All NCFR members are invited to attend the annual member meeting virtually prior to the NCFR Annual Conference, to hear updates on NCFR’s activities and ask questions.

The second half of the meeting will include an open member discussion facilitated by NCFR Fellow Catherine A. Solheim, Ph.D., of how doctoral students in Family Science and HDFS (Human Development and Family Science) can hold the competitive edge in the job market when they graduate.

Most Family Science and HDFS academic programs, as well as many employers outside of academia, look for job candidates with a doctoral degree. Family Science and HDFS programs are uniquely positioned to ensure that their doctoral graduates can apply a family perspective wherever they are hired — in faculty positions or in non-academic roles.

A few questions to consider:

• What knowledge, skills, and/or accomplishments should Family Science or HDFS doctoral graduates possess and show on their CV to be positioned as the best job candidates? What makes FS/HDFS Ph.D.s marketable in today's job market?
• What do your academic unit or other employers — academic and non-academic — look for in a doctoral-level job candidate?
• How can NCFR support Family Science and HDFS doctoral programs in positioning graduates as competitive job candidates for both academic and non-academic roles?

At NCFR’s 2021 member meeting, members expressed support for continuing conversations about doctoral-level education and hiring in Family Science and HDFS. The 2022 discussion will be an excellent opportunity for members to exchange more ideas and insights to move this area forward.

Times are Central Time (4-5:30 p.m. ET; 2-3:30 p.m. MT; 1-2:30 p.m. PT)