An Investment in New Tenure-Track Faculty: A Two-Year Development Program.

A well-designed professional development program can help first- and second-year faculty thrive in their new academic environment. Faculty developers must consider the length and frequency of such programs and their focus; requirements for participation; the role of mentors; ways to establish collegiality; and opportunities for developing the scholarship of teaching and learning. The Texas AM in fact, as Sorcinelli and Austin (quoted in Menges, 1999) report, new hires identified lack of collegiality as the most surprising and disappointing aspect of their first year experience. The collegiality and support networks that develop through successful faculty development programs can help new faculty adjust to their new environment (Brunei University Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Handbook 2007/2008). Furthermore, supportive social interactions can impact both productivity in scholarship and excellence in teaching (Boice, 1992).Case Study: An Extended Professional Development Program for New FacultyThe institution's upper administration acknowledged the need for the university to offer a professional development program that went beyond orientation to nurture new faculty and help them succeed. …