Committing to a tenure-track role by novice university faculty has been described as a difficult marriage, and higher educational organizations referred to as greedy, pointing to the need for research on the transition experiences of faculty themselves. The first year for faculty on the tenure-track is critical for academic faculty success in a competitive and global society. A significant issue prevalent in higher education which does not receive adequate attention is the critical first year following the hiring of new faculty who are required to communicate nationally and internationally with students and peers, research and teach globally using online modalities, manage multiple responsibilities, tasks, and roles, often with inadequate institutional support. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of first-year faculty to understand how they experienced the tenure-track role. The conceptual framework of seeking balance in a professional environment of increasing demands was comprised from bodies of literature on: (1) faculty transition into university tenure-track roles and work responsibilities; (2) expectations and productivity; (3) challenges, balance and stress in faculty roles; and (4) mentoring, supervision, and supports. Qualitative inquiry with data primarily from in-depth interviews with eight faculty representing multiple disciplines in a public research university in the United States, with a conceptual framework of seeking balance was used for sensitivity in examining and analyzing the data. Faculty identified areas of challenge and success to achieve desired balance in their professional lives. A First-Year Faculty Growth Model (FFGM) for supporting tenure-track transition was conceptualized, recommending critical areas sought by faculty. The model is proposed for consideration by administrators to optimize faculty success with increased expectations in an age of internationalization and accountability.