Abstract
The first year of faculty members' time at an institution of higher education is spent learning their role and institutional culture. Quite often new faculty members need more support, guidance, and mentoring than they receive. But how can we help new faculty to create new energy (act negentropically) toward the institutional advancement? This qualitative phenomenological, exploratory case study of eight first-year and early career faculty (FYECF) provides insight into the lived experiences of this population and expands the utilization of the concept of negentropy into higher education organizations and socialization of FYECF. Through the data analysis, six major themes emerged: (1) Ambiguity, (2) Performance Expectations, (3) Collaboration, (4) Entrepreneurial/Innovation, (5) Finding a Voice, (6) Sharing Knowledge. While these themes may be anticipated in a study such as this one, it is the overlay of negentropic actions that makes this contribution unique. Implications for policy and practice are discussed for promoting a negentropic university environment.