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ABOUT THE DUAL-CAREER ACADEMICS PROGRAM

Meeting the needs and expectations of dual-career academic couples - while still ensuring the high quality of university faculty - is one of the great challenges facing universities. Academic couples (those with both partners working in an academic environment) comprise 36 percent of the American professoriate - representing a deep pool of talent. Yet, dual-career academic hiring often remains difficult and controversial.

The Clayman Institute's Dual-Career Academic Couples program includes resources for administrators and for faculty and graduate students interested in negotiating a dual-career life. The resources include findings from our study and conference, listed below, and from our partners who work in this area.

In August 2008, the Clayman Institute published a national study, Dual-Career Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know (PDF). The study surveyed 30,000 faculty at 13 of the nation's leading public and private research universities. These findings spotlight the challenges of negotiating their positions and living dual-career lives on campus. The report reviews practices, policies and programs for administrators to successfully work with the hiring and retaining of dual-career academic couples.

On June 16, 2009, The Clayman Institute addressed these challenges as representatives of both sides of the negotiating table came together at a conference at Stanford University. The conference titled "Dual-Career Academic Couples: Strategies and Opportunities" featured panels and open discussions with administrators and dual-career academic couples.