Like many states, Minnesota has incurred large budget deficits during the past two years. Those deficits have, in turn, led to changes in a number of areas of state government, particularly higher education. Faculty have incurred pay freezes and layoffs, programs have closed, and tuition increased. Campuses within the MnSCU system have been…

Problems posed by abrupt transition to a steady state following rapid expansion in Australian universities are reviewed. Focus is on demography of departments, new developments in academic disciplines, tenure, and early retirement. (LBH)

Midcareer change programs and alternatives for early retirement for college faculty are considered based on the current situation of declining or stable student enrollments, diminished faculty mobility, and increased numbers of tenured faculty. Midcareer change programs fall into two general categories: (1) retraining programs designed to enable…

To offset declining enrollments, financial constraints, younger faculties, and high tenure ratios, some institutions are considering early retirement programs to facilitate faculty turnover. A University of Virginia faculty committee reviewed several early retirement options and selected a cost-effective bridging program with ample incentives and…

Alternatives proposed include early and phased retirement, career change incentives, retraining programs and/or leave, outplacement, and an earnings supplement at severance. (MSE)

The involuntary release of about 100 tenured faculty at Michigan State University in 1981 was avoided through implementation of a plan of financial incentives for early faculty retirement. The plan is explained from the viewpoint of its author, with colleague comments included. (MSE)

A variety of incentives offered to faculty to leave an institution in difficult financial circumstances are outlined. They include: liberalizing the actuarial pension reduction, lump-sum severance payments, annuity enhancements, phased retirement, retirement perquisites, retraining for outplacement, paid retraining, and earnings supplements during…

Indiana University's experiences with trying to cancel an increasingly expensive early retirement system illustrates some of the ways in which faculty retirement benefits are subject to attack and some of the potential and weaknesses of the traditional faculty governance mechanisms in trying to shape a response. (MSE)

A questionnaire and interviews were used to assess personal and professional characteristics of 97 Canadian college faculty reaching age 65 in 2000-2010. It measured career satisfaction, interest in a career alternatives program, and retirement plans. A significant proportion of respondents found little satisfaction in academe and would consider a…

The dangers to higher education also represent important opportunities for growth and creativity. State level coordinating and governing boards need to examine their leadership responsibilities, the role of new technologies in higher education, and the appropriate response to faculty retirement patterns in the near future. (MSE)

Using personnel data from 106 California community colleges (CCC) and through interviews with officials of 25 representative community college districts, a study was conducted to determine: (1) the total number of certified full-time staff and faculty who separated from employment after the passage of Proposition 13; (2) the subject fields or…

Argues that higher education's response to change is resulting in the disappearance of tenure, and provides a bibliography of actual institutional and faculty decisions in relation to tenure since the mid-1970s. Focus is on six issues: changes in the meaning of tenure; management of tenure decisions; financial exigency or discomfort; faculty…

The collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Trustees for the Nebraska State Colleges and the State College Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, is presented. In 14 articles the agreement covers the following: purpose of the agreement; recognition of negotiating units; nondiscrimination; grievance…

The collective bargaining agreement between the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the Association of Pennsylvania and University Faculties, an affiliate of the National Education Association, covering the period July 1, 1985-June 30, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition, academic freedom,…

The collective bargaining agreement between Wilberforce University and the Wilberforce University Faculty Association Chapter (50 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 26, 1983-August 31, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: AAUP recognition; dues checkoff;…