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Faculty Spousal and Partner Hiring Assistance Program

Purpose

As part of a continuing commitment to provide students and the campus with a thriving, intellectually stimulating educational environment, a gifted and diverse faculty is essential. That is why the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has had a Spousal Hiring Program. This program recognizes that success in recruitment often depends on the opportunity to facilitate appointment of an accompanying academic spouse, and the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost will assist departments and colleges by providing matching funds in support of such appointments.

Spousal Hiring Market Assistance Program Form  Spousal Hiring Program Policy (PDF)

Limitations

The program is used to facilitate the employment of spouses of new tenure track or tenured faculty who are being recruited to UNC-Chapel Hill or area universities. This is not a program for spouses of already employed faculty members. The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost may alter the limitations of this program as funds are expended or as more funds become available. Please contact the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost to determine whether funds are still available before making a request.

Program

The program provides funds from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost to assist departments in the appointment of accompanying academic spouses. For purposes of this program, the term “recruited faculty appointee” refers to the individual being recruited and for whom there is an academic spousal appointment assistance issue. “Accompanying academic spouse” refers to a person with appropriate faculty academic credentials who is a qualifying spouse or domestic partner. The terms of the program are as follows:

  • The accompanying academic spouse must become a candidate for a position (fixed term or tenure track) and be appointed through the regular university hiring processes;
  • The unit which appoints the accompanying academic spouse provides a minimum of one-third (minimum 33 1/3%) of the salary and associated benefits of the accompanying academic spouse;
  • The unit which appoints the recruited faculty appointee provides a minimum of one-third (minimum 33 1/3%) of the salary and associated benefits of the accompanying academic spouse; and,
  • The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost provides up to one-third (maximum 33 1/3%) of the salary and associated benefits for hiring the accompanying academic spouse.
  • The salary funding for the position to which the accompanying academic spouse is appointed will be provided for three years.
  • If the accompanying academic spouse leaves this position before the end of the three years, the salary and benefits funding in the position at the time will revert according to the initial proportions indicated above.
  • The continuation of the appointment of the accompanying academic spouse shall be entirely under the purview of the unit in which that individual is appointed in accordance with all personnel policies and procedures applicable to similar appointments in the unit. The letter of appointment should explicitly state if, beyond the first three years, the position is contingent on the availability of funds from the accompanying academic spouses’ home department.

Approval of funding for a spousal hire under this Policy does not constitute waiver of the requirements of the University Anti-Nepotism Policy. See: http://www.northcarolina.edu/policy/.

Process

Units should direct requests for program funds in writing by letter to the Executive Associate Provost. Requests must include the following and be endorsed by both units involved:

  • A description of the market contexts in which the hiring of the recruited faculty appointee and accompanying academic spouse are to take place; indicate if waiver(s) of EEO requirements are to be used in the hiring.
  • The academic purposes served by hiring the recruited faculty appointee and accompanying academic spouse;
  • The source(s) of funds to be used by the hiring units to support their portions of the accompanying academic spouse’s salary and benefits.

Requests can be made at any time and will be considered as long as funds are available to support the program. No funds will be provided to a department or college until a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and participating units. The Spousal Hiring memorandum of understanding form is located here.

Funds provided will revert to the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost or the units when the appointment of the accompanying academic spouse ends. The names of persons who are hired through this Program are generally kept confidential, so as to create a climate of equity among the faculty. Questions about this program should be directed to the Executive Associate Provost.

Spousal Hires may be arranged between UNC-Chapel Hill and other area universities.

In the case where the primary hire is in a UNC department, the spousal hire may occur in another university and when this occurs:

  • The UNC department making the primary hire provides 1/3 of the spousal salary,
  • The Provost of the other area university provides 1/3 of the spousal salary, and
  • The spouse’s department at the other area university provides 1/3 of the spousal salary.

In the case where the primary hire is at another university, the spousal hire may occur at UNC and when this occurs:

  • The department at the other university making the primary hire provides 1/3 of the spousal salary,
  • The UNC Provost provides 1/3 of the spousal salary, and
  • The spouse’s department at UNC provides 1/3 of the spousal salary.

The Office of the Provost may alter the arrangements with other universities as needed for a specific appointment.

Revisions: November 1, 2000; February 6, 2006, February 26, 2007, August 27, 2010

Policy Guidance on Definition of Spouse and Partner Status

In administering the Spousal and Partner Hiring Assistance program, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost requires that the accompanying spouse/partner either be legally married to the appointee or a “domestic partner” of this individual. The definition of “domestic partner” is: two individuals (regardless of gender) who have reached age 18 or older, who live together in the same residence in a long-term relationship of indefinite duration with an exclusive mutual commitment, who are not married or related to the other by blood or marriage, and who are responsible for each other’s welfare and share financial obligations, as evidenced by three of the following types of documentation which should be provided upon request: (a) joint mortgage or lease; (b) designation of domestic partner as beneficiary for life insurance; (c) designation in will of domestic partner as primary beneficiary upon death; (d) domestic partnership agreement; (e) powers of attorney for property and health care; and (f) joint ownership of a motor vehicle, joint checking or savings account, or joint credit account.