The first conference of a 22-member coalition organized to attract top academic, administrative and research talent to the Chicago area, the Greater Chicago Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (GC HERC) will meet Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Rebecca Crown Center at Northwestern University.
Hiring top talent is often very competitive. Institutions are looking beyond salary to develop family-friendly practices and innovative ways to attract and retain a diverse workforce, organizers of the conference said. GC HERC has particularly looked at resources to help dual-career couples.
The event, which begins at 8:45 a.m., will bring together provosts, academic vice presidents and directors of human resource departments, as well as faculty and equal-employment opportunity officers for the Inaugural Meeting of the Members of the Greater Chicago Higher Education Recruitment Consortium.
"The purpose of the GC HERC is to help organizations recruit and retain faculty and staff, particularly in regard to the hiring of minorities and women. The consolidated presentation of employment opportunities in our research and teaching institutions is a powerful resource for job-seekers," said Mary Harvey, Associate Provost at The University of Chicago and chair of the GC HERC Governing Committee.
Member organizations include leading universities and colleges in the Chicago area as well as cultural, research and medical centers.
Among the speakers is Jean Waltman, research specialist at the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan. She will present a talk, "The Status of Women: Suggestions from the Research for Recruiting and Retaining Women Faculty."
Jeff McKinney, a senior consultant for Akina Corp., will discuss, "Changing the System: Enhancing Multicultural Competence in Our Organizations."
GC HERC was formed late last year. Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are the co-founders of the 22-member organization.
Other charter members include: American Academy of Art, Aurora University, Benedictine University, Chicago State University, City Colleges of Chicago, College of DuPage, Columbia College of Chicago, DePaul University, Elmhurst College, The Field Museum, Harper College, Illinois Institute of Technology, Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Loyola University, Midwestern University, North Central University and Roosevelt University.
The group's website can be found at gcherc.org.All services are free to users.