New Employment Website Aimed at Helping Dual-Career Couples in Academia

Finding employment opportunities for the spouse or partner of a potential faculty recruit can mean the difference on whether or not that scholar chooses to come to a particular college or university.

Ohio State University in Columbus and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland have announced plans to establish a regional branch of the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium to address this problem. The consortium’s website will function as a one-stop job search tool for dual-career couples by listing all available academic jobs within a commutable distance.

Mary Juhas, associate vice president for Ohio State’s Gender in STEMM (STEM plus medicine) and an associate professor of practice of materials science and engineering, stated: “There is a cost to the institutions, and membership comes with access to professional development opportunities, discounts on employment advertising and, importantly, the inevitable expansion of the applicant pool. Our goal is to improve not only the job-search process for higher-education applicants in this part of the country, but to enhance the quality and diversity of people looking for these opportunities.” Dr. Juhas is a graduate of Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in metallurgy and material science from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in material science and engineering from Ohio State University.

The new website is expected to launch next spring and hopes to enlist colleges and universities in Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia as partners. Among the founding members include the University of Akron, Central State University, West Virginia University, the University of Dayton, Wright State University, and Carnegie Mellon University.