Dual Career Assistance Program

8/17/2007
Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

Op1.02-4 Dual Career Assistance Program

Dual Career Assistance Program

Missouri State University acknowledges the importance of supporting dual career couples in attracting and retaining a quality workforce, and in its long-range economic benefit to the university, and is committed to offer placement advice and assistance whenever feasible and appropriate.

What is the Dual Career Assistance Program1?

Missouri State University recognized that top faculty candidates increasingly have partners who simultaneously are seeking employment, and acknowledges that to remain competitive in recruitment and retention, it is important to consider the employment needs of partners in the academic search process. Studies find that 80% of the U.S. workforce consists of dual-earner couples2. Consistent with the general workforce, increasing numbers of candidates for academic positions are members of dual career couples3. The Dual Career Assistance Program is envisioned to work in coordination with other Affirmative Action programs and goals.

The Dual Career Assistance Program at Missouri State University is not intended to supersede Affirmative Action, Board of Governors, university policy, or state or federal law. Moreover, the university recognized the need to continuously evaluate the impact of dual career assistance on maintaining balance with the overall goals of diversity within the university.

The value of assistive individuals in dual career partnerships to obtain employment opportunities is readily acknowledged, and Missouri State University has established these guidelines in that spirit. However, it is critical to note that individuals are encouraged to take advantage of additional career search resources, as the university does not guarantee or promise employment to job seekers.

Guidelines
  1. Advertising

    Missouri State University will add a notice of the Dual Career Assistance Program in various recruitment materials including, but not limited to position websites, institutional recruitment advertisements, etc.

  2. Providing Information

    It is against the law for hiring units and search committees to ask potential hires about their partners. However, these hiring units and search committees should provide information about the Dual Career Assistance Program to all potential hires. All candidates in a job search as well as current university employees have a right to inquire about opportunities and procedures for partner hires. Equal Employment Opportunity policies dictate that such inquiries will not influence hiring or promotion decisions.

  3. Responding to a Request for Dual Career Assistance
    1. Off-Campus employment

      Partners of candidates who have received tentative job offers may seek the services of the Deputy Provost, who will work with academic departments and access community resources to help secure employment opportunities off campus. A designated facilitator should be appointed in these cases, as well, and should be responsible for ensuring the best possible communication between university and community connections. The designated facilitator will be responsible for utilizing their formal and informal contacts to assist the partner in identifying appropriate off-campus employment prospects.

    2. Missouri State University Non-Academic Employment

      Partners of candidates who have received tentative job offers may seek the services of Human Resources, the department head of the candidate’s department, the dean of the candidate’s college, and/or the Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance in searching for appropriate employment opportunities on campus. These representatives will be responsible for assisting the partner in identifying appropriate campus employment prospects. The following steps should be taken:

      1. The candidate who has received the tentative job offer should request assistance in identifying other on-campus employment for his or her partner.
      2. The Hiring Administrator of the initial hires department will request a copy of the partner’s curriculum vitae and other relevant materials.
        NOTE: Requesting departments should contact the Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance as soon as possible in this process to discuss the feasibility of a specific Dual Career Partner request.
      3. The Hiring Administrator will collaborate with Human Resources, the Dean of the candidate’s college, the Unit Director and/or the Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance in identifying possible avenues for the partner.
      4. The Hiring Administrator will collaborate in identifying an appropriate facilitator who will assist the partner in the job search, and ensure that all possible avenues are being explored for the partner.
      5. An accompanying partner, like any other candidate, must be systematically reviewed by a Hiring Unit. If that Hiring Unit believes the accompanying partner has appropriate credentials and has skills that are compatible with the unit's needs and mission, and/or if the partner meets published deadlines for application, they may request that the accompanying partner be considered for an interview or other placement alternatives (as described below).
      6. The appropriate Dean/Director must sign the Dual Career Partner Hire Request form and route as specified. The Equal Opportunity Officer will forward a recommendation to the Provost and the Director of Human Resources, who are responsible for the final review.
    3. Missouri State University Academic Employment

      When any candidate or existing employee inquires about academic employment at Missouri State University for a partner, the following steps are recommended:

