Presentation on Emeritus College, assembled January 8, 2008 Power Point screens: 1. CU Emeritus College 2. Mission – embeds the Emeritus College in the basic function of the University: to teach, to research, and to serve the community 3. Goals – expanded in Article II of our by-laws, available online Briefly: To encourage involvement of retired faculty with other faculty at all levels as well as students, administration, and the community at large To encourage and support the scholarly pursuits of its members To serve as an incentive for recruitment of senior faculty—i.e. we offer a clear avenue by which to stay connected to the University in retirement To advance the intellectual interests of retired faculty through activities shared with other retirees and with working faculty To offer avenues of service to retired faculty, through which they may support the University and the surrounding community To carry Clemson’s identity as an institution of higher learning and service outward as retirees involve themselves in various activities To ease the transition to retirement through practical advice and shared experiences with other retirees 4. CU Retirees by year – graph In 2008, almost 100 faculty are likely to retire, with another steep jump by 2010. The projected figure is a loss of 270 faculty by 2010. A considerable brain drain! And a lot of hard-working, committed people who would like to serve the university and keep themselves active. This is the prospect that ignited interest in an emeritus organization at Clemson.
5. In the beginning…. University Historian and Vice Provost Jerry Reel joined with Provost Helms in May 2003 to invite interested faculty to a luncheon to explore the possibility of establishing an emeritus college. In October 2004, Dr. Diane Smathers, Professor of Family and Youth Development in Health, Education and Human Development, prepared prepare a concept paper about the projected college, which was accepted by Provost Helms. Dr. Smathers was well suited to this task because her dissertation was about mandatory retirement age legislation. In 2004, the Faculty Manual was amended to include a reference to an emeritus organization. In July 2005, Dr. Smathers, who has had more than 20 years experience in administration, was appointed Director of the Emeritus College, and a website was created. In September 2005, the College’s Advisory Board, of 25 members drawn from all University Colleges and the Library, met for the first time. Provost Helms spoke to the group and outlined her vision of the College. The Board approved a set of guides by which to operate during these formative stages. In October 2005, a newsletter went out to more than 600 emeritus faculty. In February 2006, the Friends of the Emeritus College was established, with the aim of raising $10,000 to fund the programs of the College, especially the dissemination of information about Clemson’s support of its retirees, and opportunities for those retirees to serve Clemson University. In April 2006, our ―Road Map to Retirement‖ seminar was mounted—a daylong event for prospective retirees addressing various issues of emeritus faculty. 135 people attended. We also instituted Emeritus Day on Campus, held in early October. Also in October 2006, the Chair of the Advisory Board Professor Dave Senn attended the biennial meeting of the Association of Retirement
Organizations in Higher Education. He shared our organization’s concerns and accomplishments and returned very positive about our direction. 6. Organization The Emeritus College functions as part of the Provost’s office. Its paid staff consists of the Director, one administrative assistant at half time, one graduate assistant and one student assistant, along with one work-study student. 7. Organization (continued) The College felt it was time to move beyond the guidelines which had governed its activities, and in spring 2007 created a set of by-laws, which were passed, in its first full-membership business meeting, at the October 2008 Emeritus Day on Campus. The Advisory Board moved from 2 meetings per year to three. Its Executive Committee, consisting of the Chair, the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, and the Immediate Past Chair, meet with the Director as necessary, several times a year. 8. Committees The Board functions through committees, drawing on its own members as the core but involving many other emeritus faculty as the committees evolve. Some of these had a short shelf-life, others are on-going. We will address the activities of some of these committees in the remainder of the presentation. 9. Funding Aside from the funds with which the Provost’s office supports the administrative staff and provides for General Operating expenses, the College supports itself through the Friends of the Emeritus College donations. Its budget so far has totaled around $15,000. 10. Teaching/Scholarship
As I’m sure you know, many emeriti are eager to stay in the classroom and to interact with students and other working faculty. The College has created three avenues for such interaction. We involve Emeriti in Creative Inquiry projects. We have instituted a series of lecture/discussion events, which we are calling ―No-Power-Point‖ Seminars—to emphasize that they are lowtech but high in intellectual content. [Any of you would be welcome at these events! They are announced on our website.] We aim for a diversity of topics and currently meet four times per academic year. Third, we are exploring the development of a General Education course which could be taught by a group of emeriti. 11. Research and Publication As a College, we have participated in three research efforts thus far. A graduate student from Clemson’s psychology department found us an easilyaccessible cohort when she designed a study of how much retired teachers are interested in returning to teaching. She presented the results of her research at a national meeting and published and article based on her study. Director Smathers has published two articles about Clemson’s Emeritus College, one invited by the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education and featured in their most recent newsletter.
12. University Service Our ―Road Map to Retirement‖ seminar offered valuable information to potential retirees, and the opportunity to interact with those who have retired and to talk with them about their experiences. We also have a committee exploring international teaching and visitation opportunities for retired faculty members, and trying to identify Clemson alumni in other countries. This kind of networking renders an important service to the University. 13. University Service (continued) We created an exhibit in the Cooper Library demonstrating the wide interests, travels, publications, and service projects undertaken by Clemson Emeriti. The results of this effort were truly amazing. Clemson emeriti are
active in virtually every aspect of the Clemson community and have traveled the world to teach and consult. During this year’s Emeritus Day on Campus, Library Dean Kay Wall provided an opportunity for emeriti to contribute books and photographs to augment the Library’s acquisitions of Clemson historic artifacts and memorabilia. Emeriti contributed 150 books which will be useful to the library’s archives. 14. Community Service The Emeritus College entered a team in the community Spelling Bee held last summer and sponsored by the Clemson Leadership Class of 2007. The aim of the project was to raise funds for Helping Hands, and our team was supported by donations from emeriti and McClure’s Bookshop. The Bee was such a success that it will be an ongoing event raising funds for various charities in the area. The College has also interacted with the Athletic Department by trading tickets to a basketball game for toys to be delivered to its chosen charity. 15. Communications The Emeritus College tries to keep its mailings to a minimum, but it sends out a newsletter about 4 times a year. Its website is always available. 16. The Future What do we see in the future for Clemson’s Emeritus College—say, ten years down the road? We already have some ideas in the works. We would like to act as a nodal point for a more organized mentoring program for young faculty. We are considering an award for a distinguished emeritus, perhaps annual or biennial. We are in need of meeting and office space and would like some kind of location close to campus; we have a committee exploring these opportunities and the funding possibilities. At some point, we would like to ―show off‖ our accomplishments by inviting the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education to hold one of its biennial meetings in Clemson. An endowment for the College is a goal for the future. And we would like to top one thousand members. Since we began with 600, this is likely to happen sooner rather than later ……..
17. Picture Yourself Here… …because YOU will probably be joining us.