Your Peer Advisor
As a new administrator, you will meet a peer advisor during your first week of employment who, in addition to your supervisor, will guide you through your introduction to MIT and the School of Engineering (SoE). Selected in advance and trained to serve as a peer advisor, this person will offer you encouragement and seasoned experience in equal doses as needed. He or she will help acclimate you to the culture of the School and feel connected. Your peer advisor will act as an informational resource on policies, procedures, and norms and will help you become a contributing member of your department, division, lab, center, or program (DLC, for short) as soon as possible.
In setting up this advisor program in support of the School's orientation initiative, the SoE has established a small oversight committee to ensure that both of you receive the support you need through the early stages of your employment. Your peer advisor has completed a training program that was developed especially to provide preparation for this important role. The curriculum of the advisor program includes revisiting the experience of being new to MIT as well as learning skills such as active listening.
The SoE has selected as your peer advisor an administrator from a DLC structured similarly to the one you have joined. What can you expect from this person? First, your peer advisor will ensure that you have an opportunity in your first week of employment to meet other administrators working in similar DLCs at an informal "coffee." As you get rolling, the two of you will work out mutually agreed upon guidelines that will define your relationship, including, for example, the frequency and location of your meetings.
Your SoE peer advisor will also assist you in developing a personalized program to meet your needs and the requirements of your position, recommending pertinent training classes from among the many that MIT offers. As your development progresses, your relationship will change. You and your advisor will monitor this progression and make appropriate adjustments so that your relationship evolves and continues to be supportive and productive.
We in the SoE Dean's office welcome your questions and your input about both the School's orientation and peer advisor programs. Please don't hesitate to contact us for assistance at any time throughout your orientation to the School.