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 MSU and in the Greater Lansing Area.
Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs Resources
Search committees are frequently asked by a 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 Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs (FASA) 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.
To contact Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, email fasaffairs@msu.edu.
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 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.
If you and your partner are looking for new careers in higher education, visit HERC Jobs. Administered by HERC, the website has a variety of resources and tools available, free to any job seeker, including: career advice, job search tips, resume and cover letter guidance, and a job board for careers in higher education with custom searches and alerts. Additionally, there are resources specifically for dual career couples, such as a search tool to find two jobs within a commutable distance. Check out this resource page for dual career couples. To sign up for a free job seeker account to set up job alerts and be included in the CV/resume database for employers, go to the job seeker login and click “Sign Up.”
Michigan State University is proud to serve as the home of the Michigan/Ohio/Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia HERC region as part of our commitment to supporting dual career couples.Our regional HERC Director, Maranda Holtsclaw, can assist job seekers in setting up a job seeker account with job alerts and provide support in navigating the job search in the greater Lansing area. The Director can also share resumes for dual hires with other HERC member institutions.
To contact Maranda Holtsclaw, director of the MI/OH/PA/WV HERC, email mholtscl@msu.edu.
The MSU University Health and Wellbeing office has a career resources one-pager (at the bottom of the webpage) as well as other resources to support employees and newcomers.
