Dr. Brian Merritt, CCCC Vice President of Student Learning, meets with new full-time faculty members at Central Carolina Community College. For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.
SANFORD - Following a brisk schedule designed to help them get off to a confident and successful start, more than a dozen new full-time faculty members arrived at Central Carolina Community College early Monday morning for a weeklong orientation.
Organized under the theme, "Map to Success," the festivities began with routine employment paperwork and a welcome from CCCC President T. Eston Marchant. The rest of the week mixes receptions to meet college officials with an overview of college services and policy, advice on how to be effective in the classroom, and hands-on working sessions with department chairs.
But there are a few moments of levity on the schedule as well. The 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. block on Tuesday is simply listed this way: "Hungry? Your departmental chair is buying you lunch! Probably somewhere not too fancy."
Danielle Bruner, a CCCC alumna and one of the new full-time instructors, is leaving a private dental practice to teach second-year dental hygiene students. It's a career move that fills her with excitement and optimism, having spent her days off over the last year at the college as an adjunct instructor.
"I had a phenomenal experience as adjunct instructor, and that was the light that inspired me to teach full time," she said. "That's where my heart was and I can give my passion back to the students."
Despite having taught before, Bruner says she's excited about the upcoming week. It's important, she says, to meet new peers and learn more about the college -- not as a student this time, but as a professional.
Scott Byington, CCCC's Dean of Arts, Sciences and Advising, who organized the orientation with Amanda Carter (Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning) and Daisha Gaines (Director of Organizational Development), says this year's group is larger than most -- primarily because several academic programs at the college are expanding. In all, the new instructors will be teaching in 12 different academic departments.
There's no doubt this is a busy week for new instructors still learning the ropes, but Byington says it's important to set the right tone from the start and help everyone hit the ground running. "We want our new faculty to feel welcomed and connected to others in the CCCC family," he said. "It's important for everyone to get essential information about how the college works and understand how we support all of our students. This is critical to our long-term success."
Byington and his team aren't finished on Friday. Returning faculty begin their own welcome the following Monday with short professional development sessions and social events scattered throughout the week.
For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.
Dr. Brian Merritt, CCCC Vice President of Student Learning, meets with new full-time faculty members at Central Carolina Community College. For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.