Campus and SoHE Dual-Career (Spousal/Partner) Faculty Appointments

Dual Career Faculty Appointment Guidelines

Guiding Principle

Dual-career appointments are strategic opportunities that can support the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. They are not automatic accommodations or entitlements. Any dual-career appointment in the School of Human Ecology (SoHE) must meet the School’s and receiving department’s standards for academic excellence, disciplinary and strategic fit, and long-term financial sustainability.

The purpose of this process is to provide a consistent and transparent approach while allowing appropriate flexibility to consider individual circumstances.

1. Initial Inquiry and Assessment of Fit

A dual-career inquiry may be initiated when SoHE receives a request from another school or college to consider a faculty appointment for the spouse or partner of a faculty recruit or current faculty member.

Department Chair responsibilities:

• Share the candidate’s CV and scholarly record with the department’s tenured and tenure-track faculty.
• Seek preliminary faculty input regarding:

• disciplinary and strategic fit with the department; and
• willingness to explore the potential appointment further.

• Based on the general faculty input and the chair’s own assessment, the chair determines the candidate’s fit as:

• No meaningful fit
• Reasonable fit
• Excellent fit

Decision Point 1: Is there sufficient departmental fit and interest to explore the opportunity?

If the department determines that there is no reasonable fit or does not support further exploration, the process concludes.

If there is reasonable or excellent fit and sufficient interest in exploring the opportunity, the Dean and Associate Dean assess whether there is a potentially viable pathway for funding a dual-career position.

If no viable funding pathway can reasonably be identified, the process concludes. If a potential pathway exists, the process moves to the Discovery Phase.

2. Discovery Phase

The Discovery Phase is exploratory and does not constitute or imply a commitment to hire.

The purpose is to learn more about the candidate and allow the candidate and department to assess mutual scholarly, disciplinary, and institutional fit.

The Department Chair, in consultation with the Dean and Associate Dean, may:

• Arrange an initial virtual conversation with the candidate involving the Chair and a small number of selected faculty.
• Explore the candidate’s scholarship, teaching interests, potential collaborations, and alignment with departmental and School priorities.
• If there is sufficient mutual interest, recommend proceeding to a formal campus interview.

Decision Point 2: Is there sufficient mutual interest and potential fit to initiate a formal faculty appointment process?

3. Formal Departmental and School-Level Interview and Evaluation

Once the decision is made to formally consider the candidate for appointment, the candidate will undergo an official campus interview and evaluation process consistent with SoHE faculty hiring practices.

• Conduct a formal campus interview.
• Evaluate the candidate according to the same standards of academic excellence and appointment expectations applied to other faculty hires at the proposed rank.
• Seek input from relevant department faculty and instructional staff participating in the interview process.
• Faculty feedback may characterize the candidate as:

• Not acceptable for appointment
• Acceptable for appointment
• Highly acceptable for appointment

• The department Executive Committee votes on whether to recommend the appointment in accordance with applicable faculty governance requirements.

Decision Point 3: Does the candidate meet the department’s standards for faculty appointment?

If the Executive Committee does not recommend the appointment, the process concludes.

If the Executive Committee recommends the appointment, the recommendation proceeds to the Dean.

4. Dean’s Review and Final Authorization

The Dean conducts a final review of the proposed appointment, considering:

• Academic and strategic alignment with the School;
• Departmental support and Executive Committee recommendation;
• Availability and source of funding;
• Appropriate allocation of financial responsibility among SoHE, the requesting school or college, and/or central campus;
• Position implications and opportunity costs; and
• Long-term financial and organizational sustainability.

Decision Point 4: Is the appointment strategically and financially sustainable for SoHE?

If an appropriate and sustainable funding arrangement cannot be established, the request concludes.

If the academic, strategic, and financial requirements are satisfied, the Dean may authorize moving forward with the appointment and any required negotiations and approvals.