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Doctors and healthcare workers, editors and lawyers, chefs, computer programmers, police officers, postal clerks and professors are all among the wide array of jobs the Michigan Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) has gathered in a new central online portal.

The new Web site, www.michiganherc.org, opens with more than 1,200 job postings at 24 Michigan colleges and universities, though that number is expected to increase. As Michigan has lost manufacturing jobs, the number of jobs connected to the education and healthcare sectors and the many supporting roles that accompany them has continued to grow.

"By working together, we can keep the best workers in the state and attract new talent to Michigan," said Linda Berauer, director of Michigan HERC. "Regions known for their large pools of knowledge workers already have similar HERC organizations. Michigan HERC makes our state more competitive."

Jobs include research, professional, executive, administrative, and support positions in academia and their hospital and healthcare facilities as well as tenure-track and instructional faculty and positions in information technology and the trades. Users can set up and save multiple profiles with specific search criteria and register to receive e-mail alerts when new positions that fit their criteria are posted.

The central location of job postings with links to member campuses, regional resources, diversity Web sites and aids for dual career couples, as well as the Web site's ability to accommodate dual-career searches, distinguishes Michigan HERC from other employment Web sites.

Michigan colleges and universities created HERC to share information and resources to attract and retain talent, help achieve a diverse workforce, and reduce costs through joint purchasing arrangements. In addition to the shared Web site, HERC organizes forums where staff from member institutions can network and interact, sharing successful methods and best practices for addressing recruitment and retention issues, including issues related to placing partners and keeping their staffs diverse.

The site also includes links to resources for learning about Michigan's regions, relocation aids such as finding housing and schools for children, and multicultural and lifestyle resources in the state.

Michigan's three presidents from the University Research Corridor, Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon, University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, and Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid, jointly invited the state's other public and private colleges and universities to form the Michigan HERC. After an organizational meeting at MSU in spring 2007, the group quickly set up a dues structure and grew to 24 public and private colleges and universities of all sizes.

The Michigan HERC institutions are: Alma College, Central Michigan University, College for Creative Studies, Concordia University, Cornerstone University, Davenport University, Delta College, Eastern Michigan University, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Henry Ford Community College, Michigan State University, Mott Community College, Oakland Community College, Oakland University, University of Detroit-Mercy, U-M-Ann Arbor, U-M-Dearborn, U-M-Flint, Washtenaw Community College, Wayne County Community College District, Wayne State University, and Western Michigan University.

The consortium is designed to make it easier to recruit or retain talented faculty and staff by helping spouses find openings at nearby colleges or universities within the same region, to create networking opportunities and share best practices among member institutions through regular meetings, and to reduce costs through joint purchasing arrangements.

Visit the Michigan Higher Education Recruitment Consortium at: www.michiganherc.org,