UofU New Faculty Orientation – Office for Faculty

9:00 – 9:30 am              Welcome from The Office for Faculty

9:30 – 10:30 am            Panel 1: HR + You

Wendy Poppleton, Director of Benefits

10:30 – 10:40                Break

10:40 – 11:40 am          Panel 2: Research & Teaching

Anne Cook, Director of The Martha Bradley Evans Center for Teaching Excellence

Caren Frost, Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and Compliance

Erin Rothwell, Vice President for Research

Joel Thornton, Associate Dean, J. Willard Marriott Library

Harish Maringanti, Associate Dean, J. Willard Marriot Library

11:40 – 12:40 pm          Lunch break – Katherine’s Courtyard @ The Marriott Library

12:40 – 1:50 pm            Panel 3: Policies & Accommodations

Christine Anderson, Director of Center for Disability and Access

Elaine Newton, Training and Development Coordinator

Erica Wood, Manager, Office of Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action

Anabel Reyes, ADA Accommodations Specialist

1:50 – 2:00 pm              Break

2:00 – 2:50 pm              Panel 4: Campus Life

Heidi Bruce, General Manager, Pioneer Theatre Company

Dennis Busch, Campaign Manager, Utah Presents

Jason Cryan, The Sarah B. George Executive Director, Natural History Museum of Utah

Gretchen Dietrich, Marcia and John Price Executive Director, Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Derrek Hanson, Executive Director, Red Butte Garden & Arboretum

Shawn Steidinger, President, Faculty Club Board of Directors

2:50 – 3:10 pm              Panel 5: Student Affairs

3:15 – 3:30 pm              Closing Remarks

Mitzi Montoya, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Parking is available in the lots marked “A” or “U” on the enclosed map, if you have an A or U parking pass (parking permits can be purchased from Commuter services https://commuterservices.utah.edu/permits/)

For folks who have their University ID card public transportation is free and available. https://www.rideuta.com/

The University Shuttle service is also available and information on the routes can be found at https://commuterservices.utah.edu/campus-shuttle/ and https://www.uofubus.com/routes.

The New Faculty Orientation will be held in the Gould Auditorium of the Marriott Library which I have indicated on the map with a large yellow star. If you are planning to take Trax to campus I added a large green star next to the Trax station that you will be exiting.
New Faculty Checklist
- Prior to Arrival
- Upon Arrival
- Within 6 Months
- Within First Year
- Further Reading
Prior to Arrival

