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Proposed Emeritus Policy for Antioch University
February 2, 2007
(DFDraft)
A faculty member shall be eligible for Emeritus status if the faculty member is retired and has
fulfilled the follawing conditions. The faculty member shall have:
(1) completed at least ten (10) years offull-time seruice at one or more of the units of Antioch
University*; and
(2) a record of sustained professional achievement, growth and development, which may
include evidence of an outstanding record of teaching or administrative service, or
evidence of University seruice beyond normal or ordinary expectations; and
(3) evidence of commitment to the positive welfare of Antioch University and its mmmunity.
Nominations for emeritus status must be made through the academic governance structure of the
campus/unit, as decided by that campus/unit. The campus President must approve the
nomination and forward it with the President’s remmmendation in writing to the Vice
Chancellor of University Academic Affairs. The written nomination must address items 1-4
above. The Vice Chancellor shall review the nomination for adherence to these guidelines and
upon satisfactory review shall forward the nomination to the Academic Affairs Committee of the
Board of Trustees. The Committee shall review the materials sulrmitted and recommend action to
the Board of Trustees.
Rights and privileges to be enjoyed as a result of emeritus status depend on the Antioch
campus/unit.
The range of privileges may include some or all of those identified below, and/or others so
designated by the campus:
• Listing in campus catalogand faculty directories;
• Participation in ceremonial activities, such as commencement;
• Campus newsletters and other materials forwarded to home address;
• Continuation of an e-mail account and other technologically mediated capacities
existent in the system at the time of retirement;
• Faculty librory privileges;
• Office space, ifavailable;
• Eligible to participate in faculty and campus meetings and retreats;
• Free and/or discounted admission to special events;
• Advising and teaching a course(s) (at a rate higher than adjunct pay) upon negotiated
agreement with campus CAD;
• Eligibility to serve on Dissertation and Theses Committees;
• Adjunct teaching at a higher compensation rate than non-emeritus adjuncts;
• Access to office seruices at minimal cost, as available and determined by the campus
President or CAD.
*In special circumstances, a President mayforward a nomination for seruice less than 10 years.
Paper on EDleritus Policy
Laurien Alexandre
Reviewed and approved by the Academic Deans Oct 20, forwarded to the ULe.
Reviewed and approved by the ULC on November 1, 2006; forwarded to the Academic
Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.
I. Introduction
The impetus for the review of the University’s Emeritus Faculty policy is a 2005
resolution by the Board of Trustees. RESOLUTION 10.22.05:19 states that “the
Academic Affairs Committee, in consultation with the ULC, and no later than February
28, 2007, is directed to bring to the Board an amendment to the policy attached to this
resolution to the effect that recommendations for Emeritus status require review of
evidence that the faculty member’s teaching, service, and scholarship have been of
meritorious character. 1I
Subsequently, the ULC asked the Academic Deans to review the policy and make
recommendation for amendment that would address the Board’s directive. At the
request of the Deans, Laurien has drafted this “Paper on Emeritus Policy,1I which
summarizes current relevant national trends and then makes a series of
recommendations for discussion.
II. Current Antioch University Emeritus Faculty Policy
A faculty member (core or ranked) shall be eligiblefor Emeritus status if the faculty
memberretiresand has fulfilled thefollowingconditions:
(1) has completedat least ten (10) years offull-time serviceat one or more of the
campusesof Antioch University;
(2) is at least60 yearsold or is permanentlydisabled.
Recommendationsfor Emeritus status must be made through the academicgovernance
structureofthe campusand approvedby the campusPresident.
Privilegesto be enjoyedas a result of Emeritusstatus dependon the campus. The range
of privilegesmay includesomeor all of thoseidentifiedbelOUJ,and/orothersso designated
by the campus:
• Listingin campuscatalog;
• Participationin ceremonialactivities,suchas commencement;
• Campusnewslettersand othermaterialsforwardedto home address;
• Continuationofan e-mailaccount;
•Libraryprivileges;
• Officespace,ifavailable;
• Invitationto faculty meetingsand retreats,when/ifappropriate;
• Free admissionto specialevents;
• Teachinga courseor coursesupon agreementwith ~mpus dean or CAD;
• Access to office servicesat minimal cost, as availableand determinedby the
campus President or CAD
III. Thinking About the Issue
In order to maintain and support high quality faculty in the coming years, universities
must develop employment policies and practices that are appropriate for the new
economic and demographic environment. While Antioch University’s Faculty Emeritus
Policy isn’t necessarily highest on the list to address with the same urgency as, say,
contracts, compensation, performance reviews and professional development, it does
warrant attention. A number of reports and papers (Mauch, 1990; Mauch 1993;
Petrowsky, 2000) focus on emeritus policies within the context of a broad range of issues
such as the aging professoriate, escalating health costs, phased retirements, and other
factors relating to the goal of creating work environments that recognize faculty
contributions and support their worklife/lifespan well-being.
In my review of 20+ campus-based emeritus policies and the articles referenced at the
end of this paper, there are a number of specific things I want to highlight:
• Many of the existent policies are completely honorificbestowed on any fulltime faculty
retiree who has served in good standing for a specified number of years.
