Campus offices celebrate two years of dual career, relocation support

Laura Farkas, Michelle Jansen, Lauren Ratcliff and Pam Nesbitt. (Photo provided) Download Photo

Human Resources' Office of Faculty Recruitment and Retention, in partnership with the Concierge Program in the College of Engineering, recently celebrated its second anniversary of working with faculty partners to increase opportunities for success during the transition and search for local employment.

Since the office's creation in April 2014, 209 dual career clients have been served (with a 75 percent job placement rate). An additional 156 clients received relocation and other concierge services from the office's recruitment and retention consultants, Laura Farkas and Lauren Ratcliff, along with Michelle Jansen, director of the Concierge Program.

Together, the staff from both programs have also met with 390 faculty candidates during campus visits to provide an overview of the program's services.

The program's success led to the opportunity for a presentation at the recent CUPA-HR Midwest Region Conference in Chicago, focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by a dual career program and highlighting Purdue's efforts. CUPA-HR is the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.

The office continues to expand the services it provides to clients -- professional development workshops are now a part of the rotation, focusing on topics such as writing skills and interviewing tips. The network of regional employers is constantly adding new companies who are willing to consider Purdue's talented pool of prospective dual career employees.

More new activities are still on the horizon. Current plans are to begin a monthly coffee club that allows clients to meet other area newcomers in an informal atmosphere, and focus groups with campus hiring managers will be held to better understand the needs of that group related to the office's services.

The Office for Faculty Recruitment and Retention is headed by Pam Nesbitt, director of academic human resources and employee relations, and serves partners of tenured and tenure-track faculty members.

More information on the office is available at www.purdue.edu/ofrr, and the Concierge Program's website can be found at https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/Concierge.

For dual-career assistance in Liberal Arts, Libraries, Management, Pharmacy and Science, contact Farkas at 49-40113 or lfarkas@purdue.edu. Those in Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Sciences, Purdue Polytechnic and Veterinary Medicine should contact Ratcliff at 49-40106 or lratclif@purdue.edu. In Engineering, contact Jansen at 49-46772 or mjansen@purdue.edu.