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PROV-018: Emeritus Faculty

Date: 02/03/2012 Status: Final
Last Revised: 08/20/2019
Policy Type: Executive Vice President & Provost
Oversight Executive: Executive Vice President and Provost
Applies To:

Academic Division.

Reason for Policy:

Establishes guidelines related to the approval and role of emeritus faculty.

Definition of Terms in Statement:
  • Terms:There are no terms that require definition.
Policy Statement:

The honorary rank of professor emeritus or associate professor emeritus may be conferred on senior academic faculty at the time of their retirement from the University to honor extraordinary contributions to the University over the course of their careers. All nominations for emeritus status are subject to the approval of the president and the Board of Visitors. While retired faculty members who hold emeritus rank may continue to be involved with the University community and may be employed part-time (see policy PROV-003: Part-Time Employment of Retired Members of the Faculty) or appointed as unpaid faculty (see policy HRM-005: Appointment of Unpaid Faculty), emeritus rank in itself does not constitute employment nor does it confer employment rights or benefits.

Emeritus faculty members who are invited by their dean to maintain an active role in their department following retirement should receive an appointment on either a part-time or unpaid basis (see policies on Part-Time Employment of Retired Members of the Faculty and Appointment of Unpaid Faculty). Such appointments should be formalized with an appointment letter and be of limited term.

  1. Eligibility:
    Emeritus rank is conferred upon retiring academic faculty following nominations made to the Board of Visitors by the president for the following categories of employees:

    • tenured associate or full professors retiring after at least ten years of service;
    • chair holders retiring with five years of continuous service;
    • former tenured associate or full professors who have previously retired after ten years service; and
    • non-tenured academic faculty who hold associate or full professorial rank who are retiring after at least ten years of service and are approved by the provost through a special request from their school.

    Emeritus status is an honor; membership in one of the above categories does not automatically qualify a faculty member for emeritus status. The faculty member must be recommended by his or her department and school in accordance with the procedures below.

  2. Dean Emeritus:
    The honorary rank of dean emeritus is conferred upon retiring academic faculty members who have had at least ten years of continuous service as dean. As with the rank of professor emeritus, the rank of dean emeritus is conferred following nominations made to the Board of Visitors by the president. In special circumstances, the president may elect to nominate as dean emeritus a retiring faculty member who has fewer than ten years of service in either capacity. No administrative title below that of dean (including associate dean) may be included in the emeritus status.

  3. Chaired Professorships:
    Titles associated with chaired professorships held at the time of retirement will be included in the emeritus rank.

  4. Professorial Rank:
    The rank attained prior to retirement usually governs the emeritus rank. Upon recommendation of the president, associate professor candidates who have evidenced outstanding teaching or public service performance may be elected to the rank of professor emeritus.

  5. University Involvement following Retirement:
    Retired faculty members on whom the University has conferred the designation of professor or associate professor emeritus may continue to be active members of the University community, depending on the needs of their school and the faculty member’s preferences.

    To foster this continued role and an on-going relationship with the University:

    1. Emeritus faculty members continue to be members of their academic departments and will be listed as such in University directories. They may attend and participate in department and University faculty meetings and other activities as before retirement, but without the right to vote.
    2. Emeritus faculty members may continue to participate in all ceremonial functions of the University and may march in a position of honor in academic processions.
    3. Emeritus faculty members are retained on all mailing lists that contain information of general interest to faculty members, unless they specifically request that their names be removed from such lists.
    4. Emeritus faculty members may retain access to electronic mail in accordance with the procedures on Issuance and Expiration of Accounts maintained by Information Technology Services (ITS). Emeritus faculty members who maintain an active computing account with ITS retain access to the University’s libraries, including borrowing privileges and inter-library loan services.

    In addition, emeritus faculty members may request permission from their dean to serve as the principal investigator (PI) on grants subject to the PI application process maintained by the Office of Sponsored Programs. They may also request permission from their dean and department chair to continue supervising doctoral students or teaching on a part-time basis. In these instances, the emeritus faculty member should be appointed on an unpaid or part-time basis, in accordance with the policies on Appointment of Unpaid Faculty and Part-Time Employment of Retired Members of the Faculty.

  6. Other Retirement Benefits:
    Emeritus faculty members are entitled to all benefits the University grants to retired faculty members, as detailed in the Pre-Retirement Guide maintained by University Human Resources.

Procedures:
  1. Department determines that a faculty member should be recommended for emeritus status.
  2. The faculty member’s department chair submits a personnel action to their dean’s office, notifying them of the faculty member’s retirement and requesting approval of the appropriate emeritus title. Request should include a brief letter of recommendation that stipulates the faculty member’s qualifications for emeritus status.
  3. The dean submits a list of those retiring faculty being nominated for emeritus status to the vice provost for faculty affairs in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.
  4. The Provost’s Office forwards a list of nominated faculty to the Office of the President for review and submission to the Board of Visitors.
  5. If recommended by the president, the retiring faculty member’s name is submitted to the Board of Visitors for consideration and approval at its next regular meeting.
  6. The faculty member receives notice from the Board of Visitors that he/she has been awarded emeritus status.

Nominations to the rank of dean emeritus may be initiated only by the president.

Policy Background:

This is the first version of this policy.

Major Category:
Executive Vice President & Provost Policies
Next Scheduled Review:
08/20/2022
Approved By, Date:
Executive Vice President and Provost, 02/03/2012
Revision History:

Updated link Section 5, #4 8/20/19; Updated title in Procedure #3 1/29/19.