Dual Career
Michigan State University recognizes that dual career partner assistance is an important aspect in recruiting and retaining outstanding, qualified and diverse faculty and staff. A dual career couple is one in which both heads of household pursue careers and at the same time, maintain a family life together. Dual career couples often face challenges finding jobs within a commutable distance to meet career goals for both partners. See below for a general overview of the university’s efforts to support talented couples in their search for meaningful employment at the university and in the Greater Lansing Area.
From the WorkLife Office
The MSU WorkLife Office offers career consultations with faculty and staff who are looking to navigate the MSU hiring portal, update their documents (resume, cover letter), or who seek career changes or advances via consultations and presentations.
We assist spouses or significant others of new hires who have relocated and have not negotiated a dual hire offer. Many times this includes orienting spouses and significant others with MSU Careers, HERC resources, and navigating local career resources. It can also include orienting newcomers to local employment opportunities.
The WNA is run through the MSU WorkLife Office and provides professional development and networking opportunities for professional women on campus
Finally, the MSU WLO works with those preparing for retirement though consultations to assist in navigating next steps after retirement
Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
On occasion, search committees are frequently asked by potential recruit about job opportunities for a spouse/partner. If a spouse/partner is qualified for an academic position, you may wish to contact the appropriate academic unit or college to explore appointment opportunities. This type of activity may, of course, be reciprocal. If an arrangement is reached, it may also be possible to appoint a spouse/partner in a non-tenure system position. The Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs (FASA, formerly Academic Human Resources, or AHR) may be of assistance in exploring opportunities.
In situations where a formal arrangement for employment has not been secured at time of offer, FASA can meet with the spouse/partner of the newly hired faculty member to explore academic opportunities at MSU.
The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium is committed to supporting the efforts of its member institutions to recruit and retain the most qualified and diverse faculty, administrators and staff through the sharing of information and resources. HERC recognizes that recruiting and retaining outstanding employees often includes assisting outstanding spouses/partners too. This is why HERC also seeks solutions to the dual-career challenges, an increasing concern in higher education recruitment and retention. With a free account on https://www.hercjobs.org/, job seekers and their partners can search for two jobs within a commutable distance. The site also features access to webinars and blog posts with a special focus on dual career couples.
As the lead institution for Michigan HERC, Michigan State University hosts the Director of MI-HERC within the WorkLife Office. The Michigan HERC Director can assist job seekers to set up a job seeker account with job alerts and also provide support in navigating the dual career search functions at www.michiganherc.org to find two separate jobs within a commutable distance. The Director can also share resumes for dual hires with other HERC member institutions. To assist with recruitment and retention for its members, the MI-HERC Director will attend job fairs to advertise HERC and job postings from its member institutions. In addition, the Director can assist members with HERConnect access online where they can collaborate and share best practices around recruitment and retention with other MI-HERC members within a virtual community, hear about helpful webinars and access a variety of resources and toolkits.
