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Re: question- emeritus status



I believe that emeritus status has traditionally been a "benefit" available only to people who hold faculty rank.  Hence if your librarians are not faculty, you will have to come up with some special factor to make that person emeritus.  If your librarians are faculty members, there should theoretically be no problem with the awarding of emeritus status to that person.

Here at Texas A&M University we have recently simplified our process for awarding emeritus status to faculty.  For about 12-15 years we had a rather cumbersome system in which each department sent recommendations along with a comprehensive vitae for each retirning faculty member from the department's promotion and tenure committee and the department head to the dean who in turn sent the package with his/her recommendation to the Dean of Faculties who turned the matter over to the Committee on Emeritus Status (a committee of the Faculty Senate) for its recommendation.  This system was established to eliminate some of the inequities that existed years ago when department heads declined to recommend faculty they did not like for emeritus status.  Matters have changed enough in the last couple of years so that departments now send forth simpler packets to the Dean of Faculties on any faculty member who retires in good standing after ten years of service to the university.  The Committee on Emeritus Status still exists as an appeals committee for those who are felt to be not in good standing or who might have been at the univeristy for fewer than ten years.  Our Committee on Emeritus Status studied the processes and procedures at several peer institutions and discovered that those institutions handled the matter in this manner.  The actual conferring of emeritus status is done by the Board of Regents as part of its consent agenda at each meeting.  The consent agenda consists of a variety of issues which are all handled together and are simply approved as recommended by the administration.  

There are in fact two types of emeritus status at Texas A&M.  One is the traditional faculty status.  The other is for administrators.  Hence the university administration has long recommended deans and above for emeritus status as administrators--Dean Emeritus or President Emeritus, etc.  Those matters have never been considered by the Committee on Emeritus Status. 

There has been some talk about an emeritus status system for non faculty, but to the best of my knowledge no such system has been put in place at this time.  

Now for answers to your direct questions.

What contributions qualify a librarian/archivist for emeritus stutus?
Typically that person should hold faculty rank and should have.  The person should also be retiring in good standing with the institution.  This would mean the person should have performed the assigned job in an acceptable manner or perhaps better than only acceptable.  The person should also have done other faculty type things such as publish articles or books, served on committees within the institution and in professional organizations.

Who evaluates the contributions.
Typically I believe the faculty colleagues in the department make the initial recommendation to the university administration who in turn makes a recommendation to the board.

Who confers emeritus status?
I believe it is typically the board who makes the award.

What benefits are there for emeriti?
Departments, colleges, and other units are urged to take advantage of the expertise of their emeritus faculty and consult with them whenever their knowledge and experience may help them plan new programs, modify old ones, or do anything else.  I have no idea how frequently this is done, although I know that some emeritus faculty regularly appear on camus and serve on committees.  Others do not return to campus.
Emeritus faculty are supposed to be given an office if one is available.  Some take advantage of this benefit, but others do not.  All retired faculty and even retired staff can have a free parking pass on the campus but have to renew it each year just as do those who have to pay for them.
Names of emeritus faculty are listed (in a separate category) in the back of the catalogue along with the current faculty.  
If you have no system of emeritus status at your institution. you should be free to suggest whatever it is you want those folks to have realizing of course that the administrators of the institution will have to approve whatever is finally established.


Charles R. Schultz, CA
Professor and Clements Archivist
Cushing Library
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX  77843-5000
c-schultz@tamu.edu
409-862-1555
FAX 409-845-1441

State-of-the-art automation will never beat the wastebasket 
when it comes to speeding up efficiency in the office.
Ann Landers Gem of the Day, July 27, 1994

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