University of St. Thomas joins new recruitment partnership: Upper Midwest Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
From the Department of Human Resources
There is strength in numbers when it comes to helping dual-career couples find jobs. In September, the University of St. Thomas joined a partnership of 53 colleges and universities in Minnesota and Wisconsin to launch the Upper Midwest Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. This collaboration is designed to enhance dual-career and diversity hiring and is a premier example of the higher education community working together to advance the region.
The UMW HERC region consists of five subregions: Lake Superior, Lakes and Valley, Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Area, Mississippi River Valley and Southern Prairie. Job seekers may focus their searches on colleges in a particular subregion.
A vital feature of the UMW HERC is its regional Web site. The site can be used to find faculty and staff job postings at all member institutions. The search engine is free and available to anyone seeking employment in higher education. Dual-academic couples can receive automatic e-mail notifications when positions in their fields open at any of the colleges in their specified subregion. If one member of a couple is considering or already has an offer, the other member also will be able to monitor opportunities. The couple also has access to diversity, cultural and business resources in their selected subregion.
"For example, a dual-academic couple in physics and English targeting the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Area subregion could be alerted to position openings and peruse job announcements in those fields at many of the colleges or universities in their area," said Julie Schwalbach, senior HR partner and HERC representative for the University of St. Thomas. "It allows for a much earlier and more effective job search for the accompanying spouse or partner of a new hire."
The HERC concept originated in northern California in 2000 and the model has spread across the country. About 400 public and private colleges, universities and teaching hospitals in Michigan, New England, New Jersey/Eastern Pennsylvania/Delaware, Southern California, Upstate New York, Metro New York/Southern Connecticut, the Chicago area and the St. Louis area are now members of regional HERCs. The HERC organization has received recognition and support in publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse Issues in Higher Education and Women in Higher Education.
For more information about UMW HERC, contact Julie Schwalbach, (651) 962-6515, or e-mail umwherc@umn.edu.
