Guidelines for Dual Career Services
Auburn University is committed to recruiting the highest quality faculty and staff and recognizes that prospective faculty may have spouses/partners with independent careers, often in an academic discipline. In order to recruit and retain the best faculty, Auburn strives to help both members of “twocareer” couples locate appropriate positions at the university.
As a partnership between the Office of the Provost and the Office of Human Resources, Dual Career Services is designed to assist the spouse/partner of new faculty or staff through offering networking opportunities and career resources. Any spouse/partner of a newly hired permanent faculty or staff member who is being employed by the university is eligible for these services.
A copy of these guidelines should be shared with all candidates selected for employment. Any newly hired candidate in need of dual career services for a spouse/partner may confidentially contact either the Provost’s Office (for faculty employment accommodations) or the Office of Human Resources (for administrative/professional and staff positions). Early notification that a prospective hire is seeking dual career support will enable the university to have a greater opportunity of identifying support resources.
Placement into Faculty Positions
Newly hired faculty seeking employment opportunities for a spouse/partner are encouraged to discuss the dual career program with the appropriate contact listed at the end of this document early in the recruitment process. When recruiting a prospective faculty member whose spouse/partner desires such a position, the first step is to determine if there is any position of the appropriate type for the spouse/ partner at Auburn. If such a reasonable match exists, the next step is for the relevant unit head (department chair, head, director or dean) to be contacted to provide a preliminary judgment as to whether or not the spouse/partner has the appropriate credentials and experience to be considered for a position. If that is the case, the unit head will also determine if/when such a position will be open in the future. Dual career opportunities will be considered when departments have met the following requirements:
Demonstrated academic program needs
Spouse or partner is qualified for a faculty position at Auburn University
Support for the hire from the department as evidenced by an affirmative majority vote from the faculty
Endorsement by the Department Chair/Head/Director and Dean of the College/School
Approval of the Office of the Provost and AA/EEO
Strategic hiring assistance will be supported on a case-by-case basis. If an on-campus faculty position is not identified, the unit heads for the departments, schools, and colleges of the two prospective hires may consult and attempt to develop a plan to fund an appropriate bridging position for the necessary time period. As an example, the bridging position could be a research assistant professor position for a spouse/partner for perhaps one to three years, during which time he or she could be able to pursue appropriate career activities until a tenure track position potentially becomes available. At that time, the spouse/partner could be a candidate for the tenure track position and would then have to compete with other potential candidates as part of a normal search process. Funding for the bridging salary along with necessary research funding (to support laboratory work, professional travel, etc.) should then come from the two units involved along with support from the Provost as available. This is one example of how units could facilitate a strategic hire for a spouse or partner.
Additional hiring assistance can be provided through a network of opportunities at other higher education institutions located within reasonable proximity of Auburn University, such as Southern Union State Community College (located in Opelika, Alabama), Auburn University at Montgomery (located in Montgomery, Alabama), Tuskegee University (located in Tuskegee, Alabama), Troy University (located in Troy, Alabama), or Columbus State University (located in Columbus, Georgia).
Placement into Other Campus Positions (Administrative/Professional and Staff)
The Office of Human Resources employment site lists current postings for campus staff and administrative/professional positions (www.auemployment.com). They can assist in communicating with the hiring supervisors to inform them of a candidate with dual career needs. Through program resources, information about the local business community, and job openings, contacts of interest may be obtained.
Office of Human Resources Services Available
Job search assistance on and off campus
Contact information of network partners and networking assistance
Introductory letter to area employers or hiring officials at the University
Information about local employment demographics
Support Services Conditions
While Auburn University will make every effort to assist spouses or partners who are seeking employment, the services of the Dual Career Resources Program will be governed by the following conditions:
Assistance is not a guarantee, entitlement or a promise of employment
Assistance may in no way interfere with or compromise the integrity of the University’s policies and practices
Assistance remains in compliance with all Affirmative Action and EEO requirements
Assistance cannot result in employment if an applicant does not have authorization to work in the United States.
For employees in need of faculty dual career services and accommodations, please contact Amanda Malone, Director of Academic Resources, at malonad@auburn.edu.
For employees in need of administrative/professional and staff accommodations, please contact Abbi Brown, Director of Employment Services, at barrabb@auburn.edu.
