It is increasingly important to understand the fundamentals of investing and, for many, the ability to integrate faith and ethics with investing decisions. This is especially relevant for employees and students in Christian higher education. Most employees in Christian higher education are enrolled in retirement plans that obligate them to make…

For many individuals, engagement with the arts and music in later life plays a significant role in identity formation. Research indicates that music engagement facilitates successful aging. While participants may or may not establish identities as musicians, musical activities provide interactions and opportunities that facilitate their…

States are doing much to bolster teacher education, training and professional development in recognition that challenges exist in the sustenance of a pipeline of qualified educators in all areas, including career and technical education (CTE). A recent brief, "Teacher Shortage Undermines CTE," by the National Association of State…

The author became aware that there are hundreds of retired teachers in the community who want to continue to learn, or at least to have their intellect stimulated. Some join clubs or read books or do crosswords or even surf the net when they retire, but these folks wanted to be stimulated with some mathematics. The author was initially surprised…

At colleges, presidents, provosts, and even faculty senates are taking a fresh look at how to manage professors' retirements. A few institutions that have sought to trim their tenured-faculty ranks for other reasons offer early lessons for those institutions that want to encourage retirements. Many institutions are doing just that, using…

Even as they grapple with budget pressures from a sagging national economy, states are being forced to make tough decisions on how they will cope with an even more severe longterm fiscal concern: a projected price tag pushing $3 trillion to pay the pensions and health insurance of retired teachers and other government employees. Those commitments…

Teaching is not the safe career bet that it once was. The thinking used to be: New students will always be entering the public schools, and older teachers will always be retiring, so new teachers will always be needed. But teaching jobs aren't secure enough to stand up to the "Great Recession," as this drawn-out downturn has been called. Across…

"The graying of the professoriat," a catchphrase that refers to the increase in the number of full-time faculty working beyond the traditional retirement age of 65, is sparking concern in colleges and universities. The trend is affecting four- and two-year schools and raising questions about the teaching effectiveness, productivity, and vitality…

Equivalence is a fundamental concept that is the basis of personal financial planning. Any Extension consumer financial education program would need the concept to explain financial products that involve a series of payments over some length of time (pensions, fixed annuities, and mortgages). A table of annuity factors is presented that can be…

According to recent literature, the field of school psychology is facing a major shortage of trainers at present and in the near future. Although this is not a new issue facing the field, faculty retirements are increasing, and fewer doctoral candidates in school psychology are choosing an academic path for their careers, resulting in many faculty…

This article shares a reframing of lifelong learning beyond a formal career. Like many of his peers, after 40 years in postsecondary education, the author has moved beyond his most recent full-time work teaching in an adult education graduate program to emeritus faculty status. In this article, he shares his experience moving into the next phase…

"Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013" contains the Budget Message of the President, information on the President's priorities, budget overviews organized by agency, and summary tables. The 2013 Budget contains a number of steps to put the country on a fiscally sustainable path. First, this Budget implements the tight…

Chicago teachers voted last week to suspend a 7-day-old strike, sending some 350,000 students back to the classroom and paving the way for the teaching force to vote on a tentative contract. But for many in the Windy City, the contract has raised another potentially tall hurdle: how the cash-strapped district will manage to pay for it. District…

Fueled by declining revenue from the housing crisis, skyrocketing energy costs, and an economy in general disarray, the public is pressuring school administrators to make broader and deeper cuts in their operating budgets. As the baby boomers retire, put their houses on the market, and downsize, one will see more downward price pressure on home…

Recent media reports of teacher shortages across the country are confirmed by the analysis of several national datasets reported in this brief. Shortages are particularly severe in special education, mathematics, science, and bilingual/English learner education, and in locations with lower wages and poorer working conditions. Shortages are…