AAUP’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON PARTNER ACCOMMODATION MAKING POLICY Ann Higginbotham Eastern Connecticut State University

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE “Among both students and faculty we recognize the growing number of husband-wife teams (the tandem team) in which the academic goals of both members must be accommodated. We urge chairmen and deans to put forth the same efforts to find employment for spouses when it is a married woman who is being recruited as when it is a married man.” Bernice L. Neugarten, University of Chicago, “Women in a University,” (1970)

BACKGROUND Changing faculty demographics: more women and more academic couples Recognition of partner accommodation as a recruitment and retention issue, particularly for large research universities Expanding definition of “partners”

AAUP: COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN THE ACADEMIC PROFESSION 2001: Statement on Family Responsibilities and Academic Work Recommended flexible family friendly policies including paid maternity and parental leave, subsidized child care, and stop-the-tenure-clock policies 2006: Gender Equity Index: Explored comparative employment, promotion, and pay levels at two-year and four-year institutions 2010: Recommendations on Dual Career Accommodation

AAUP CONCERNS Encouraging defined policies rather than ad hoc solutions Avoiding a “one-size fits all” solution Protecting both gender equity and affirmative action Protecting faculty governance Insuring equitable treatment for partners

TYPES OF DUAL CAREER ACCOMMODATION Assistance and Information HERCs (Higher Education Recruitment Consortia) Job search support Resource centers and “partner assistance programs” Networking with business and community organizations Dual Career Hires Temporary Permanent

SOME MODELS UC, Davis: POP Partner Opportunities Program Advice on conducing an employment search Information on child care, housing, schools and other community issues Coordination of bridging positions Penn State: Dual Career Employment Assistance Program Orientation to community Networking Resume development Works with Provost’s Office to explore opportunities for academic positions

TYPES OF DUAL-CAREER HIRES Temporary or bridging positions Contingent positions (part-time or full-time) Shared positions Permanent tenured or tenure-track positions Temporary Permanent

THE ON-GOING ISSUE OF DUAL-CAREER HIRING “Few Issues in faculty recruiting are more fraught with tension than the hiring of academic couples” ( Robin Wilson, Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999 ) “Worries about a partner’s finding a job are, in fact, a major reason why colleges lose faculty and professional staff-recruits.” (Audrey Williams June, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2009)

PARTNERS AND HIRING The Benefits Aids hiring and retention particularly in STEM fields Expands programs for work/life balance for academic couples The Concerns Can produce departmental and faculty resentment over hiring process Can result in the “trailing spouse” syndrome

PROBLEMS WITH DUAL CAREER HIRING “My department was forced to take a new position in an area we did not need.” “This opportunity was not given to me and my partner when I was hired.” “I was treated as a second-class citizen by the department and told I was only hired because the administration wanted to hire my partner.”

RECOMMENDATIONS: CREATION OF CAMPUS POLICIES That institutions carefully examine the appropriateness of dual-career hiring That universities adopt comprehensive policies rather than case-by-case solutions That policies be developed by appropriate faculty governance bodies That policies be open and available to all potential hires not just those identified as “stars” That policies be regularly evaluated

BALANCE Sensitivity to work/life balance must also be tempered by attention to good governance and the protections of tenure. Colleges and universities need to develop policies that balance the needs of departments and institutions with the needs of faculty members.