Is it normal for departments to tell new faculty nothing about how things work?

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OP: 8 Goods vs 0 No Goods
Thread: 92 Goods vs 34 No Goods

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Is it normal for departments to tell new faculty nothing about how things work?

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Sociologist
3950

I got a super fast orientation by the university, which I would not have even known to attend had I not figured out how to activate my university email by myself, by digging through buried documents online. There are regular deadlines that I do not hear about until the last minute when another faculty member mentions it in passing. The relevant documents never sent to me. For service, I am asked to do a process I've never heard of with no instructions. There are different regulations for different kinds of classes I am assigned to. I find information on this by digging through buried PDFs on the website.

Is this a private uni thing? Is it better regulated at the state schools? Or is this just typical of disorganized academics working in the same place? Or is forcing the new guy to ask emba ...r r assing questions hazing?

1 year ago # QUOTE 8 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
27c0

no one cares about you. figure it out. if you want mentoring, seek it out. no one is going to proactively try to hold your hand.

1 year ago # QUOTE 11 GOOD 3 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
ee79

It’s sink or swim. Yes, it is normal to not tell you anything.

1 year ago # QUOTE 13 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
c13a

At most schools you get a piece of paper at faculty fall convocation that has all your important deadlines. You probably didn’t read it because it didn’t show up on your cell phone screen.

1 year ago # QUOTE 0 GOOD 7 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
e76d

Not really, in regards to tenure and promotion or governance?

Each might be affected by the pandemic, but I would say normally no, there is some transparency.

1 year ago # QUOTE 0 GOOD 1 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
3ae9

sounds like you have a bad chair who doesn't do enough onboard training

1 year ago # QUOTE 6 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
7ebd

Yes, totally normal.

1 year ago # QUOTE 7 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
d0e9

The pros and cons of our independent lifestyle!

Often the good dept admins will send out notifications for things that need your active attention like submitting course requests, or applications for funding, etc. But anything 'extra' or 'special' will be up to you to track down!

It did help to have in-person offices where you could easily stop by and chat with the admin folks when you were starting a new job. I can imagine it is much more difficult doing that during remote pandemic world.

1 year ago # QUOTE 9 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
958f

I think this is normal. Then they will spring something on you like oh no you didnt figure this out now you have to teach intro stats for five years. Seek out other APs and ask them if there are things you need to know about managing teaching, managing service, and managing research. Ask questions and reach out to people. Even more than the sort of info that is in a pdf, you need to know the kind that isn't.

1 year ago # QUOTE 4 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
86be

Sadly, yes, this is common. I work at a state school and I was basically given no training or information. I had to figure out everything on my own which led to many mistakes my first year. I try hard to make my new colleagues not go through this but there is no formal programming.

I got a super fast orientation by the university, which I would not have even known to attend had I not figured out how to activate my university email by myself, by digging through buried documents online. There are regular deadlines that I do not hear about until the last minute when another faculty member mentions it in passing. The relevant documents never sent to me. For service, I am asked to do a process I've never heard of with no instructions. There are different regulations for different kinds of classes I am assigned to. I find information on this by digging through buried PDFs on the website.
Is this a private uni thing? Is it better regulated at the state schools? Or is this just typical of disorganized academics working in the same place? Or is forcing the new guy to ask emba ...r r assing questions hazing?

1 year ago # QUOTE 6 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
4636

Yes, typical. I was constantly pestering the admin support in my first year because I had nobody was giving me any information about how to do my job.

1 year ago # QUOTE 6 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
c8c9

Jeez - you have a phd - figure it out. You expect a senior faculty member to take time away from their research to teach you how to deal with paperwork? You should be getting prepared, asking questions, seeking out the process. I get that you are new to the profession but don't act so entitled. You were hired to be a faculty member not to get trained as a faculty member. In a year or 2 you will appreciate that people are not constantly pestering you about mindless paperwork.

1 year ago # QUOTE 3 GOOD 11 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
7865

But it would take one tenth the time for a colleague to help the new person than for the new person to figure it all out themselves. Just through sheer ignorance of the processes it’s always going to be slower, especially if you don’t even know what it is.

