Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert came to Champaign from southern California last year with his expecting wife and daughter to work at the University. Gilbert, a member of the Hopi Tribe, received his Ph.D. in Native American history. Although many universities were interested in hiring him, Gilbert chose to come to the University because he “believes in what is happening here” despite the Chief controversy.

“Many of the new faculty had options elsewhere,” said Gilbert, an assistant professor in American Indian studies and history. “They could have gone to many places, but they chose to come to this university for a reason.”

Nearly 70 new faculty members began working at the University this year, and many have come for a variety of reasons. For some of the faculty newcomers, moving to the Champaign area was a stressful experience.

“My wife and I had our second baby two weeks before we moved,” said Brian Dill, assistant professor of sociology. “Things went smoothly, but it’s been a bit of a struggle to find playmates for our three-year-old.”

In addition to Dill’s move, he added that his transformation from the graduate level to faculty felt sudden because it immediately followed his graduate dissertation.

Nick Paulson, an assistant professor in ACES, found that the difference between being a teaching assistant and a professor was larger than he had expected.

“As the main instructor you’re responsible for preparing lectures, anticipating questions and confusion from students,” Paulson said. “The time that goes into preparing one lecture is a lot more than I thought it would be.”

To welcome new faculty members, the University held an orientation in August at the Union.

“The orientation allows the new faculty members to start the year on a good foot, to learn about the institution and to meet people with similar needs and interests of their own,” said Linda Katehi, University provost.

The orientation informed newcomers of the University’s tenure review process among other key information, Jennifer Greenhill, assistant professor in American art history, said.

“Some of us didn’t know what Compass was, and we were able to learn about it,” she said. “I’ve been using it for my undergrads, and it’s working well so far.”

During registration and break periods, the new faculty had the opportunity to attend a campus resource fair, which provided them with further information.

Many new employees found the orientation to be beneficial.

“It was very informative,” Greenhill said. “In fact, there was a room set off to the side where we got free tickets to performances and football games. This went above and beyond my expectations and really made me feel welcome in the community.” Wenhao David Huang, assistant professor in human resource education, thought the orientation was helpful but he expected something slightly different.

“I would have liked to see a social networking event among new faculty members,” Huang said. “There was a formal reception later on hosted by the chancellor, but I had wanted to see some time designated for new people getting to know each other.”

In such a short time, some faculty members have already feel at found a home. “It’s been wonderful so far,” Dill said. “I love it here.”