Last Revised Date: February 2024
I. POLICY STATEMENT.
This policy describes Emeritus Status for faculty at Occidental College (“College), the associated privileges, and how such status may be granted or revoked.
II. APPLICABILITY.
This policy applies to all faculty who wish to be granted or are granted Emeritus Status by the College.
III. POLICY.
A. Eligibility for and Obtaining Emeritus Status
A regular member of the faculty in good standing who retires after at least 10 years of full-time service to the College and who is at least 55 years of age at the time of retirement is eligible for Emeritus Status at the rank of their appointment at time of retirement (i.e., Professor Emeritus, Associate Professor Emeritus). Emeritus Status is conferred to recognize the meritorious service of the faculty member upon or after retirement and to affirm the inclusion of the emeritus faculty member as a part of the broader College community.
Emeritus Status should be requested from the Dean of the College when submitting the letter indicating the intent to retire. If approved by the College, Emeritus Status takes effect on August 16th of the academic year following retirement, and it is contingent on the faculty member fulfilling their responsibilities associated with leaving the College (including vacating all office and laboratory space).
The Dean of the College and the President confer the Emeritus Faculty title and report such to the Trustees. The conferring of the title neither extends, nor creates, an employment relationship with the College unless otherwise agreed upon by the faculty member and the College in writing.
B. Privileges of Emeritus Status
Emeritus Status confers the following privileges on the holder:
- Maintenance of an Occidental College email account for College-related business and activity communications;
- Faculty/Staff parking privileges (with valid permit, available from Campus Safety);
- Participation in public ceremonies (march in the faculty procession at Commencement, convocation, and other ceremonial events);
- Participation in community-building events sponsored by the Center for Research and Scholarship;
- Access to:
- Indoor and outdoor athletic facilities;
- AGC Faculty Lounge;
- Campus athletic, intellectual, and cultural events similar to those offered to Faculty;
- The oxy-faculty-l email listserv (which provides notification about College events on and off campus; and
- The oxy-emeritus-l listserv (may be removed upon request).
Where the Emeritus Faculty wishes to continue their scholarly and creative activity after retirement, the College may provide access to the following support resources:
- The library and its collections, including on-line periodicals, and Interlibrary Loan resources;
- College-licensed software, databases, and video-conference platforms (subject to contractual limitations);
- Shared office space (when available) on a year-by-year basis*;
- Limited technical and/or administrative support**; and
- Legal defense and indemnification for their scholarly work, subject to the terms and conditions of the College’s insurance policies in effect at the time of the claim.
*In light of space constraints, the College cannot guarantee that dedicated office space will be available for Emeritus Faculty. Emeriti must vacate their assigned office and laboratory space prior to July 1st of the year of their retirement. The College cannot assign research or laboratory space to Emeritus Faculty.
**Should an Emeritus Faculty require administrative or secretarial support, requests should be directed to the Dean of the College, who, in consultation with the supervisor of department coordinators, will determine whether any support resources can be provided.
Note that the resources stated above are (1) subject to limitations and restrictions and (2) limited: where the College must prioritize the needs of current students and faculty, not all of the above resources may be available to all Emeritus Faculty.
Emeritus Faculty may be required to participate in the College’s mandated harassment training if they are intending to maintain a presence on campus or interact with students.
Emeritus Status does not confer voting privileges or membership in the general faculty.
C. Teaching Opportunities for Emeritus Faculty
At the sole discretion of, and according to the needs of the College, Emeritus Faculty members may be allowed to teach on a per-course basis. Such courses will be paid at the prevailing T3 faculty overload rate. Emeritus Faculty who return to teach may concurrently hold their Emeritus Faculty title and a non-tenure track faculty title (e.g., Emeritus Professor and Visiting Professor of X). As a non-tenure track faculty, the Emeritus Faculty will be subject to the same appointment and evaluation policies as all non-tenure track faculty who teach part-time and will be subject to all applicable aspects of the collective bargaining agreement with the non-tenure track faculty union.
D. Revocation of Emeritus Status
If granted, Emeritus Status may be revoked by the Dean of the College if the Dean, in their sole discretion, determines that the Emeritus Faculty member (1) has misused their privileges, (2) failed to comply with applicable College policies, or (3) that it is in the best interests of the College to revoke the Emeritus Status. The Dean will consult with, and inform, the Faculty Council before deciding to revoke Emeritus Status.
IV. POLICY HISTORY.
Responsible Officer(s): Vice President for Academic Affairs
Last Revised Date: February 14, 2024