Twice a week at I am the U—UM’s employee orientation experience that launched in 2017—a group of trained ‘U Facilitators’ shares their stories, enthusiasm, and experience with new employees. The goal: welcome new ’Canes to the University and help them ease their transition into a large, complex organization.
With recruitment for a new class of U Facilitators coming soon, we sat down with the Talent and Organizational Development team at human resources to map out what it takes to be one of the few who are selected to welcome new University of Miami faculty and staff.
“A U Facilitator is passionate, energetic, and inspirational. They bleed orange and green and volunteer their time to serve in an important role welcoming the University’s newest hires,” said Greg Brenner, assistant vice president for Talent and Organizational Development.
“U Facilitators have an opportunity to network with colleagues from across the institution and take the skills learned through this process back to their workspace to produce better results,” he said.
Faculty and staff who become facilitators go through a selection process, and are trained to volunteer as facilitators for 18 months. The team looks for people who illustrate the University’s core values not only during the sessions, but also every day in their work areas.
“Every facilitator brings a unique set of skills, personality, and experiences to each session, with the hope that participants leave feeling welcomed into the ’Canes family, ready to jump into their new role with a few new friends,” said Meredith Camel, former U Facilitator volunteer.
We’ve highlighted a few qualities and characteristics embodied by our U facilitators and how they make an impact every day. Mouse over the circles to discover them.
Tell me more
Starting this month, the U Facilitator program—which is open to full-time UM staff and faculty who have been at the U for at least a year and a half—will be hosting information sessions and offering anyone interested in the opportunity a chance to learn more. Learn more.
U Facilitators by the numbers
- 96: the number of I am the U orientation sessions held in 2018
- 6,054: the number of new employees that have attended I am the U as of Dec. 31, 2018
- 2: the number of U Facilitator volunteers from RSMAS campus
- 23: the number of U Facilitators volunteers from medical campus
- 37: the number of U Facilitators volunteers from Gables campus
- 18: the number of months a facilitator commits to the program
