Emeritus Status for Faculty

Policy

CALS faculty who are eligible to activate their annuities from the Wisconsin Retirement System may be conferred the honorary title of Emeritus/Emerita Professor pursuant to campus policies. See Faculty Policies and Procedures Section 7.31 and the Unclassified Personnel Policies and Procedures, Chapter 20.01 IV C . Privileges upon emeritus appointment are listed in the UPPP. Exceptions to the requirement of eligibility to activate WRS annuities may be made in rare cases.

By State of Wisconsin rules, no agreement or contract to re-hire a Wisconsin Retirement System annuitant may be made prior to the date of retirement. However, an agreement to re-hire the individual may be made after retirement. Reemployment may begin no earlier than 30 days after retirement. Emeritus faculty members may be re-employed only on fixed term terminal contracts with a specific end date. Where the emeritus faculty member is re-employed in the same department as the faculty appointment prior to retirement with duties similar to the prior faculty responsibilities, no PVL (position vacancy listing) or PVL waiver is required. If, however, the emeritus faculty member's responsibilities are in a different department or differ from the prior faculty responsibilities, a PVL waiver is required prior to hire.

Procedures

Recommendations for emeritus/emerita status should be supported by the Department Executive Committee and transmitted by the chair to the CALS Dean's Office. If the faculty member holds a tenured or affiliate appointment in more than one department, the departments are expected to confer with each other to coordinate the recommendation. Recommendations sent to the dean must include:

1. A narrative summary citing the professional accomplishments and record of university service of the faculty member, preferably one page in length;
2. A copy of the letter of retirement and the expected date of retirement;
3. A confirmation of the Executive Committee recommendation.

Recommendations should be addressed to the dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and sent electronically to the senior associate dean and appropriate program assistant (Birl Lowery and Julie Scharm).

The dean will consult with the associate deans of the college in forwarding the recommendation to the Office of the Chancellor, in care of the Office of Human Resources. The dean will forward the necessary documentation to the chancellor, with a copy to the department.

If approved, the Chancellor's Office forwards a confirmation of the award of emeritus/emerita status directly to the faculty member and department. Please note that the approval process may take 2-3 months.

Recommendations may be submitted throughout the year. Recommendations for emeritus status retiring at or prior to the end of a fiscal or academic year should be considered at the time of the budget preparation, typically in February. These recommendations will be submitted along with the budget process to be forwarded to the regents in June. See also Chapter 6 of each year's budget instructions.