Toward a Concept of “Emeritus”

Each year, the university confers the title “Emeritus” on qualified academic and administrative faculty (defined as per the APSCUF CBA) who have been recommended through a department-based process.

Emeritus status is an honor conferred by the university to show respect for a distinguished career. It says “even though you are no longer an official part of this organization, you have shown such merit that we claim you as a continuing part of our professional group; we gather glory from your reflected glory.”

In addition to the public award and inclusion in a published listing of emeriti, the university may provide benefits such as library privileges and office space when available. The university community is encouraged to use the skills and the talents of emeriti on a voluntary basis when appropriate.

Definitions

For purposes of this document, the following definitions from the CBA shall be applied:

“Academic Faculty” — Department chairpersons, full-time teaching faculty, including librarians with faculty status, part-time teaching faculty, librarians without faculty status, and faculty members whose basic responsibilities lie outside of the classroom setting who have been designated as Academic Faculty. (p. 1)

“Administrative Faculty” — Faculty members whose basic responsibilities lie outside of the classroom who have not been designated as Academic Faculty. (p. 1)

Note: Any faculty member of any rank meeting the above definitions and required years of IUP service may be nominated, as per procedures following.

Procedure

Nominations for emeritus status must be initiated within two years following retirement. The title “posthumous emeritus” may also be awarded to faculty who die before retiring. Nominations must be initiated within two years following death.

Nominations for emeritus status may be made by a current or recently retired/resigned IUP faculty member (preferably from the nominee's department) who is familiar with the nominee's professional contributions. The candidate for emeritus status (or, in the case of “posthumous emeritus,” the nominator) shall seek the endorsement of his/her department. The members of the department will vote on the candidate's application. A vote by secret ballot is required by tenured and tenure-track members according to the department's established procedures

The department vote is one important source of information that will be used in evaluating the nomination. However, an unfavorable department vote will not necessarily preclude the nominee from further consideration. If a majority approval is not secured, the vote will be reported to the nominator, along with indication of the area(s) in which the candidate has not excelled. With this information, the nominator, in consultation with the nominee (where possible), will decide whether to continue with the application process. When both nominator and nominee choose to continue with the application process, the nominator shall send the completed transmittal form, along with the nomination letter and supporting documentation, to the dean/vice president. The dean/vice president shall submit these documents with his or her recommendation to the provost who will, in turn, send them along with his or her recommendation to the Senate Academic Committee for consideration. The recommendation of the Academic Committee shall then be submitted to the Senate for approval, and, then, to the Council of Trustees, for final approval.

Criteria

Each nominee for emeritus status must have been a full-time academic or administrative faculty member at IUP for at least 10 years and must have demonstrated effective teaching or administrative faculty performance. In addition, the nominee must have made a significant contribution while at the university in at least two of the following areas:

  1. Scholarly growth
  2. Active participation in department activities
  3. Active participation in university activities

For Academic Faculty, the nomination for emeritus status must include:

  1. An updated curriculum vitae.
  2. A nomination letter that includes a substantive narrative addressing how the nominee qualifies for emeritus status. The nomination letter should refer to specific evidence of the nominee's qualifications. Although the application need not include the materials themselves, evidence such as publications, awards, and acknowledgements of outstanding service should be cited in sufficient detail.
  3. Copies of most recent performance reviews (including DEC, department chair, and dean's reports).*

*Note: Consent of the nominee is needed for performance reviews.

The nomination for Academic Faculty may also include other materials, such as:

  1. Letters of commendations or other special recognition.
  2. A rebuttal, by the nominee or nominator, to a negative assessment by the department/unit.
  3. Summary reports of recent student evaluations.†

†Note: Consent of the nominee is needed for student evaluations.

For Administrative Faculty, the nomination must include:

  1. An updated curriculum vitae.
  2. A nomination letter that includes a substantive narrative addressing how the nominee qualifies for emeritus status. The nomination letter should refer to specific evidence of the nominee's qualifications. Although the application need not include the materials themselves, evidence such as publications, awards, and acknowledgements of outstanding service should be cited in sufficient detail.
  3. Copies of most recent performance reviews.*

*Note: Consent of the nominee is needed for performance reviews.

The nomination for Administrative Faculty may also include other materials, such as:

  1. Letters of commendation or other special recognition.
  2. A rebuttal, by the nominee or nominator, to a negative assessment by the department.

The Academic Committee reserves the right to request clarification from the department and to request additional information from the nominator and/or nominee.

Nominations for emeritus, or posthumous emeritus status, with supporting evidence for the above criteria should be in the office of the appropriate dean/vice president by noon on Friday, September 28, 2018, who will forward them to the Provost's Office by noon on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.