Teacher pension systems concentrate retirements within a narrow range of the career cycle by penalizing individuals who separate too soon or remain employed too long. The penalties result in the retention of some teachers who would otherwise choose to leave, and the premature exit of some teachers who would otherwise choose to stay. We examine the…

In April 2009, a high school principal in a large Arizona school district met individually with 18 of his most senior teachers to inform them that they would not have a job the following year. Why didn't tenure protect them from wholesale dismissal? The answer is they all had one thing in common: they were retirees who had been leased or hired…

Results of a new survey of family-friendly benefits by the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor show that stopping the tenure clock has become the most common family-friendly benefit in higher education, following paid maternity leave. Other family-friendly policies that top the list in academe allow…

The Committee on Retirement of the American Association of University Professors initiated its first retirement policies survey in 2000 to address a lack of reliable and systematically collected information on retirement policies and practices across U.S. institutions of higher education. At the end of the 1990s, there was a sense that…

Retirement plans and concerns of tenured faculty 40 years old and older were evaluated in 1979. For the sample of 26 member institutions of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, 1,193 faculty members returned usable questionnaires. The evaluation focused on the following: characteristics of the faculty respondents, current circumstances…

The role and tasks of college committees charged with planning for the end of mandatory faculty retirement in 1994 are discussed, and a variety of faculty development, tenure, and salary policy options to consider are outlined. (MSE)

College administrators are beginning to think about the impact on institutional personnel management, and perhaps the whole tenure system, of the 1994 implementation of a federal law ending mandatory faculty retirement at 70. (MSE)

Proposed alternatives to the current tenure system are administratively, legally, and ethically unsatisfactory. If uncapping the retirement of faculty presents significant problems, which is not yet clear, the academic community would be better advised to explore voluntary early retirement programs and policies. (Author/MSE)

The American Association of University Professors' Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure reports on possible results on faculty salary structure, the tenure system, and retirement options of legislation uncapping the mandatory retirement age of college faculty. Considerations for institutions to make in adjusting personnel policies are…

Because of the end of mandatory retirement for faculty in January 1994, colleges and universities are looking at ways to motivate faculty to retire before age 70. A variety of incentives are being considered, including early retirement bonuses, allowing retirees to teach courses and keep a campus office, and toughening tenure evaluations. (MSE)

Mandatory retirement of college faculty, as affected by the amendments to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), is considered in relation to the changing faculty age profile, retirement strategies to cope with ADEA, and other issues under ADEA. ADEA raised the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 70, and tenured faculty were exempted…

A study was conducted to assess the implications of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) amendments of 1978 that raises the mandatory retirement age for faculty. Tenured employees of colleges and universities may be retired between the ages of 65 and 70 until July 1, 1982, at which time the age 70 minimum retirement goes into effect.…

A survey was conducted of colleges and universities to determine the use of exemption for tenured faculty members and of decoupling measures permitted under Department of Labor regulations. The survey was a followup of an earlier study by the American Council on Education. The followup sample was composed of the 353 institutions in the original…

The uncapping of college faculty retirement age in 1994 has implications for tenure, retirement programs, and potential for age discrimination litigation. Institutions should carefully examine the probable impact of the change on the quality of their academic programs and financial situation and develop contingency plans as early as possible. (MSE)

Eliminating mandatory retirement for tenured professors will force institutions to reassess their relationships with older faculty. Institutions should not abolish or modify existing tenure policies, which might erode academic freedom, but should instead adopt and consistently apply performance review procedures. (Author/MSE)