An analysis of the impact of increasing the minimum mandatory retirement age on the retirement patterns of older adults across the entire economy suggests that because of the strong disincentives to work embedded in social security and many employee pensions, most workers will continue to retire in their early sixties. (MSE)

Phased retirement policies are more or less attractive financially and more or less accommodating of individual differences. They are also implemented in varying ways, variations that especially affect departments and academic programs.

A study of the historical connection between pension, mandatory retirement age, and retirement behavior in higher education suggests that raising the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70 will have relatively small, short-term effects on the retirement timing of tenured faculty members. (Author/MSE)

Tenure arrangements are long-term contracts. If their duration is clear, they will protect academic freedom, provide institutions with the flexibility needed to meet changing circumstances, and comply with age-discrimination laws. Policy for the termination of tenure must be redesigned to satisfy competing needs and goals. (Author/MSE)

The implications of the policy choices made in setting up a phased retirement system are demonstrated by its variety of outcomes. (Contains 5 tables.)

Late-career decisions are made by faculty who vary widely in career achievement, personal circumstances, and now, retirement patterns. (Contains 10 tables.)

Individuals who retire have widely varying needs and differ also in their preparedness for their new conditions.

Faculty now have the task of using retirement options creatively, and institutions, of finding common purpose with faculty.

The successful Career Redirection Program of Regis College is described and placed in the context of a multiple-option faculty development program, with its accompanying theoretical rationale. (Author/MLW)

As a result of the new tax law, many tax benefits have been reduced or eliminated, creating a number of financial challenges to colleges and universities. Most major sources of revenue are impaired, while some expenditures are likely to increase. Fund-raising methods, operating costs, and tuition payments will change. (MSE)

A study of 65 doctoral programs in higher education indicates disturbing trends: (1) mergers into larger academic units; (2) significant decline in student diversity among rather stable populations; and (3) retirement of most tenured faculty within 10 years. Despite continuity and stability overall, these changes suggest a need for unified…