University recruiting, like any relationship-management sourcing strategy, often requires a balanced mix of long-term investments coupled with numerous annual campus visits in order to develop a successful brand and become an employer of choice. Many organizations structure those “long-term investments” in annual or capital campaign monetary contributions, often to career centers or related offices, which have welcomed the donations as their own funding challenges have worsened. But while such contributions may have led to a significant ROI in the past, that may not be the same case in the future.

The reason is simple: students now turn more often to faculty members for early-career guidance and advice on which employers to start out with. In a way, this might make university recruiting relationship management easier: just shift the primary focus to the faculty. For the time being, until the economy really rebounds, this would be an effective sourcing model. But when the economy rebounds, nearly a majority of tenured faculty at many top-tier universities will at least be eligible for early retirement, and the new relationships forged in those few years will take time to rebuild with new replacements. keep reading…