A survey of current early retirement programs and faculty age distributions was conducted among 23 colleges in the Consortium on Financing Higher Education and 13 universities in the Association of American Universities. Tabular data and narrative descriptions are presented in two major sections. The first section presents data on the number of…

Addresses the issue of "uncapping" in institutions of higher education. Notes that, beginning January 1, 1994, chronological age will no longer be a legally acceptable cause for dismissal of tenured faculty 40 years of age and older. Discusses the governance problems expected to result from this change in federal law. (Author/BH)

Until the beginning of 1994, federal law permitted mandatory retirement of tenured faculty at age 70. The Committee on Mandatory Retirement in Higher Education, formed by the National Research Council, was charged by Congress to examine potential effects on colleges, universities, and faculty members of ending the exemption for tenured faculty…

A university needs to put to best use the experience, wisdom, and capacities for reflective and integrative thinking that can be found among those older faculty that have been previously forced to retire. Many older academics can do a lot to fill gaps in interdisciplinary and problem-oriented research. (MLW)

This study examined retirement and other departure plans of full- and part-time faculty and staff in higher education institutions using data from the 1988 and 1993 National Studies of Postsecondary Faculty. Among the study's findings were: 22 percent of full-time and 38 percent of part-time faculty planned to leave their current position within…

This research brief examines changes in the age distribution of faculty in the University of Wisconsin (UW) system over time and trends in faculty retirement. Findings indicate that: (1) in 1997-98, 35 percent of faculty were age 55 and older, 51 percent were between 40 and 54, and fewer than 15 percent were under 40; (2) on average, faculty at…

A survey by the Consortium on Financing Higher Education of retirement programs at 36 higher education institutions is described. It was discovered that most institutions have not done much systematic planning and did not know what retirement-related programs cost them. (MLW)

The recent upsurge in the number of Age Discrimination in Employment Act cases suggests the need for a warning about unacceptable employment practices. Focuses on problems attendant to adversely affecting the employment status of over-40-year-old employees. (MLF)

This analysis of the retirement plans of college and university faculty and staff used data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty. It first determined the proportion of faculty who are age 55 or older by institutional type, discipline, gender, and minority/nonminority status and then analyzed their retirement plans using the same…