The purpose of this report is to investigate paid time off, tuition benefits, and retirement benefits offered to higher ed employees. We surveyed 419 higher education institutions on the paid time off, tuition benefits, and retirement benefits they offer their employees. Key findings include the following. Only about one-third of institutions…

Private-college presidents often draw scrutiny for their hefty compensation packages, but most of them have a ready comeback: I could make a lot more money in the corporate world. While this statement is surely sometimes true, it is also true that some of the nation's top-paid presidents continue to receive perks that their corporate counterparts…

When it came to benefits for employees, higher education used to be at the head of the class. Back in the 1950s, academe was one of the first fields to embrace health-insurance coverage for illnesses that do not require hospitalization, and it later led the way toward long-term disability insurance. Universities and colleges approved…

The American Council on Education's 2-year process of investigation, study, and selection that resulted in the council's movement from TIAA/CREF as its only available retirement plan, to a total of 15 retirement options offered by two insured annuity companies and two mutual fund companies is described. (MLW)

One of the major issues about college retirement programs is that of investment options and transferability of TIAA and/or CREF funds to alternative funds. Basic principles to be considered by college trustees involved in review or revision of their institution's pension plan are discussed. (MLW)

Proposes several strategies to resolve pension discrimination issues by examining relevant federal laws and their implications for higher education. (Editor/PG)

Congress' proposed revision of the Internal Revenue Code could have a significant impact on the retirement options available to educators. Some retirement and tax shelter plans are reviewed including: Individual Retirement Accounts, Keogh plans, Section 403(b) of the Code, and retirement and estate planning. (MLW)

Information about pensions offered to employees of 17 Ontario universities is presented. For each of the 17 universities' pension plans, the following types of information are provided: type of plan; eligibility; member contribution; university contribution; benefits on normal retirement, on early retirement, on termination, and on death; model…

Three types of structures used in university systems to permit faculty and staff to take advantage of voluntary Tax Sheltered Annuity (TSA) programs are discussed. An innovative system at the University of Nevada is described. (MLW)

A bridge benefit plan designed to provide an adequate income at age 65 so that faculty and senior administrators at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, can choose to retire at an early age, while deferring receipt of their TIAA-CREF annuity benefits during the bridge period, is described. (MLW)

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…

Strategic benefit planning is a management process that establishes overall objectives that form the basis for decision making on all elements of indirect compensation. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 and implications to tax-sheltered annuities are discussed. An example of a statement of university policy on employee benefits is appended. (MLW)

An article based on a speech to the 24th National Conference on Higher Education of the American Association for Higher Education, Chicago, March 3, 1969. (AP)

Declining enrollments in the 1980s, increasing financial pressures, and declining faculty vigor (publications) are publicized, but long-range planning to combat these problems is encountered less frequently. Early retirement is suggested as one response to meeting these challenges. (Author/MLW)

The California Faculty Association (CFA) seeks to secure and maintain sound retirement options that encourage phased faculty retirement. Their experience in negotiating and administering retirement options are discussed. Defined benefit plan and defined contribution plan are described. CFA agreements are appended. (MLW)