      1. The candidate who has received the tentative job offer should request assistance in identifying academic employment at Missouri State University for her or his partner.
      2. The Hiring Administrator of the candidate’s Hiring Unit requests a copy of the partner’s curriculum vitae and other relevant materials. This information then is forwarded confidentially to the Department Head and Dean of the College in which the accompanying partner is seeking employment, as well as to the Office of the Provost. These administrators will explore the fit between the partner and the target department.
        NOTE: Requesting departments should contact the Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance as soon as possible in this process to discuss the feasibility of a specific Dual Career Partner request.
      3. An accompanying partner, like any other candidate, must be systematically reviewed by the hiring department. If that department believes the accompanying partner has appropriate credentials and has skills that are compatible with the department's needs and mission (e.g., if a forthcoming position is expected or if a new position is in line with planned program expansion), they may request that the accompanying partner be considered for a search waiver or other placement alternatives (as describe below).
      4. The appropriate Dean must sign the Dual Career Partner Hire Request form and route as specified. The Equal Opportunity Officer will forward a recommendation to the Provost, who is responsible for the final review. Various options for placing partners are listed below.
    4. Monitoring and Oversight

      The Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance will review the process of all dual career hires to ensure that discrimination of any type has not occurred.

      The Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance, in cooperation with the Office of Human Resources and the Office of the Provost, will regularly collect and provide information on dual career requests and request outcomes to monitor the effectiveness of these guidelines in recruitment, retention, and diversity, and to ensure that no negative effects or discrimination against specific subgroups has occurred because of these guidelines.

  4. Accommodation Strategies

    Expedited application for open position. A partner of a finalist in a university search may request an interview for another open university position as long as they meet the published qualifications and as long as the application deadline is met. If a search committee chair or Hiring Administrator receives such a request, the Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance must be contacted.

    Split position. In order to meet the needs of several departments/units, split positions can also be considered. The Office of the Provost in collaboration with Human Resources will coordinate these efforts.

    Shared appointment. Faculty partners in the same academic discipline may ask to be considered for a shared appointment. In such cases, the concerned department must determine whether both individuals have appropriate credentials and have the potential to become tenured members of the department. Under the direction of the Provost, the Hiring Administrator and Major Administrator will negotiate the terms and arrangements on an individual basis.

    Soft money appointment. Eligible partners may be hired as soft money positions, postdoctoral positions, or other short-term internal payroll positions. These appointments are fully eligible to apply for any tenure-line or more permanent positions that become available.

    Visiting faculty position. In some situations, a temporary (usually not to exceed one year) visiting faculty position may be created in order to either meet the needs of a particular department or offer a specialty area to a department that would otherwise be unavailable. During this limited-term appointment, the academic partner is encouraged to apply for other open job opportunities within and outside the university.

    Instructorships & per course positions. If no position can be identified, partners who teach may ask to be hired on a per-course basis, or for an instructorship.

    Search Waiver Request. University policy generally requires a national or regional search for faculty and professional staff appointments. The Missouri State University Dual Career Assistance Program is designed for appointments that meet institutional priorities and that require rapid university action. In some cases, the Equal Opportunity Officer may grant search waivers upon request based upon the criteria listed below. Decisions on request for waivers of search under this policy are made by the Equal Opportunity Officer in collaboration with the Provost.

    Criteria for a waiver of search are based whether or not the request contributes to the academic excellence, over-all productivity, or goal of gender equity and diversity of the particular unit and overall university climate. Additional criteria for evaluating these requests include:

    1. Rationale for waiving the normal search requirement within the context of Affirmative Action
    2. Qualifications of the individual proposed in context of university need
    3. Impact of the hire on the university’s strategic plan and institutional goals
    4. Consensus within the hiring department/unit for the requested appointment
    5. Degree to which department/college/university funds support the position over time
    6. Likelihood of future success (e.g., job excellence, promotion and tenure)

While Missouri State University recognizes the value of promoting opportunities for dual career partners, and has established these guidelines to help secure this value, IT CANNOT GUARANTEE EMPLOYMENT TO ANYONE SIMPLY ON THE BASIS OF THESE GUIDELINES.

For more information contact the Office of the Provost at 417-836-4589.

1This document has been adapted for use by Missouri State University with permission from the ADVANCE program at the University of Rhode Island.

2 Baskin, B. (1998). Dual career couples – Facing the ‘stress of success’ – How families cope. Selfhelp Magazine. Retrieved May 7, 2007, from http://www.selfhelpmagazine.com/articles/wf/dualcar.html.

3Clayman Institute for Gender Research. (2006)  Dual-career academic couples. Stanford University.