Important considerations for institutions wanting to establish supplementary early retirement benefits to encourage the practice are outlined. Regulations concerning pension plans, tax-sheltered annuities, and deferred compensation are reviewed. Individually negotiated early retirement supplements are not recommended. (MSE)

Examines professional growth, tenure limitations, and early retirement as methods of balancing age groups in the professoriate. (IRT)

Higher education's largest pension companies and others involved in the faculty retirement fund market can expect to face questioning about their investment policies and long-term performance. The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) have been sharply criticized for their investment strategies…

College and university employees are exposed to considerable risk in the management of their retirement funds, but there are also extraordinary opportunities for careful investors. Colleges should help employees gain knowledge of investing and ensure that a broad range of adequate investment options are available. (MSE)

As many baby boomers prepare to retire in the next decade, there are not enough young junior faculty members in the professoriate to replace them, according to a recent study by the American Council on Education (ACE). The ACE report, "Too Many Rungs on the Ladder? Faculty Demographics and the Future of Leadership in Higher Education," highlights…

This case study examines the impact of Early Retirement Incentive Programs (ERIP) on Ohio's two-year public colleges through a single case study analysis at Monticello Community College. Data came from interviews and an examination of college documents. This study specifically sought to address: (1) the financial impact (savings versus costs) of…

Higher education employees often participate in university-sponsored defined contribution pension plans that place the investment decision responsibility upon them. In order to examine investment decision-making behavior with retirement savings plans we investigated attitude-mediated, individual difference determinants of risky decision-making…

Economic underpinnings of retirement incentives and case law leading to the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act (1986) are reviewed; implications for early retirement incentives for college faculty are considered. It is concluded that congressional intent is not to foreclose such incentives and that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act…

The University of Virginia's retirement incentive program for older, full-time, tenured faculty provided two options: phased retirement and a retirement decision contract establishing a firm retirement date. Evaluation indicates this plan was effective in meeting the interests and needs of participants and the institution and saved institutional…

Results of a 1983 survey of pension plans in 17 Ontario, Canada, universities are presented. Information is provided on the following areas: type of plan, eligibility, member contributions, university contributions, benefits on normal retirement (age 65) and on early retirement (age 55), trustee and investment manager, and pension committee…

While corporations have been offering early retirement to their employees for a number of years, universities and colleges have only recently used such programs to create change. This survey was conducted to determine how professors are faring as relative newcomers to early retirement programs. Questionnaires were mailed to 159 colleges and…

The results of a survey of pension plans in 17 Ontario, Canada, universities are presented in terms of: type of plan; eligibility; member contributions; university contributions; benefits on normal retirement (age 65) and on early retirement (age 55); trustee and investment manager; and pension committee composition, responsibilities, and status.…

This study describes the present status of benefit planning in the junior colleges, discusses the principles governing benefit plans, and raises questions regarding the development of sound benefit plans in light of the needs of individual faculty and staff as well as of the goals of the institution. The base of the study was a questionnaire…

In supporting the principle of equal monthly retirement benefits for women and men faculty, the author examines legal and other questions involved in determining whether separate mortality tables are equitable and whether equal contributions or equal monthly benefits is the proper measure of equality. (JT)

Harvard University has found that insuring its retiring faculty for long-term health care was too expensive, blocking implementation of its planned benefits program and potentially affecting the planning of many colleges. (MSE)