• The range of years of service tends to be between 10-20, with 15 being the average at
the institutions she reviewed (Petrowksy). In articles I reviewed, schools sometimes
broke down the number of years by rank (full professors, 10 year; associate 15 years of
service, etc). In this honorific category, eligibility is virtually automatic (except in cases
of 1/ demonstrated incompetence, neglect of duty, misconduct”) based on specific
longevity, the process is fairly perfunctory (recommendation of majority in a
department, or simply a recommendation by a CAO at the time of retirement), and the
privileges are minimal. The current Antioch University Emeritus Policy seems to fit
comfortably in this category.
• Few policies stipulate an IIage” minimum as the Antioch University policy does. The
legality or appropriateness of doing so is a question for me.
• There is no single set of rights or privileges (Maunch, 1993). Of a list of 48 rights and
privileges compiled, there seemed only a modest advantage to having emeritus status
over simply being retired. While higher education institutions make a rather marked
distinction between faculty retirees in general and those designated as IIemeritus”, there
is not much real difference in privileges although emeriti rights and privileges trend in
the direction of more encouragement to maintain a presence in the academic and
professional departmental community.
The list of privileges contained in the Antioch University Emeritus Policy are fairly
typical, although there are some Antioch absences that appeared in more than half of the
other emeritus policies reviewed (Maunch, 1993) such as:
• Listing faculty directories
• Regular faculty parking privileges
• Campus address and faculty mail privileges
• Departmental telephone use made available
• Secretarial service is available
• Opportunities to receive institutional support for grant proposals and to
pursue unfunded research in the retiree’s field using institutional facilities
• May use computers, labs, supplies, and the like as necessary to their continued
research
Others that appeared less frequently but caught my attention were:
• Discounts to the bookstore
• Eligibility to serve on graduate committees, dissertations and the like.
• Access to health and dental insurance at some cost structure that is better than
what was available for all retirees
• Tuition waiver for courses
,.,
• Participation in department and faculty meetings (sometimes with and
sometimes without a vote)
• Continued retirement planning information beyond what regular retirees
received
• Support for emeriti networking and in some cases, the Emeritus Center.
One of the significant IIemeritus” discussions occurring now is the growing awareness
of distinguishing lIemeritus” policies that simply make it an honorific and virtually
automatic title with few privileges for retired faculty from those for which emeritus
holds meaning as a new working professional rank, albeit part-time, which supports a
continuing relationship with the institutions by making available this valuable
academic resource to campuses at a time when departments are dealing with lots of
retirements and faculty needs and also recognizes that retired faculty these days can be
highly productive.
In these cases where Emeritus actually becomes more of a horizontal rank ( not a vertical
promotion) wherein there is a desire and expectation of continued service to
department, university and! or wider scholarly! professional community, both the
eligibility, process and privileges all become more robust.
Eligibility:
To move from simply honorific and automatic to a meaningful status, eligibility
requirements become more intentionally based on distinction and quality of
contribution such as a sustained and distinguished record of teaching, scholarship and
service. Typical of this sort of approach are policies that read something like:
Nominations based not solely on longevity but also upon significant contributions that
go beyond ~normal duties and responsibilities and show a career pattern of
distinguished contribution that
(1) bring credit to the university within academic and/ or broader circles; .
(2) serve the University in times of need, change or development;
(3) serve a department! constituency not ordinarily associated with the appointment.
Process:
With an emeritus rank that requires such distinguished and sustained contribution as
noted above, the process becomes more involved and demanding than the perfunctory
appointment of an automatic entitlement upon retirement. In such cases a portfolio of
some sort is submitted by the individual seeking emeritus status and/ or nominated for
emeritus status, and this portfolio is reviewed in a process similar to that of rank and
tenure at the institution, going through program deliberations and I or a Rank/Tenure
Committee, through the campus CAO and president to the Board of Trustees.
Privileges:
Here too, to move from honorific to a truly distinguished r~ the rights and privileges
reflect real substantive difference between faculty retirees without emeritus status and
those with emeritus rank. What appears in the literature reviewed is that designation of
emeritus as a IIworking rank”, albeit part-time with annual negotiated agreements, hold
a desire and expectation of continued service to department, university and! or wider
scholarly! professional community, both the eligibility, process and privileges all
become more robust.
The rights and privileges associated including teaching classes (at higher compensation
than adjuncts), serving on dissertation committees, being asked to participate actively in
faculty committees (often with vote) and institutional support for grant writing, research
and the like. Such emeritus faculty may be expected to be an academic resource in the
area of their competence and to continue to assist the University when requested,
particularly in an advisory fashion. As well, some policies include access of health
insurance and other benefits at rates that are better than other retirees.
