Before They Arrive

One of our new hires e-mailed me the other day to ask if we could issue her university laptop a little early, since her own computer is moribund and as a graduate student she’d prefer not to go (further) into debt to buy a new one when her faculty computer is already on the way.

I was happy to work with her and our IT staff to get her a new laptop before she arrives on the campus. With that gesture, I figured, everyone wins: Our new faculty member can finish her dissertation on a computer that actually works, and the university makes a new colleague welcome at virtually no extra cost (aside from postage) and very little risk.

I am interested in knowing what other administrators have done to help new faculty members feel welcome. Alternately, what did your institution do when you were hired that made you feel good about your future there? Life is pretty rough in academe at the moment, so I want to think about low- or no-cost gestures that can provide positive feelings between hiring institutions and future faculty members.