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[L-R] Iskandarani and Dallal
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Eleven new faculty members were welcomed to AUB during the New Faculty Orientation for the Spring 2009-2010 semester that took place on February 12, 2010. The newcomers to the AUB teaching team spent the day learning about the different facilities at their disposal at AUB, including library services, the academic computing center, web resources, and health resources. They also covered the basics concerning academic policy and grading systems.
Rima Iskandarani, the new faculty facilitator, emphasized the importance of the New Faculty Orientation program. "The object of the program is to make sure that new faculty make a smooth transition into AUB. That is why we contact them as soon as we know they are coming and coordinate with them both before and after their arrival in Beirut." The services available to new faculty in the pre-arrival stage cover all areas of the settling-in process. Information and help is provided concerning airport pick-up and hotel reservation, housing, education for the new faculty members' children, campus tours, and all other relevant particulars.
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New Faculty with FAS Dean Patrick McGreevy, Dallal and Iskandarani
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Professor Karl Schilcher, one of the new faculty members taking part in the orientation program, remarked, "I was very positively impressed, in particular when I remember other universities which provided almost no help. Everything was organized and taken care of, so that I could finish all formalities in a day and start with my work at the physics department on the next day."
The orientation day itself, which took place only a few days before the start of the semester, provided the new faculty with the opportunity to meet with the heads of units and deans and to get acquainted with the key services on campus. The newcomers were welcomed by Provost Ahmad Dallal at the beginning of the day, and the orientation ended with the new faculty members sitting down to lunch in the Mahmoud Malhas Common Room in West Hall. "In the past, I had attended New Employee Orientations in two fine institutions in the US. In comparison, AUB's institutional size is a no match, but its New Faculty Orientation was equally excellent and professional. Additionally, the seated lunch is a very generous and kind gesture from AUB. From past experiences, boxed sandwiches were usually offered," commented newcomer Professor Diana Jaalouk from the Biology Department. |
Iskandarani, who coordinates the New Faculty Orientation every semester, remarked about the Spring 2009-2010 batch of newcomers, saying, "Every group has its own mark. I think what was special about this group is that they were very dynamic, committed, and enthusiastic about become part of AUB. They were especially resourceful; you could tell they wanted to be here by the way they were committed to solving any issues that came up in the settling-in process."
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