Then the new person would have more time to fulfil their duties, and be a more effective member of the department, and everyone would win.

It’s not entitlement, it’s regular cooperative behavior.

1 year ago # QUOTE 7 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
a21e

It’s likely a COVID thing.

1 year ago # QUOTE 0 GOOD 2 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
6dd3

This. Getting a PhD is learning how to become an independent researcher. You are not a student anymore that needs everything chewed up before being fed. Grow up.

Jeez - you have a phd - figure it out. You expect a senior faculty member to take time away from their research to teach you how to deal with paperwork? You should be getting prepared, asking questions, seeking out the process. I get that you are new to the profession but don't act so entitled. You were hired to be a faculty member not to get trained as a faculty member. In a year or 2 you will appreciate that people are not constantly pestering you about mindless paperwork.

1 year ago # QUOTE 0 GOOD 7 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
7a70

Advanced AP, this was my experience but it wasn't nearly as sink or swim as your experience. It was mostly people using acronyms I had never heard of, talking about bureaucratic stuff that I had go go out of my way to learn about, or being put into a service role and given no instructions. This stuff happening is somewhat understandable in retrospect, but it was still frustrating.

1 year ago # QUOTE 5 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
84ae

This. Getting a PhD is learning how to become an independent researcher. You are not a student anymore that needs everything chewed up before being fed. Grow up.
Jeez - you have a phd - figure it out. You expect a senior faculty member to take time away from their research to teach you how to deal with paperwork? You should be getting prepared, asking questions, seeking out the process. I get that you are new to the profession but don't act so entitled. You were hired to be a faculty member not to get trained as a faculty member. In a year or 2 you will appreciate that people are not constantly pestering you about mindless paperwork.

Being a faculty member is a job and workplaces have on boarding.

1 year ago # QUOTE 3 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
18bc

Jeez - you have a phd - figure it out. You expect a senior faculty member to take time away from their research to teach you how to deal with paperwork? You should be getting prepared, asking questions, seeking out the process. I get that you are new to the profession but don't act so entitled. You were hired to be a faculty member not to get trained as a faculty member. In a year or 2 you will appreciate that people are not constantly pestering you about mindless paperwork.

True, but "mentoring" helps welcome people (so that they don't leave for a better job with friendlier people) and also, helps them not flail for the first year. Depts with the luck to have been able to hire this year should not shoot themselves in the foot by alienating a new colleague. Wouldn't take much to welcome this new AP with some utter basics of the new job: send syllabi, connect with dept admin (if they are working this summer), have a Zoom call re: things like registrar, calendar, campus culture, bookstore crap. Yes, we are "independent," but our careers are cooperative and require loads of others in order to be successful, balanced, and humane. Hell, OP, -I- will orient you to your new job if you want.

1 year ago # QUOTE 0 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
ee8d

I have done the same job in industry for 5 years at 3 different companies, and every time I get an in depth orientation to the job, with SOPs, administrative information, expectations, career progression info, etc. this information is all on the internal website and yes I could look it up myself, but there is an understanding that it is infinitely more efficient for the company to at least introduce us to this material so we know it exists. i get that this is not as common in academia, but it is so sad to hear someone here call a new AP entitled for questioning whether this norms exists and is reasonable.

1 year ago # QUOTE 3 GOOD 0 NO GOOD !
Sociologist
c13a

I have done the same job in industry for 5 years at 3 different companies, and every time I get an in depth orientation to the job, with SOPs, administrative information, expectations, career progression info, etc. this information is all on the internal website and yes I could look it up myself, but there is an understanding that it is infinitely more efficient for the company to at least introduce us to this material so we know it exists. i get that this is not as common in academia, but it is so sad to hear someone here call a new AP entitled for questioning whether this norms exists and is reasonable.

That information is all easily available at most campus websites. Most adults can find it without handholding.

1 year ago # QUOTE 0 GOOD 3 NO GOOD !

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