Using the example of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, discusses how the economic downturn is prompting states and university systems to offer faculty members big incentives to retire, raising questions about effects on the quality of teaching. Includes a sidebar on other prominent retirees. (EV)

Retirement plans and concerns of tenured faculty 40 years old and older were evaluated in 1979. For the sample of 26 member institutions of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, 1,193 faculty members returned usable questionnaires. The evaluation focused on the following: characteristics of the faculty respondents, current circumstances…

The adequacy of pension plans for persons retiring from colleges and universities is considered. Data are presented showing that people who retired in the late 1960s and early 1970s from higher education institutions at ages 65 and 68 spent most of their working lives earning less than $10,000 a year. The phenomenon of low pensions in an age of…

The impact on the age 70 mandatory retirement law on future employment opportunities and payroll costs of faculties of member institutions of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE) was evaluated. Current and 5-year historical information on tenure-tract arts and science faculty of 27 of the COFHE institutions were analyzed. This…

The baby boom generation faces added uncertainty on their investments and perhaps lower realized rates of return on all components of their retirement savings, primarily because of their large number. Effects will be felt in the Social Security system and by pension plans and private investors. Individuals, employers, pension fund managers, and…

Retirement plans of older participants of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) were surveyed. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 2,260 participants aged 59-69, and 1,438 returns served as the base for data analysis. This group was 62 percent male and 38 percent female; 48 percent…

Coefficient estimates from a model of faculty retirement decision making are used to simulate the impact of financial incentives for early retirement. The results suggest that plans can be designed to induce relatively large numbers of faculty members to retire prior to the mandatory retirement age. (Author/MLW)

The efficiency and moral of members of college faculties are dependent in a large measure on an assurance of economic security. In order, that they may render a high standard of service in teaching youth and in discovering knowledge for the benefit of society, protection for them and their families against the risks and anxieties of the future is…

A college or university is a member of a community. Whether it withers or grows depends on its relationships within that community. Institutions can strengthen community ties by organizing advisory councils, conducting economic impact surveys, involving alumni and retired faculty, and encouraging athletic booster clubs. (Author/MLW)

The importance of appropriate compensation and employment security for college faculty is discussed, in light of the declining purchasing power and wages for teachers and the erosion of benefits and pension prospects. From 1970 to 1985, the national average faculty salary, adjusted for inflation, fell 15.1%. Regardless of personal commitments and…

First-hand accounts of retired life from the personal perspectives of retirees are provided, based on a 1982-1983 survey. The accounts are based on written statements from over 1,500 retirees of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association/College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA/CREF). The comments were elicited at the end of a 20-page…

This report of proceedings provides transcripts of 14 speeches concerning collective bargaining in higher education. Conference themes were: unionized employment relations; and the economic, political, and legal issues of the 1990s that are viewed as being influential in the collective bargaining process. The speeches are as follows: "Union…

Part of the crisis in higher education is due to the age and tenure distribution of the faculty and their escalating future salary costs. Universities must find ways to gain financial and academic flexibility. Career alternatives that can provide inducements for faculty to leave the university are described. (Author/MLW)

A report of the Texas Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Compensation is presented, and recommendations of the Texas Coordinating Board, based on the work of the Ad Hoc Committee, are offered. Additionally, a companion document dated January 30, 1981, includes the text of presentations at an October hearing, an analysis of retirement and group insurance…