Currently, higher education is being roiled by class-action lawsuits filed against high-profile institutions, including MIT, Yale and New York University, over management of their retirement plans. As the lawyers are deployed and the billable hours accrue, it is timely to examine how those who have responsibility for retirement plan…

The relationship between employer and employee has changed significantly over the past 40 years. One of the greatest changes in this relationship is in the nature of employee retirement. While pension reform at public and private colleges has helped ensure institutional financial viability, retirement security for employees has declined. With the…

Do employees at public colleges and universities have better retirement benefits than K-12 employees? This is the central question in the new report "Choice and Quality Among Retirement Plans for Educators." To answer this question, we evaluate the quality of higher education and K-12 retirement plans using five key variables: (1)…

The information technology (IT) workforce serves many vital functions in higher education, supporting campus computing needs ranging from advanced research and business and administrative operations to student learning and technology needs. As IT becomes an increasingly important part of the success of higher education, it is equally important to…

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…

This report presents results of a survey of pension plans offered by Ontario universities to their employees. A summary provides overall information by: type of plan; eligibility; member contributions; university contributions; benefits; indexing; and standard options for benefit payment on early retirement, termination, or death. An explanation…

The current downturn has the potential to be more severe and longer lasting than the recessions of the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and early 2000s. By now, rivers of ink have been spilled documenting the financial and economic crisis afflicting the United States and much of the globe. While numerous articles have examined the impact on higher-education…

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)

This paper reports on a study of higher education health-care coverage for retirees including trends in coverage since 1987, major current provisions of institutions' coverage, and program cost controls. A total of 1,6701 institutions responded to a retiree heath-care survey. Among the findings were: (1) 61 percent of colleges and universities and…

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…

Examined the impact of career orientation and demographic variables on retirement attitudes, intended age of retirement, and retirement preparation among university employees (N=213). Results indicated that occupational status is associated with unique patterns of career orientation as well as differences in anticipated age of retirement.…

As the number and level of fringe benefits increases, particularly in the retirement sphere, institutions must keep in mind that today's commitment will be felt in tomorrow's budget. The range of employee benefits available are analyzed with regard to cost: unfunded benefits (vacations, leave), government programs, insurance, retirement plans, and…

Examines the range of knowledge about retirement-related issues that exists among various employee groups within a particular organization. Finds that education was a strong predictor in determining employees' knowledge. Discusses implications for future research regarding the development of materials designed to educate employees about…

This report, the seventh in a regular biennial survey series, provides standardized comparative information on expenditures by colleges and universities for employee retirement and insurance benefits in 25 tables and 5 charts. The data, collected in 1990 from 634 institutions, reflect information supplied for either fiscal or calendar year 1989.…

This report, the eighth in a regular biennial survey series, provides standardized comparative information on expenditures by colleges and universities for employee retirement and insurance benefits in 26 tables and 5 charts. The data, collected in 1992 from 577 institutions, reflect information supplied for either fiscal or calendar year 1981.…