People have been asking, "so, how was your first year?" I reply, "I'm glad my first year is over." Then I explain that although I think I did okay, I'm glad to be past finding a new doctor, new dentist, new hairdresser, new dry cleaner, new nearby gas station, and a new route to the airport. These are the little realities that come along with having moved across country for a new faculty position.
How was my first year in my new faculty role? That's really what others want to know. When pressed on the issue, I usually talk about the differences I noticed between institutions. Change always seems to highlight differences ~
Travel arrangements and reimbursements: do it yourself online versus having a secretary do it all a month in advance and on paper.
Budgeting: carry-over funds across fiscal years versus zero out accounts two months before the end of the fiscal year.
Student advising: ad hoc process of notifying students of availability versus putting advising hours in the online advising schedule.
Parking: one hanging tag with annual new little dates and a swipe card versus a radio frequency hanging tag that is replaced each year.
Student textbooks: university owned and run bookstore versus Barnes and Noble as the bookstore.
Graduate School: no coordination across program directors versus quarterly meetings of all graduate program directors from across campus.
Clearly, one side or other is not better, just different. But, it's coming to accept the differences, embracing the accompanying learning curve, and getting fluent in the new jargon that makes it no longer the first year.
As campus fills with the new students, new faculty, new enthusiasm, new anticipations, and new hopes, I feel ready to step from being the new faculty to being the old faculty.
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