Each year, the university confers the title “Emeritus” on qualified retired faculty and academic administrators who have been recommended through a department-based process.
What does it mean to be “professor emeritus”? “Emeritus” is rooted in Latin e (from) and meritus (deserve, earn). Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary gives these definitions of emeritus:
adjective -
1. holding after retirement an honorary title corresponding to that held last during active service.
2. retired from an office or position; professor emeritus;
noun -
one retired from professional life but permitted to hold the rank of his last office as an honorary title
Emeritus status is an honor conferred by the university to show respect for a distinguished career.
Emeritus Faculty
| Name | Rank | Retirement Date | Year Awarded |
| Dr. Roy Harding | Professor | 5/31/2002 | 2002 |
| Dr. Augusta Syty | Professor | 5/31/2002 | 2002 |
| Dr. Norm Gaggini | Professor | 6/28/2002 | 2002 |
| Dr. Dick Roberts | Associate Professor | 5/31/2002 | 2002 |
| Dr. John Matolyak | Professor | 1/10/2003 | 2003 |
| Dr. Dennis Whitson | Professor | 5/30/2003 | 2003 |
| Dr. Thomas Crumm | Professor | 6/25/2004 | 2004 |
| Dr. Pothen Varughese | Professor | 5/28/2004 | 2004 |
| Dr. Ruiess Ramsey | Associate Professor | 6/30/2006 | 2006 |
| Dr. Kenneth Hershman | Professor | 6/22/2007 | 2007 |
| Dr. Wallace Freeman | Professor | 6/4/2010 | 2011 |
| Dr. Michael Briggs | Associate Professor | 8/24/2012 | 2013 |
| Dr. Sharon Sowa | Associate Professor | 5/31/2013 | 2013 |
| Dr. John Woolcock | Professor | 1/29/2013 | 2013 |
| Dr. Lawrence Kupchella | Assistant Professor | 5/31/2017 | 2017 |
| Dr. Devki Talwar | Professor | 8/17/2018 | 2019 |