Faculty Retirement Procedures

The steps and required paperwork for various forms of faculty retirement are below. Click on the appropriate link for detailed instructions and forms.

WHAT IS NEEDED

STEPS

	Simple Retirement (without any pre- retirement arrangements) Benefits Office > Faculty Resignation Letter > Chair/Dean Approval > Dean Distributes Letters to All Signatories and Faculty Affairs
	Retirement with Negotiated PRE-Retirement Arrangements Benefits Office > Chair and Faculty Member Negotiate Draft Resignation Retirement Agreement > Review of Draft Agreement by Faculty Affairs/Legal Office > Agreement Signed by Faculty Member/Chair/Dean > Faculty Affairs Submits to Provost for Approval > Faculty Affairs Distributes Agreement to All Signatories

Process for Simple Retirement (without any pre-retirement arrangements)

The decision-making for this process resides within the retiree's college. However, the completed retirement papers must be sent to the Provost.

1. The faculty member meets with a benefits office staff member to discuss retirement eligibility, income options, benefits coverage, required paperwork, post-retirement employment constraints, and the optimum date of retirement. A letter confirming the meeting has occurred is signed by the benefits office staff member and forwarded to the department chair/unit head of the faculty member’s tenure home.
2. The faculty member submits to the chair a letter stating his/her intent to retire.
3. The chair signs the retirement letter and forwards it and the benefits letter to the dean. (When the appointment is joint, all participating unit's chairs and deans must sign the retirement letter.)
4. The dean signs the retirement letter and forwards both letters to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, 1119 Main Administration Building. The retirement letter, signed by the faculty member, chair and dean creates a binding agreement between the faculty member and the university.
5. Copies of the letters are distributed to the faculty member, chair, and dean. The original materials are maintained in the Office of the Provost.

Process to Retire with Negotiated Pre-Retirement Arrangements

All pre-retirement arrangements must be reviewed through the Office of Faculty Affairs before signatures are obtained. See step 3. This retirement requires an agreement listing the pre-retirement arrangements rather than a simple resignation letter.

1. The faculty member meets with a benefits office staff member to discuss retirement eligibility, income options, benefits coverage, required paperwork, post-retirement employment constraints, and the optimum date of retirement. A letter confirming the meeting has occurred is signed by the benefits office staff member and forwarded to the department chair/unit head of the faculty member’s tenure home.
2. The department chair/unit head in the faculty member’s tenure home records all negotiated special arrangements during the pre-retirement period in a draft of the Resignation and Retirement Agreement.  If a joint appointment is involved, the proposal should have the consent of the unit head of the secondary unit who eventually must sign off on the final agreement. Should the agreement include a change from an academic year to a fiscal year appointment and/or raises, the agreement must incorporate specific additional duties justifying these changes.
3. The draft of the agreement is sent to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs who will, after consulting with the Legal Office and the Office of Personnel and Budgetary Affairs, offer feedback to the faculty member’s unit.
4. Once preliminary agreement has been obtained, the unit head gives the faculty member the Resignation and Retirement Agreement. He/she has 21 days to sign and submit the agreement to the chair.
5. The chair signs the agreement and forwards it and the benefits letter to the dean. (When the appointment is joint, all participating unit's chairs and deans must sign the agreement.)
6. The dean signs the agreement and forwards it and the benefits letter to the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, 1119 Main Administration Building. The retirement agreement, signed by the faculty member, chair, dean, and provost creates a binding agreement between the faculty member and the university.
7. Copies of the agreement letters are distributed to the faculty member, chair, and dean. The original materials are maintained in the Office of the Provost.