Emeritus College Planning Group---meeting January 28, 2011.
The committee met and the three newest members were introduced: Steve DeLurgio,
Reaner Shannon and Merton Shatzkin. The other members present were: Linda
Edwards, Nancy Mills, Dale Neuman and Charles Wurrey.
Nancy Mills reviewed our charge: To examine models, see what type might be of benefit
to UMKC, make a proposal; embodying our recommendations and report our progress
along the way to the Strategic Planning Committee. She noted that we have a website
to post materials on well as highlighted the points covered in our first meeting for the
new members. One question that was raised was what the relationship of a UMKC
Emeritus College might be to UMKC’s SPARK program and that led to a brief
discussion of the origin and funding issues of SPARK.
The committee then began its review of those Emeritus Colleges previously identified to
or by the committee. That list included: Arizona State, Clemson, Emory, Indiana, Yale,
UCLA. We also had agreed to look to what the Association of Retirement Organizations
in Higher Education had to say about Emeritus Colleges. We were able to review our
findings on the first four in this list in the time remaining---findings taken both from
websites and from personal phone calls to those involved or otherwise familiar at
several of the universities. Rather than list a school by school review, the group
identified similarities and differences that will be highlighted in the following list of issues
that will have to be answered in the UMKC proposal. This reporter thanks the chair for
compiling the list. He alone is responsible the annotations to it. He suggests that maybe
a spreadsheet table with those questions from this list (and others that we may add) on
one axis and a list of the emeritus colleges on the other with some way of indicating
where they were on each dimension would let us see if there is any clustering of
attributes---which he suspects might be there.
1. Models? We have found three different “core” types of missions and some
hybrids. One core is as an intellectual home for emeritus faculty where they can
meet and from which continue their research and teaching interests in retirement
in the service of the university. A second core is similar in its basis but is
directed more to life-long learning and enrichment for the retirees themselves
and includes a social element. The third has a similar base but the focus is on
enrichment and professional expertise efforts in the context of community
outreach by the Emeritus College members. The hybrids tend to attempt to serve
all three sets of interests to varying degrees.
2. Structure/Administration/Governance? Here too we found different patterns.
Some have formal structures with Deans appointed by the CAO (from either
emeriti or non-emeriti faculty and are considered an academic unit on the
campus with the attendant administrative staff, rules of procedure, etc. Some
3.
4.
5.
6.
Deans are rotating positions reviewed by an advisory committee while others
serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer---usually the Provost. Others with
more structure (but that are not part of the campus academic organization) still
operate with by-laws for self-governance, an advisory committee to the director
and an operational committee structure related to functions/activities, an official
membership, dues, hours of operation, rules for use of space, etc. Others are
less structured but may have a director and/or staff (full-time or part-time) that
handle the scheduling of activities, processing inquiries, doing the general
administrative tasks for the Emeritus College. Some use newsletters and/or have
their own websites as part of the institution’s web presence.
Space? There is variety here as well, as some have a house that is the hub of all
(mostly social or enrichment) activities while others have a house or building or
other space that serves as the administrative home. Some provide office spaces
assigned for fixed but renewable terms, conference rooms, computer and other
support for emeritus college faculty members to accomplish the Emeritus College
mission.
Budget/Funding Sources? Where the Emeritus College is an academic unit, its
founding comes through the institution plus any endowment to the Emeritus
College. Where it is not so linked, its funding appears to be more limited and less
certain except in the case where a founding endowment may be in place that
covers space and support, etc. Several have membership dues as well as
opportunities to donate to the support of the Emeritus College. Some provide
modest travel or research or lectureship honoraria support that in most cases is
created by named endowments for the specific purpose by emeritus faculty or
their families as memorials.
Membership? There is a range of definitions here as well. Some are only open
to current emeritus faculty while others include those planning to retire as well.
Another is open to emeriti faculty and librarians, their spouses, surviving
spouses, and partners. Some are open to emeriti from other four-year institutions
as well as campus faculty who are not emeritus under different membership
categories. Some are open to “others” who support the mission of the Emeritus
College. In most cases it seems that emeritus status confers regular membership
but that persons other than emeriti must be invited or approved before they can
join and then as a special category. Even where qualifying for membership may
be automatic (by definition), there may be application and/or other forms to elicit
information on expertise and interests as well as to pay dues or make donations.
Not all require dues and those that do seem to have started at modest levels
while one had a proposal pending to raise theirs to $75.
Impact on other campus groups? A question in our minds was to look for
information for several reasons related to UMKC’s current organization. With
SPARK already serving as one vehicle for life-long learning on campus and with
pending developments/ elaborations of the Honors College, Student Success
Center, University College, etc., some of the functions associated with other
examples of Emeritus Colleges were seen as possibly duplicative of existing or
planned efforts at UMKC( e.g. mentoring, special lectures for special audiences).
And what we found was that there is a range here, as some have their calendars
of activities as part of the campus calendar; the advisory committees for some
include non-retired faculty; some specifically engage the emeriti college faculty
with students as mentors, as the course instructor or as guest lecturer; one has
its members creating an oral history of the institution. One sees emeritus college
faculty as mentors for new and younger faculty. One has a committee to advise
its university on emeritus policy while another specifically stipulates that its
emeritus college members will have no role related to policies related to
governing the awarding of emeritus status. Some have representation on the
campus faculty governance body (e.g. a Senate). Some use emeritus college
faculty to travel and meet with alumni. So “impact” seems to depend on campusspecific issues of the past and the particular needs of its current organization.
7. Links to the Community? The information here suggests that the mission
statement may set limits or open opportunities that are then incorporated in some
way in the structure of the Emeritus College. Membership application forms may
ask for information on expertise for the purpose of setting up lectures for the
broader community. Some advisory committees to the Dean or Director of the
Emeritus College may include community members or campus officials
associated with continuing learning precisely to facilitate outreach. Some have
specific endowments to cover costs of taking a speaker into the community.
8. Links to other Retiree Groups? In terms of membership, this seems governed
by the specific limits set in the organization’s by-laws. Some permit “others”
committed to the purpose/mission of the Emeritus College to join. Out-reach and
some on-campus programs of most Emeritus Colleges reviewed could clearly
serve the intellectual interests of other retirees. I did not note any specific
references to link with other campus retiree organizations, per se, and that will be
an issue to be addressed at UMKC.
9. Relation to UMKC/UM policy on emeritus status and with the UMKC
Senate? See commentary on items 2 and 6 above.
10. Constituent Groups with which to Meet? See commentary on items 2,5,6 & 7.
11. Plan for Writing the UMKC Proposal? To be determined.