The following suggestions are for new faculty who are expected to arrive to campus soon. Some preparation could be done ahead of time to facilitate a smooth transition to your new faculty role.
1. Get to know your department chair or director: Once you know your arrival date, email your department chair and department/lab administrator to schedule an appointment to meet them. See the list of talking points and action items to take care of in the Upon Arrival checklist section.
2. Register for New Faculty Orientation: Held before the start of Fall semester, NFO will provide you with crucial information, introduce you to campus leaders, and is your first opportunity to meet other new colleagues. Register here.
3. Review information on commuting and parking on campus: View campus maps and view the on-campus shuttle route maps and schedule, to familiar yourself with getting around campus, visit the Utah Commuter website.
4. Familiarize yourself with computing at Utah: The New Faculty Guide to IT Resources is a great place to start locating the University’s computing and communication resources. For additional resources and workshops related to technology use and training, please visit the Digital Learning Technologies
5. Complete Human Resources Onboarding tasks: Sign up for benefits within 30 days of your official start date, set up your UNID and university email, and start your direct deposit for salary and travel reimbursement by visiting the HR portal.
6. Sign up for the Faculty Intensive Teaching Institute: If you will be teaching within your first year this Institute hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is ready to set you up for success.
7. Principal Investigator training: The Office of the Vice President for Research offers REd (Research Education) courses to help new (or new to the U) researchers. Start here with the asynchronous Onboarding for New PIs course.
8. Find housing: Some sites that may be helpful as you search for housing include
Upon Arrival
1. Get your university ID card: Stop by the UCard office in the Union building or start the process and track your UCard account through the website.
2. Attend the Annual Teaching Symposium: Hosted by CTE, the symposium is designed to provide practical skills and knowledge for excellent teaching through a choice of workshop sessions. Register here for the Symposium.
3. Meet with your department chair or director: What follows is a brief list of action items to discuss in the meeting.
  1. How to get on department, school and group mailing lists, including any seminar announcement lists.
  2. Obtain keys to the office, lab and building. Pay attention to rules regarding building access after business hours and on weekends.
  3. Understand the protocols regarding administrative support, e.g. who to call and for what purpose, where to direct questions when you are not sure, etc.
  4. Obtain information regarding your grant, startup funds and/or research accounts.
  5. Confirm arrangements related to mail, photocopying, purchasing, travel, Ubox, etc.
4. Meet with the student services advisor: Familiarize yourself with the processes and expectations related to students, degree requirements, advising (if any) and courses.
5. Visit your laboratory: Make sure to include the health and safety coordinator in the visit to go over any training and/or other requirements for you and your lab members, review facilities and instrumentation, figure out required modifications and refurbishments and make sure all your infrastructure needs are met.
6. Meet with the college’s IT specialist: Set up your computer’s configuration, obtain admin rights (if applicable), ensure network access, etc.
7. Register to vote: Visit vote.utah.gov to set up or transfer your voter registration.
8. Register your motor vehicle: Head to dmv.utah.gov to transfer your vehicle’s registration.
9. Get your Utah driver’s license: The Utah Department of Public Safety handles all driver’s licenses and state ID cards. It is recommended you sign up for an appointment at your nearest location when it is time for a Utah driver’s license.
10. Familiarize yourself with public transportation: Public transportation is free for faculty using your UCard and you can learn routes and transport options through rideuta.com.
11. Register and attend the Faculty Wellness Resource Fair: Learn even more about on and off campus resources available to faculty for mental and physical health, financial wellness and leisure activities. Register here.
12. Register and attend the Faculty Soirée: Everyone’s favorite informal event for catching up with the friends you made during New Faculty Orientation and mingling with other new faculty. Register here.
Within Six Months
1. Meet with the faculty mentor assigned to you by the department chair. Reach out to the mentor directly if you haven’t been approached.
2. If you will be engaged in sponsored research, familiarize yourself with the grant opportunities, processes and support available to you on the Office of the Vice President for Research’s website.
3. If you will be teaching, explore the resources, services and workshops available to you through the Center for Teaching Excellence.
4. Make sure to meet your subject librarian and familiarize yourself with all the University’s library services.
5. Building your research group: If you are interested in having graduate student research assistants, meet with the director of graduate studies and/or the chair of the admissions committee in your department to learn about the processes for admitting students and funding expectations. For best practices and support visit the Graduate School website.
6. If you are planning on including postdocs or other research staff on your team, contact the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for guidance and support, and your department administrative or chair for other staffing needs.
7. Start here and check out the affinity groups around campus and start building your community, and if you haven’t already, join the U of U New/ish Faculty Heylo group to organize events or join others in activities around town.
Within First Year
1. 1. - Establish your campus intellectual presence by taking advantage of opportunities to cultivate a network of colleagues who share your disciplinary, research or teaching interests. These may arise through seminars, workshops, mentoring activities, writing groups, faculty retreats or joint lab meetings.
Personal and Professional Development:
1. - Participate in one or more of the U’s professional development workshops through the Office for Faculty and your college and/or department. Review the offerings and identify areas where you look forward to honing further skills or developing new ones.
  - Take advantage of the U’s membership in the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD). There are resources like the Core Curriculum, which is a series of webinars designed to enhance research productivity, time and stress management, and work-life balance. Create your free account under the University of Utah’s subscription.