Dear Faculty Relations 鈥撎齏hen I was hired several years ago, I sat in my new office alone. The first week I thought everyone was too busy to say hello, but as the semester went on, not one person ever stopped by to welcome me. This year there is a new faculty member in our department, and I want to be sure that the same thing doesn鈥檛 happen. What can I do to welcome my new colleague warmly? 鈥� Collegial Colleague
Dear Collegial Colleague - Thank you for your commitment to change the culture of your department for the better. Making new colleagues feel welcome is essential to cultivating a sense of belonging and support, both of which are critical to the success of our faculty and the university overall. Within your department, you can welcome your new colleague by dropping by their office to say hi or write them a friendly email asking if they need any help navigating the many issues that arise when starting a new position.
Inviting your new colleague to meet you for coffee or lunch would be an excellent opportunity to answer any questions and connect in person. You might invite other faculty members from your department to join you. If your department has a regular get-together for lunch, make sure your colleague is invited. If not, this would be a great time to start up a regular departmental lunch where all those interested might meet on the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of the month, for example, to catch up with each other.
Another great way to help your new colleague feel welcome is to connect them with other faculty members around campus that can support them in their first year at 抖阴旅行射 and beyond. The Office of Faculty Affairs sponsors Faculty SPACE monthly no-agenda meetings to foster community building. You can invite your new colleague and other faculty in your department to attend a Faculty SPACE event with you.
More excellent ideas for welcoming a new colleague are listed in Welcome New Faculty Aboard! Hopefully, going forward, your efforts will pay off as you welcome and include more new faculty members to 抖阴旅行射 and build a culture of collegiality in your unit and across campus.
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Written by Francisca Antman, Ph.D., Faculty Director for Faculty Development and Mentoring, Office of Faculty Affairs; Professor of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder, September 2023