In this paper, we present an analysis of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) pension plan and an empirical investigation of the behavioral response to that plan, as well as to a possible reform plan. We begin by describing the plan parameters and discussing the incentives these parameters create. We then estimate the effect of pension…

The study applies a pension acceptance model to acceptance of an early retirement pension bonus. Probabilities of acceptance range from .18 to .33. It also simulates acceptance behavior without the bonus, with probabilities of acceptance ranging from .11 to .30. (Author/CH)

Institutions must provide good counseling regarding retirement program benefits, since when in doubt about their financial position faculty members are inclined to remain employed. Colleges should consider offering nonfinancial incentives for early retirement as well as financial. (MLW)

Raising the age of mandatory retirement will retard the rate of promotional prospects only slightly in the economy. Larger delays will occur for top positions. Individual firms may experience greater delays depending on their rate of growth, previous retirement age, and willingness of older workers to remain on the job. (Author)

A model of faculty flow was used to predict the effects of new operating policies on the age and rank composition of a large group of university faculty. Specific policies analyzed with this model include changing promotion rates for nontenure faculty and implementing an early retirement program for tenure faculty. (Editor/PG)

Findings of three reports on the potential impact of age 70 mandatory retirement legislation on the arts and sciences faculties of institutions belonging to the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE) are summarized. In a report by J. Russell Southworth et al., faculty flow (departures, new appointments, appointments to tenure, etc.) is…

The 1978 Amendments to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act establishes the mandatory retirement age at 70. The implications for higher education are discussed, a steady-state model is examined, and an alternative is offered. (Author/MLW)

A study of college faculty evolution at Colgate University using a computer simulation model demonstrates how such a model can be used in planning and policy development. The potential effects of changes in retirement and tenure policies at Colgate and their ramifications for the affirmative action program are discussed. (Author/JMF)

Changes in the composition of faculty with regard to age, tenure status, number of new members, average salary, turnover rate, and percentage of nontenured faculty receiving tenure are of concern to university policy makers. As a result of developments, such as changes in the mandatory retirement age and the limited growth of universities,…

Academic staffing practices used at four-year colleges and universities are identified, and recommendations are offered for achieving staffing flexibility in the face of conditions such as scarce resources. In addition to considering faculty flow models (e.g., Markov models and simulators) as a management/planning tool to evaluate personnel and…

The impact of alternative institutional policies on faculty mix, salary expense, and turnover is assessed. Guidelines are offered to aid health science school administrators to maintain faculty vitality through a period of retrenchment and new federal retirement law. A "typical" hypothetical school of medicine is simulated using a…