New orientation program introduces MUSC

New MUSC faculty members now can become familiar with their new campus and launch their teaching, research and patient care almost immediately thanks to a universitywide orientation program that began Aug. 7.

Mandated by the University Strategic Plan, which identifies new faculty orientation as a priority, the half-day program is offered monthly or every other month at both the university and college levels depending on the number of new faculty arriving on campus.

Instead of releasing the newcomers to the four-and-a-half million square feet of campus floor space to search among more than 8,000 employees for a helpful face, the orientation welcomes them to the MUSC family. It provides an overview of the university and an opportunity to meet other recent arrivals.

A planning group, chaired by associate provost for education Jan Bellack, Ph.D., with Cindy King, both of the Provost's Office, Jacquie Jones of Human Resources, Peggy Schachte of Research Development, and Betty Barstow with the Center for Academic Excellence and the Writing Center, first met in March and convened a focus group of about 20 relatively new faculty members. They were encouraged to share their views on how the university can best welcome newcomers and facilitate their acclimation to the MUSC environment and culture.

The recommendation of the focus group? They recommended a half-day, face-to-face welcome orientation program be offered, along with providing a directory of available services and resources. The focus group heartily endorsed the idea of a welcome videotape that could be sent to new faculty in advance of their arrival at MUSC, and a reception within the first six months of their arrival to meet President Edwards and other key academic leaders and administrators. The focus group's suggestions have been incorporated into the new program.

The planning group began its work by listing topics to be included in the university level orientation and those more appropriately addressed at the college or departmental level. The list has been shared with the college deans to ensure that their orientation programs will complement and not duplicate the university-level program.

At each university orientation session, presenters address how and where to find information when it is needed—“just in time” access to information—instead of presenting every possible bit of information that might be needed in the future. Participants are also given a packet of printed information for future reference.

One of the highlights of the orientation program is an introduction to Charleston culture. Betty Barstow, a Lowcountry native, describes Charleston and Southern culture using such props as a sweetgrass basket, a bag of grits, a rice spoon, benne seeds and fresh okra, sharing the folklore associated with each. She also distributes recipes for Charleston she-crab soup and syllabub, a frothy Low Country drink of cream and wine, and a glossary of Charleston language and pronunciation for those not familiar with Lowcountry dialect.

Jacquie Jones, director of Human Resources Management, then provides an overview of the structure and organization of the university and its various departments. Elizabeth Connor, a recent arrival herself (1997) and MUSC library assistant director for public services and education, introduces the services and resources available in the Library and Learning Center. And Jim Menzel, director of enrollment services, describes the academic support services provided by his office.

Research at MUSC is described briefly, with an emphasis on services provided by the Offices of Research Development and Research Administration, and the Foundation for Research Development. New faculty who are interested in research, which includes anyone involved in any scholarly activity (“in other words, almost everyone,” according to associate provost for research Rosalie Crouch, Ph.D.) are invited to a special two-hour orientation program focused specifically on research.

The educational and teaching missions of the university are reviewed by Bellack, as is the University Strategic Plan, current educational initiatives, educational support services, and resources for faculty and students, university awards for teaching, and distance education ventures.

The program concludes with information about Charleston weather, for which Cindy King, another recent arrival (1996), suggests rubber boots for navigating flooded streets and parking lots. She also reviews hurricane preparation guidelines and shares the Federal Emergency Management Agency web address <www.fema.gov/library/hurricaf.htm>, with the expressed hope that neither will prove necessary.

Individual invitations to the new faculty orientation program are sent to new full-time faculty members with regular, non-modified faculty appointments. These individuals are identified through monthly calls to the dean's office in each college. The individual departments and colleges are responsible for orienting their part-time faculty, faculty who hold modified (clinical, research) appointments, and fellows. Also, space and resources do not permit going back to include faculty who arrived prior to May of this year, who may still consider themselves “new.” However, the university “survival guide” that was developed for new faculty orientation will soon be available to everyone on the MUSC web page. This guide provides a listing of campus services, contact persons, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and website addresses for the most commonly used campus services.

The script for the welcome videotape has been drafted and filming is underway. The videotape will provide a visual tour of the MUSC campus, with a personal welcome from MUSC president James B. Edwards, D.M.D., and vice president for academic affairs and provost Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D. The videotape will be sent to new faculty before they arrive on campus, to help them begin to get acquainted with MUSC.

New faculty will also be invited to join Edwards, along with the university's vice presidents, deans and members of the Board of Trustees at one of two semi-annual receptions to be held at The Wickliffe House. The first new faculty reception is planned for February 1999. Thus, the new faculty orientation program is intended to be both welcoming and informative.

The planning group continues to work on the orientation program and find ways to improve it each time. Participants have an opportunity to evaluate the program and their input is used to further refine and improve it. Evaluations from the first two sessions in August and September indicate that new faculty are pleased with the program and find it helpful.

    I participated in an orientation session about a month after starting. The orientation sessions provided an overview of departments and units available to assist new faculty in their roles at MUSC. After one month of being here without orientation, I was needing this overview. For me the orientation to the research departments were most helpful because this is where my interest lies. The library offering was also particularly helpful in knowing how to plan teaching assignments. The last two sessions of the day—the one on weather in Charleston; and another on pronounciation and meaning of Charleston words, food and points of interest—were fun and funny. Some aspects of the orientation seem primarily for the physician community; however, even these were interesting to know. I came back to the College of Nursing and told other new colleagues that attending an orientation session was a “must do.”

    Carolyn Adams, R.N., Ed.D., CNAA, Professor Department of Health Management & Outcomes

    The orientation was very well conducted start- ing from the introductions of all the new faculty to the Charleston culture and Charleston weather topics by Betty Barstow and Cindy King. Learning about the many resources and services of the library was extremely informative. I was not aware of the excellent facility available for all. Also a quick glance of MUSC`s organization, research, and teaching issues was very informative. Betty Barstow`s receipt for "She Crab Soup' was outstanding, you should try it. I highly recommend all new faculty attending, very worthwhile.

    —Peter Kobes College of Dental Medicine

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