About 25 percent of faculty working in the United States will reportedly consider retiring in the next five to seven years. As one of this 25 percent, the author has been researching what she needs to know to retire. What she found initially was a lot of misinformation. To complicate matters, the world has changed over the past year, causing those…

This article talks about the retired faculty members from different types of institutions around the country that were interviewed to find out how well their preparations for retirement are serving them now. Like other state employees in California, faculty members at public institutions participate in the California Public Employees' Retirement…

In 2005, TIAA-CREF sponsored its first-ever "Retirement Confidence Survey of College and University Faculty" to discover the answer to this question: How well are faculty members taking advantage of employer-sponsored pension plans and saving for retirement? An additional objective of the project was to compare the survey's findings for higher…

The Ohio State Teacher Retirement System (STRS) provides retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to public school (K-12) teachers, college and university professors employed by state institutions, and the spouses and eligible dependents of these employees. In doing so, it operates much like other state retirement systems. The money to…

An officer of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund responds to an article criticizing the funds' pension policy issues and performance. (MSE)

Almost thirty years ago, Justice William Brennan saw clearly that American higher education was coming under the same pressures to "cut costs and increase efficiencies" to which market forces were subjecting businesses. Since Justice Brennan's observation, employers generally have sought to maximize their "flexibility' by creating a…

The American Association of University Professors' Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure reports on possible results on faculty salary structure, the tenure system, and retirement options of legislation uncapping the mandatory retirement age of college faculty. Considerations for institutions to make in adjusting personnel policies are…

Discusses the approach taken by Cornell University (New York) to the end of mandatory retirement for faculty, noting the differences between the private and publicly assisted colleges that form the university. Topics addressed include the construction of the retirement plans, demographics of the faculty population, changing faculty expectations of…

The factors faculty should consider in selecting from two investment alternatives in estate planning--the individual retirement account and tax-sheltered annuities--are outlined: maximum annual investment, fund management, contribution timing, penalties, ownership transfers, taxes, and rollovers. Common questions are answered. (MSE)

Congress' proposed revision of the Internal Revenue Code could have a significant impact on the retirement options available to educators. Some retirement and tax shelter plans are reviewed including: Individual Retirement Accounts, Keogh plans, Section 403(b) of the Code, and retirement and estate planning. (MLW)

The debate over whether and how TIAA-CREF should provide equal periodic retirement benefits to men and women despite different life expectancies is discussed, along with the status of court litigation and company action. (MSE)

The benefits of the new Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association graded-benefit method and traditional level-benefit program are compared. Several possible typical situations are analyzed for both plans, showing net yearly incomes projected through retirement and considering tax rates. (MSE)

The chairman of the newly-formed Commission on College Retirement outlines the group's objectives, approaches, and anticipated projects and encourages and provides an address for correspondence. A list of commission members and their affiliations is also included. (MSE)

Since its inception, the AAUP has been concerned with improving the economic status of the professoriate. A concerted effort has been made to place an effective tool in the hands of individual faculty members by means of a comprehensive faculty salary survey. Excerpt from a report on TIAA-CREF is included. (Author/MLW)

Excerpts from a recent research report outline patterns of demographic and social change affecting higher education enrollment, staffing, and planning patterns in the near future. Among the findings are that: fewer students will have college preparation; industry, government, and other agencies are now and will be educating more adults than will…