A sentiment framing what I consider a more holistic approach to emeritus faculty, and
one that to me better reflects an Antiochian appreciation of lifespan I workspan issues,
was the emeritus policy statement of North Carolina State University, which reads that
the University is IIgrateful for past services and numerous contributions, recognizes
potential as a continuing valuable resource, and is committed to fostering active ongoing
relationships” with emeritus faculty. And therefore, “The University, as an appreciative
beneficiary of their scholarly pursuits and of the academic reputation they earn, will
facilitate their efforts by making available its academic resources and other services
wherever feasible and legally permissible.”
rv.Reconunendanons
The Deans and ULe must decide on Antioch’s basic orientation to emeritus faculty
because that framework becomes the basis of our approach to the policy and
recommendations for changes.
If “emeritus” is to basically be an honorific title with few expectations of a continuing
relationship and few privileges or rights awarded, then the eligibility should be
longevity in good standing (and no incompetence or misconduct, ~c, of course) with a
process that is fairly straightforward. The privileges currently listed in the Antioch
policy probably suffice.
If the emeritus rank is going to mean something – a rank that demonstrates respect for
faculty lifespan and assumes an expectation of a continuing relationship, then the
eligibility must be more rigorous and the rights and privileges more bountiful.
I do not recommend that we make the eligibility and process more rigorous, per the
Board’s resolution, without offering more privileges … nor, on the other hand, should we
offer more privileges without being sure of the deservedness of the nominee.
1. Whichever orientation we decide upon, however we proceed with the new policy, I
believe we should recommend:
(a) doing away with the age requirement, and simply use number of years.
2. In our institution, which has both tenure and term contracts, with some
programs I campuses with rank and others not, I think it would be inappropriate to use
rank as a determinate for number of years of service (e.g. full professor only needs 10
fulltime years; associate professor 15, etc). so,
I believe we should recommend:
(b) that the policy remai” at 10 years offulltime service.
3. I would also like to see the rights and privileges have some substance. Is there any
university privilege related to access to health insurance at a better rate than regular
Antioch retirees that could be set-up?
v. Text for a New AU Emeritus Policy
A faculty member shall be eligiblefor Emeritus status if the faculty member retires and has
fulfilledthefolluwingconditions:
(1) has completedat least ten (10) years offull-time seroiceat one or more of the units of
Antioch University*;and
(2) has recordofsustainedprofessionalachievement,growth and development;
(3) and/orevidenceofoutstandingrecordof teachingor administrativeservice;
(4) and/or evidence of University seroice beyond the normal or ordinary expectationsof
position.
Nominationsfor emeritusstatus must be made throughthe academicgovernancestructureof the
campus/unit,as decidedby that campus/unit. That nominationmust be approvedby the campus
Presidentand forwardedin writing to the Vice Chancellorof University AcademicAffairs. The
written nominationmust addressitems 1-4 above. The Vice Chancellorforwardsto the Academic
Affairs Committeeof the Board of Trustees. That Committeemakes the recommendationto the
Boardof Trustees.
Rights and privileges to be enjoyed as a result of emeritus status depend on the Antioch
campus/unit.
In addition,the rangeof privilegesmay also includesome or all of those identifiedbeluw,and/or
othersso designatedby the campus:
• Listingin campuscatalogandfaculty directories;
• Participationin ceremonialactivities,such as commencement;
• Campusnewslettersand othermaterialsforwardedto homeaddress;
– Continuationofan e-mailaccountand othertechnologicallymediated capacities
existentin the system.at the time ofretirement;
•Facultylibrary privileges;
• Officespace,ifavailable;
• Eligibleto participatein faculty and campusmeetingsand retreats;
• Free and/ordiscountedadmissionto specialevents;
• Advisingand teachinga course(s)(at a ratehigherthan adjunctpay) upon negotiated
agreementwith campusCAD;
-Serving on Dissertationand ThesesCommittees
• Adjunct teachingat a highercompensationrate than non-emeritusadjuncts;
• Eligibleto serveon dissertationcommittees
• Access to office seroicesat minimal cost, as availableand determinedby the campus
Presidentor CAD
* In specialcircumstances,a Presidentmayforwarda nominationfor seroiceless than 10 years.
VII. Final Thoughts
I believe Antioch HR policies need to do more to honor the contributions of its faculty
and to recognize the important role they serve in this institution. While emeritus faculty
status is not something we have prioritized among the top items to tackle in our
Academic Audit, it is still worthy of an approach consistent with our commitment to
encourage faculty well-being at all stages of their lives. I believe that is consistent with
Antioch’s philosophy.
Literature Reviewed
Clark, Roberts and d’Ambrosio, Madeleine. (2005) Recruibnent, Retention and Retirement:
Compensation and Employment Policies for Higher Education. EducationalGerontology.31:385
403.
Mauch, James E. and others (1993). EmeritusRankin Major ResearchUniversities:RetireePre
requisitesand Privileges. Report (ED 356 697) 17p.
Mauch, James E. and others (1990). InstitutionalPlanningfor EmeritusFaculty.Report (ED382135)
25p.
Petrowsky, Michael. (2000). A Survey of Facultyand AdministratorEmeritusProgramsat
CommunityColleges: Eligibility,Coverageand Benefits. Report (ED 438 870) 29p.
Plus 20 emeritus policies from different colleges and universities
