just around the corner, we have already begun mapping out both of these important facets of the new faculty experience.
This year, New Faculty Orientation will take place August 18, 19, & 22. Though much of the content remains the same from year to year, we look forward to including a few surprises as well as a twist on some old favorites. A staple presentation on high impact practices along with Academic Resource Hub and Accessibility Services will follow a new, interactive, case-based format meant to immerse new faculty in real-world examples of the types of needs Lafayette students might have and how to best support them. A new addition this year is a presentation on Personal and Professional well-being by Susanna Calvert, Founder of the Foundation for Family and Community Healing. Both of these sessions will be flanked by a plethora of other workshops to support our new faculty in building community and making their first year at Lafayette a success.
To provide ongoing support, the new faculty learning community will meet during the lunch hour on various Fridays throughout the semester. These sessions will reify and expand on many of the concepts and topics introduced during New Faculty Orientation, including an overview of the promotion, tenure, and review process, high impact practices, and inclusive teaching. In response to recommendations made by the CITLS Advisory Committee, “New Faculty Hour” will be added to the repertoire. These will be focused, but less formal gatherings geared toward community conversations, relationship building, and supporting faculty well-being.
The ultimate goal of these new faculty activities is to help our new community members feel well-prepared and welcome. So if you see a new face around campus, don’t hesitate to offer an encouraging smile or stop and say hello.
