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Orientation isn’t just a good idea for students.

For incoming faculty at Queen’s the New Faculty Orientation Day helps introduce and connect them with the wide array of resources available at the university while also answering to those lingering questions and providing an opportunity to network with new colleagues before the busy days of the academic year begin.

Held Wednesday at Robert Sutherland Hall, and sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Recruitment and Support Program in the Faculty Relations Unit, the focus of the orientation day is to ensure that the participants have the information they need to succeed at Queen’s and foster the connections that will support them throughout their careers.

“We want to extend a warm welcome to our new faculty as they join the Queen’s community by providing them with an overview of the resources that are available to them and where to go for more information when and if they need it,” says Jill Scott, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning). “Orientation for new faculty orientation is very important because a new position is an investment in a future career, for both the new hire and the university.

At total of 26 new faculty members have arrived at Queen’s in the past year event. For many of the participants, this is their first faculty appointment, so a helping hand is welcome.

Mohamed Khimji arrives at Queen’s as the first Allgood Professor in Business Law. In previous stops at Western and Dalhousie he took part in similar events where he not only learned about each school but made lasting relationships as well.

“I was hoping for the same here and of course every institution has its own rules, structures and idiosyncrasies, and this is where you learn about them,” he says. “Nobody just sits you down and sort of explains these things to you other than in this sort of session.”

The day focused on the three areas of faculty members’ work: teaching, research and service to the university community. Presentations about the support that is available for each area were given by representatives from many campus units, including Information and Technology Services, Student Services, the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Queen’s Library and University Research Services Attendees also took part in a series of panel discussions that included faculty members who have joined Queen’s in the last two years and provided advice to their new colleagues based on their own experiences. Another key aspect for the day is the opportunity to network with new colleagues.

Jillian Sparks, a special collections librarian, comes to Queen’s from the University of Iowa and was hoping to foster connections and inform her colleagues about what she has to offer.

“In my position we offer teaching services and special collections so I get a chance then to partner with faculty and expose their students to primary materials,” she says. “So it’s great networking for me and also just to learn more about the campus and community.”