Buddy programme makes it easier for international staff to settle in at the Faculty of Humanities

A buddy acts as an informal point of contact during the first few months and can help with everything from practical questions to understanding everyday life at the university. After all, starting a new job is not just about being introduced to your tasks and responsibilities, but also about feeling welcome and settling into your new workplace.

Here, two buddy pairs share their experiences with the programme and the value of having a colleague to reach out to.

Bryan Yazell, Associate Professor of Literature at the Department of Culture and Language, drew on his own experiences of being new to both SDU and Denmark when he decided to become a buddy:

- I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to settle down and navigate a new institution, especially when many of the ‘rules’ are unwritten. I can easily imagine how helpful it would have been for me to have a buddy back then, so I’m happy to be able to offer that support to new colleagues.

For Bryan, the benefits go both ways. Through the buddy programme, he has had the opportunity to get to know Giovanna and her research better and to hear about her motivation for coming to SDU. Their conversations have also prompted reflections on the differences between the university systems in the US and Denmark.

For Giovanna Morini, Associate Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Therapy at the Department of Culture and language, having a buddy provided an additional point of contact during her first few months at settling into SDU and in Denmark:

- The most valuable part was having an informal contact whom I could meet with early on and ask some of the general questions that naturally come up when starting at a new university and in a new country.

Giovanna saw it as an advantage that her buddy came from a different academic field. Her closest colleagues in her degree programme and research group have been her primary source of help with practical and work-related questions, while the buddy programme also gave her the opportunity to build relations outside her immediate academic circle and gain a broader perspective on the university.

For Anette Grønning, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the Department of Design, Media and Educational Science, agreeing to become a buddy felt like a natural choice:

- I generally take pride in welcoming new colleagues, and I find that there are quite a few things I can easily help them with simply as a colleague. International colleagues in particular may have many questions that the rest of us would not necessarily think of without having an ongoing dialogue with them.

- I get to know my new colleague very quickly, both personally and professionally. Through a new member of staff, I also discover new sides of SDU myself, both the positive aspects and the more challenging ones. So even after having been here for so many years, it is a very valuable learning experience.

For Bradley Earl Wiggins, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the Department of Design, Media and Educational Science, the buddy programme was a sign that his new workplace wanted to give him a good start:

- I felt it was another indication of the ways SDU sought to welcome me to the university in general but also the department more specifically. I certainly appreciated the initiative, and Anette Grønning was a superb mentor for me.

- Having the opportunity to talk openly about a wide range of topics was quite valuable. Even though I come to SDU with considerable experience, there has still been a lot to learn about how things work here.