Your New Faculty are Already Reading the Room
July is more than a planning month. For campus leaders, it is a critical moment to think about what new faculty will experience when they arrive.
New faculty begin learning about campus culture long before they teach their first class. They notice how quickly people respond. They notice whether expectations are clear. They notice who reaches out, who includes them and whether the institution seems prepared for their arrival. They notice if mentoring is readily available or whether they will be left to navigate their institutions’ cultural and political landscape on their own.
Those early impressions matter.
At COACHE, we know the faculty experience does not begin on day one. It begins with the first interactions that shape whether faculty feel welcomed, supported and connected to the people and purpose of the institution.
That connection is not a small thing. COACHE’s Faculty Retention and Exit Survey data indicate that faculty decisions to leave an institution are rarely impulsive. Institutions often have a long window in which faculty are considering or attempting to leave, creating an opportunity for proactive engagement, development and support well before dissatisfaction reaches a breaking point.
One of the clearest lessons from COACHE’s work on faculty departures is the importance of relationships. In COACHE’s Faculty Retention and Exit Survey data, quality of colleagues was cited by 28.6% of respondents as a reason to leave and by 34.4% as a reason to stay. Those numbers point to something every institution can influence: the strength of the professional community surrounding faculty.
Other findings from COACHE’s Faculty Retention and Exit Survey reinforce the importance of paying attention to how faculty experience their workplace early:
- Faculty need to see a path for growth. “Potential for professional growth and intellectual stimulation” was cited by 34.6% of respondents as a reason to leave, underscoring the importance of helping new faculty understand early how they can grow, contribute and build meaningful careers at the institution.
- Department chairs play a critical role. COACHE data shows that 70.1% of faculty told their department chair first about their intention to leave, making chairs essential partners in building trust, clarifying expectations and recognizing concerns before they become retention risks.
- Retention requires ongoing engagement. COACHE reports that faculty decisions to leave are rarely impulsive and that institutions often have a long window to act. Nearly half of retained faculty (48%) were likely to entertain job offers in the next year, indicating that belonging and support must continue well beyond onboarding.
Strong onboarding is not just a checklist. It is a retention strategy.
When institutions use faculty data to understand where early-career support is working and where it is falling short, they can improve mentoring, clarify expectations, strengthen department climate and help new faculty build the relationships that make them want to stay.
To learn more about how COACHE can help your institution prepare for the year ahead, book a call using our Calendly
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