This digest of a larger report with the same title uses a question-and-answer format to examine the productivity of senior faculty members at institutions of higher education. It reviews issues related to the aging of full-time faculty at a time when many institutions are undergoing major changes and restructuring. It reports data suggesting that productivity of senior faculty does not decline but instead changes focus. Distinctive assets and needs of senior faculty are identified, including their confidence in their teaching and research skills, commitment to their institutions, and knowledge of the academic enterprise. Factors that can ensure a vital senior faculty are discussed, both in terms of intrinsic factors (such as socialization, subject knowledge, and a vital network of colleagues) and extrinsic factors (such as institutional goals, participative governance, and a supportive academic culture). The digest urges the maintenance of productivity of older faculty members through a systems approach that addresses individual vitality features, institutional vitality features, and the essential link between them. (DB)