Connecting with New Faculty on Your Campus
Click here for more ideas on engaging new faculty.
The “New Faculty Outreach (NFO) Welcome Gift” idea was rooted in our practice of hospitality and welcoming others within our context. It is only one part of our relationship and trust building over time.
You need to identify and find the new faculty on your campus. They may be found through a list of new university hires or asking current faculty and staff contacts if they know of new faculty hires. Other possible ways to learn of new faculty in the area might include looking through university communications and website press releases, and checking with local pastors and community leaders.
Once you have a name, do a general web search for the new faculty member so you know their position, some pieces of their history, and possible points of common interest you may have with them. You may also want to look at a current publication of theirs.
Consider inviting another faculty member to come with you when you meet this new faculty member. Think about someone who is in a similar discipline, age group, or life phase.
Introduce yourself by either phone or email and propose an appointment day and time. You may want to check their office hours and propose dropping by during that time-frame. (sample opening statements in the resource section below)
Preparing the a Welcome Gift - Assess available items and determine their appropriateness. It is your decision which items will be included. Add something that makes it personal and or particular to your campus and location. Look through the book, A Place for Truth, identifying a chapter that would be of most interest to the receiver and read that chapter in preparation for your meeting. Pray for the new faculty as you put this gift together and consider your presentation of it.
Write out the Welcome note card - This is where correct spelling of their name and having a sense of their faith orientation is helpful. Include your business card. (two samples of welcome notes in the resource section below)
Have a GREAT appointment! Extend a warm welcome, express hopes for their new position, recognize the degree and extent of their transition to this new place, and offer a further token of care for them (e.g., offer of taking to coffee, helping with orientation to the campus and community, praying for them). Be prepared to invite them to an upcoming activity that is on campus or to meet with them again. You should plan on your first meeting taking 10-15 minutes (maximum). Faculty are busy, so it is important to respect their time and time constraints.
Resources and Other Questions You May Have
How do I explain to a new faculty member what this is all about?
It is not surprising that a professor you do not know might be initially a little skeptical about your efforts to welcome them to campus. If your campus already has a faculty fellowship that is meeting regularly, it is our first priority to discuss the NFO idea with them and find out how they would like to design the strategy to best fit the group make-up and campus situation.
If no faculty group exists on your campus, it could be helpful to go to your faculty advisor, making them aware of your intention to meet with new faculty. Show them the sample Welcome Gift and explain why you think this would be an important way to reach out to new faculty. Underscore your intent to be winsome and spiritually sensitive. Many of the new faculty you meet will be friendly and receptive, perhaps even Christians themselves, but others may be less receptive or suspicious.
A sample conversation (opening statement) might be something like one of these:
“Hello, Dr. _____ , my name is _____ * and I am a part of the Fellowship of Christian Faculty & Staff here on campus. One of our desires is to welcome new faculty to campus, introduce ourselves, and give you small welcome gift on behalf of our group.”
"Hello, Dr. _____ , my name is _____ * and I'm on staff with InterVarsity. I heard that you are new to campus (or to this new position), and I'd like to stop by and meet you with a small welcome gift. Would there be time in the coming week when I could stop by your office for a couple of minutes?"
* Fellow faculty members would introduce themselves, identifying their department and position.
How do I explain how I came to get their name?
You either got their name from someone in the department, a faculty or administrator, a publicly available list in the university, or from someone with whom you were talking that mentioned that they were new to the campus. Remember ‘new’ does not have to mean that this is their first teaching job (Assistant professor, Post-Doc or Adjunct)). She/he may be a full/associate professor recently hired from another campus where they served for many years.
How do I build relationship with this person I am visiting?
Often, new faculty can be very open to get to know some people who have been around campus for a longer time. Some enjoy the opportunity to share their story, ask questions, learn about the community, etc. (See booklet Partners in the Gospel, by Faculty Ministry of InterVarsity - available on staff store.)
Writing out the Welcome Card
Here are two samples offered by Kirsten Wagenius (InterVarsity Faculty Ministry Staff in Minnesota):
• Dr. Hodges ~ It's a pleasure to welcome you to the "granite city" and I hope you will enjoy discovering all that the university and community have to offer! As an alum and campus advocate, I will gladly support, encourage, or help to connect you in any way that's helpful. Go Huskies! ~ Kirsten Wagenius (include your business card)
• Professor Vialle ~ Welcome to campus! Dr. Hall mentioned you had just arrived in the Chemistry Department and I am glad to meet you (or, looking forward to meeting you). I would enjoy hearing more of your story, and fielding questions you might have about this community or campus. Blessings, Kirsten Wagenius (include your business card)
Contact Nan Schilling, GFM Field Operations Director, if you have questions.
