The work role transition of new career faculty in the Technical College System of Georgia

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the first-year experiences of eleven new career faculty members in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) who transitioned into higher education from business and industry. Primary findings suggested that these new career faculty members experienced a developmental process of enculturation into the academic work environment that included negotiating an unfamiliar culture, confronting challenges in learning their new work role, relationship building, and reflecting on their evolving professional identities. The data revealed that these new technical college faculty members’ emerging professional identities were rooted in their roles as classroom instructors and in the career preparation of their students. The results of this study suggest that technical colleges can better facilitate the work role transition of new career faculty through improved orientation and more comprehensive faculty development programs to include mentoring and pedagogical training. This study also recommends further research to examine the socialization experiences of new faculty across institution types and populations.