Orientation Programs for New Faculty
Orientation Programs for New Faculty
Location
48 Quincy St
Suite 414
Cambridge, MA 02138
Hours
Monday-Friday
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Welcome to the Graduate School of Design! For over eighty years, the GSD has pioneered excellence in the practice of design, education, and research.
Each semester the GSD offers orientation events for all new faculty members. Our goal is to welcome you to the GSD and Harvard University community and connect you to the resources you need to make your transition to GSD as smooth as possible.
Please review the information below to learn more details on the orientation sessions and the resources available.
The Faculty Affairs Office is always available to answer any questions that are not covered here, and we encourage you to refer to our Faculty Affairs Office Resource Center for more information on our faculty policies, teaching resources, hiring TAs, benefits, and other work/life resources.
save the dates!
| Orientation Program | Date & Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Term Faculty Orientation Session: Course Prep & Student Affairs | Wednesday, August 6 (9:30a.m.-10:30a.m.) via Zoom | Academic Departments and Student Affairs staff will provide information useful to faculty prior to the start of the term. Topics covered will include creating syllabi, hybrid teaching, course presentations, course budgets, resources for students, and to how to address accommodation requests. |
| GSD New Faculty Welcome and Academic Affairs Orientation | Thursday, September 4 (11:30a.m. -1:30p.m.) Gund 112/Stubbins or via Zoom | An opportunity to meet Dean Whiting and other administrators over lunch, meet other new faculty, and hear about campus updates, and resources to help you get started. Please RSVP to indicate whether you are able to join in person or via Zoom. |
| Full Faculty Meeting | Wednesday, September 10 (12:30p.m.–2p.m.) Gund 112/Stubbins or via Zoom | The first full faculty meeting will include critical overviews of Student Affairs Resources, Community Values, and Campus Life. |
| Frances Loeb Library Orientation and Overview of FabLab Resources | Thursday, September 11 (11a.m.-12:30p.m.) Frances Loeb Library | This session offers an opportunity to learn about our collections, access services, research and teaching offerings, and Fabrication Lab resources. |
| Overview of the Tenure Track | TBD |
Start of Term Resources
New Faculty Checklist
- If you have arrived on a Harvard-sponsored visa, it is important to submit a HIO registration form as soon as possible. Contact Emmy Ly with any visa-related questions.
- Complete an I-9 (if applicable). Contact Alicia Matthews for assistance.
- Access your GSD/Harvard email by signing into Harvard’s Microsoft 365. This web-based platform is used for Harvard email, calendar, file sharing, and communication apps. As a member of the GSD/Harvard faculty, you are required to regularly access and use your GSD/Harvard Outlook email for any teaching-related and GSD-related business.
- Submit your biography and headshot for your online faculty profile via this form .
- If you are eligible for benefits and have questions, contact the Benefits Office .
Community Values
Achieving the mission of the School requires an environment of trust and mutual respect, free expression and inquiry, and a commitment to truth, excellence, and lifelong learning. Please take a moment to review the GSD’s Community Values Statement.
GSD Resources
Canvas
Canvas is the official course management system at Harvard University, supporting educational and administrative course needs.
GSD Now
GSD Now is a virtual gathering place for the GSD community. Explore what’s happening at the school and collaborate with others.
Room Reservations (SERT)
Current GSD Staff, Faculty, Teaching Fellows, Teaching Assistants, and Students can request space online via SERT (Schedule Events, Rooms, and Technology).
Department of Architecture
The Department of Architecture is a unique community, rich in diversity, collaboration, and scholarship through design. Here, students explore today’s most creative design approaches, with an international faculty prominent across the field.
Department of Landscape Architecture
The Department of Landscape Architecture at Harvard is home to the oldest and most distinguished academic program in landscape architecture in the world. Its mission is to advance research and innovative design practices in the natural and built environments, as they intersect with processes of urbanization and the present realities of a changing climate.
Department of Urban Planning and Design
The Department of Urban Planning and Design is home to both professions, offering a professional degree in urban planning and a post-professional degree in urban design. It is also home to the new Master in Real Estate degree.
Frances Loeb Library
The Frances Loeb Library Provides the Graduate School of Design, the larger Harvard University community, and the public with resources and services for design research, teaching, and learning.
Office of Student Affairs
The Student Affairs Office oversees the student experience at the GSD, including enrollment services, student life, accommodations, wellness, and career development.
Office of Community, Impact, and Opportunity
The mission of the GSD’s Office of Community, Impact, and Opportunity is to foster an interconnected community, encourage engagement across difference and empower all members to thrive in their professional, academic, and research pursuits. We support the GSD’s efforts to make a more resilient, just, and beautiful world by creating space for and recognizing multiple perspectives and experiences in our community.
University Updates
In 2024, President Alan M. Garber and Provost John F. Manning established several working groups and task forces. Below please find the final reports addressing important issues affecting our campus and community:
- Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias
- Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery : The first phase of the initiative’s work was to uncover the truth of Harvard’s ties to slavery through deep research guided by a committee of distinguished faculty drawn from across the University. This research provides a strong foundation for our next phase: the process of reckoning and repair.
Harvard Wide Resources
- Harvard University Community and Campus Life works with stakeholders and partners across the University to guide Harvard’s culture toward inclusive excellence.
- MessageMe is Harvard University’s emergency notification system.
- For navigating Life at Harvard, the Campus Map and the Harvard International Office’s Welcome Guide are helpful resources.
- Office of the Vice Provost for Research : The OVPR reviews, develops, and implements Harvard’s research-related policies, as well as the organization and execution of academic research, especially in the sciences.
- The Harvard Federal Credit Union (HFCU) exclusively serves the Harvard community, providing a complete line of services (banking and loans) for all your financial needs.
- Guide to Harvard Terms and Acronyms.
- Harvard Info Center and Tours : Harvard University established the Visitor Center in 1962 as the front door to the University, where students greet visitors from all over the world, answer questions about campus, and provide official tours of Harvard.
- Harvard Police Department : The mission of the Harvard University Police Department is to maintain a safe and secure campus by providing quality policing in partnership with the community.
- Faculty Development: National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) focuses on skills for thriving in today’s academy, such as strategic planning, productivity, work-life balance, and healthy relationships. Faculty Development hosts an institutional membership with the NCFDD, allowing their resources to supplement those that Schools and other units may provide.
- Harvard’s Central Faculty Affairs Office: Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty.