The Role of Memorable Messages in the Socialization of New University Faculty

Authors

  • Elise J. Dallimore Northeastern University Author

Abstract

New university faculty often are left to fend for themselves concerning their organizational and occupational roles. The author examines the role of memorable messages in the socialization experiences of new university faculty. Twenty-five new assistant professors participated in semi-structured interviews during which they were asked to recall information they had received that helped them understand what was expected of them as new faculty members. Further, they were asked to identify the sources of these messages as well as the contexts in which the messages were received. Results suggest that memorable messages are those that address faculty concerns, serve either to confirm or disconfirm faculty expectations, and are idiosyncratic in nature. Further, memorable messages, in the context of this study, were most often received informally and from sources within a faculty member's own discipline and/or academic department. The author suggests implications for the ways in which universities socialize new faculty.

Published

2024-03-22