Now, the dearth of affordable day care has emerged as another thorny recruiting issue. Anne Fernald, vice provost for faculty development, told the Faculty Senate at a meeting in April that one prospect actually demanded a guaranteed day-care spot as a condition of employment. In a survey of faculty conducted by Fernald and the University's WorkLife Center, almost half of the 605 respondents said they currently use or would soon need child care. That could exacerbate an already dismal situation. And even those parents lucky enough to find a spot for their child have a difficult time paying.
Administrators acknowledge the problem.
At the Faculty Senate's final meeting in June, Provost Condoleezza Rice announced that the University has hired a consultant to help find solutions. The most widely discussed possibilities are building new day-care centers, expanding the existing ones and providing subsidies to parents. Also, starting in the fall, Stanford will offer emergency help to faculty and staff when their regular child-care plans fall through. Mundy argues that such fixes would allow faculty to work more, be more productive, and be happier. But for now, she says, many young professors view a second child as a luxury.