AdvanceVT Work/Life Policies : Summary Report

Abstract

AdvanceVT’s 2008 Faculty Work/Life Survey showed that 59% of tenured and tenure-track faculty members at Virginia Tech believe it is difficult to have a personal life and earn tenure and 48% feel that their family responsibilities have slowed their career advancement. Female faculty members indicated that they have considered leaving the university in order to obtain better career opportunities for their spouse or partner (43%), as well as to achieve a better personal/professional balance (50%). To address these university-wide concerns, AdvanceVT has led the development and implementation of new and revised work/life policies, educated the university community about the availability of these policies, and created a dual-career hiring assistance program.