The University of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources has resumed monthly campus tours for new UW faculty and staff, according to UW News.
According to the release, tours will now be conducted by former UW employees or alumni and will take new hires on tours of campus via “fun-size” tour bus. The tours are also available for any UW employee who is interested, according to the release.
Previously, the tours were led by students working for Campus Visitor Relations as part of UW’s in-person employee orientation. But, after the tours paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UW Onboarding and Performance Management Coordinator Marci Birkes-Geffert said the decision was made to offer standalone tours for those who weren’t able to attend the in-person orientation.
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The tour covers the 933-acre main campus, focusing on historic buildings and areas. Birkes-Geffert said the tour is intended to familiarize employees with campus.
“The goal is really just to help employees get more familiar with campus, particularly those that are new or who haven’t been in Madison for long,” Birkes-Geffert said. “Anybody who just wants to get to know our campus a little bit better and get to know a little bit about the broader institution that they work for.”
The decision also included having retired UW employees and alumni lead the tours. The initiative began with a call to alumni and the UW Retirement Association to gauge interest. From there, individuals were given a basic orientation and were offered certain talking points if interested, but won’t be required to adhere to a specific agenda.
Birkes-Geffert said by having former employees lead the tour, new employees could better connect with their guides.
“Their knowledge and experience is so invaluable–some of them were employees and students here, so they just have so much to share,” Birkes-Geffert said. ” … We don’t expect anybody to walk away and know exactly what building is … it’s not that kind of a tour. It’s really more of a get to know the campus kind of thing.”
Birkes-Geffert said the tours are currently scheduled to occur monthly until June of 2024, but may change depending on demand.
Editors Note: This article was updated to reflect that any UW employee can sign up for a campus tour under the new structure.
