Since the departure of previous president, Michael Shonrock, many other professors made their way to other locations. Since last semester, the university has hired 28 new professors. The business department has gained six new professors, which is more than any other department on campus.

“The School of Business had the most new hired professors because of turnover,” said Shawn Keough, assistant professor of management and department chair.  “Several senior faculty members retired and several other faculty members left to pursue other opportunities requiring the hiring of new faculty to replace them.”

There were departments that had most of their staff return from last year. One of these was the English, Modern Languages, and Journalism department. This department hired one new professor, Rachel Spaulding. She was a Spanish instructor and PhD candidate at the University of New Mexico.

“Everyone on the ESU campus has been extremely welcoming and helpful,” Spaulding said. “I am really happy to be able to connect with my students in a personal way.  I love seeing how much they really enjoy engaging with the learning opportunities in my classroom.  I feel like I am making a genuinely positive contribution to the trajectory of their educational experience.”

The Science Hall has added a few new professors to its halls as well. A total of four new professors have joined the staff. Like many students, some professors join the Hornet Family because of the small environment that comes with it.

“So far I feel like things are going really well in part, because of how helpful everyone is in my department and the university in general,” said David McKenzie, assistant professor of biological sciences. “There is a very strong sense of family here and from the very first day I have felt very welcomed. That’s not something you find everywhere. I get the sense that everyone wants me to succeed, and I really appreciate that.”

McKenzie was doing a teaching postdoc and was classified as a lecturer at the University of Oklahoma. He joined the department of biology because he knew this was where he wanted to establish himself.

“What intrigued me about the job was that it seemed like it was exactly the kind of job I was looking for as a permanent position,” McKenzie said. Since getting my M.S. degree at the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO), I’ve known that I wanted to be in a department that offered M.S. degrees but also had a major focus on teaching. Also, while at UNO, I wanted to have involvement with a herbarium, and I get that here.”

The new professors seem to have strong past experience and are excited to be at their new location. Sometimes is it hard for new instructors to feel comfortable in their new environment. The department that has had the largest amount of new hires has ways to make their new professors feel like home.

“Mostly, I just try to be open and available to them” Keough said. “ I check with them regularly and ask if everything is going okay or if they have any problems or concerns, listen to what they have to say, and then try to provide suggestions or solutions to their questions/issues.

The School of Business also has a mentor program. Each new faculty member has a faculty mentor assigned to them to help them get used to ESU and Kansas. Keough said he personally found this program very helpful when he came onboard. 

We also have an outstanding administrative assistant, Linda Orear, who is extremely knowledgeable about ESU, Emporia, and the surrounding area,” Keough said. “ Having someone like Linda available to answer questions about who to contact on campus about work-related items, university policies, or what grocery store in town has the best produce certainly helps the new professors adjust to the new environment that they find themselves.”