Helping Science by Helping Women Faculty Settle In
The Elsevier Foundation Addresses the Problem of Recruiting and Retaining New Scholars in Science and Technology.
Institutions of higher learning have challenges in recruiting and retaining faculty with PhDs in science and technology, particularly when a spouse or partner is involved. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is developing a program under a grant from the Elsevier Foundation to address that issue.
The grant is part of the Foundationʼs New Scholars program, which is aimed at helping scholars in the early stages of their careers balance child care and family responsibilities with demanding academic careers in science, health and technology.
Recruitment and retention is an important issue for universities, and the cost of losing a faculty member is significant. Estimates put replacement costs of faculty at 150 percent of their annual salary. More importantly, 90 percent of employees decide within the first six months whether they will stay in their position.
"The number one reason for women refusing an offer or leaving their current position is that their partners are not offered appropriate employment," said Angela McNerney, Director of Advanced Programs at RPI. "This can result in an average loss of $250,000 to universities for each failed recruitment."
In March, a summit was held at the university to gain support from local universities and corporations. The program was moderated by the school"s Provost, Robert E. Palazzo. "The cost to recruit and retain PhD candidates can be staggering," Dr. Palazzo said. "We have only a few months to settle our new PhD candidate and their families. This program will help us get them settled in."
RPI developed a program called PhDMove to provide candidates and their families the information, resources and assistance needed to settle in to their position using a regional partnership that brings together PhD employers in the Albany, NY district. The regional approach is unique because it extends to both universities and other PhD-hiring institutions. PhDMove is also testing a highly individualized approach to relocation. Informational interviews are conducted to determine the specific needs of new faculty in the relocation process. After the interview is completed, an individualized portfolio is created detailing everything from health care providers to setting up informational interviews for the candidate"s partner or spouse. "The program coordinator will act as a concierge for families moving into the region. He or she will provide a plan for the new families to get acclimated," said Cheryl Geisler, the programʼs project manager.
This individualized approach is based on research that shows that the needs of women faculty in the first five years of their post-doctoral careers vary with their place in the family life cycle. Characteristically, women who are not married tend to want to explore more social options; women who are married place more importance on their partner"s ability to find meaningful work; and women who are parents face an extra challenge in looking for child care, schools and neighborhoods.
RPI will manage the first phase of a two-stage roll out, after which the program will become an independent entity with costs covered by membership fees from institutions.
