Professional Development

Emeritus Award Guidelines

Overview

Emeritus (or, at the request of the faculty member so named, Emerita) status may be conferred upon retirement from the University of South Florida (USF) to faculty and to senior administrators as recognition of sustained contributions to the university according to the guidelines below.

Foundational Principles

  1. By conferring the Emeritus status, the University of South Florida recognizes that the retiring faculty member has normally been at USF for a minimum of 10 years and remains a member of the university community. Therefore, the recommendation that a retirement would lead to the Emeritus status must be grounded in the record of the retiree.
  2. The Emeritus title is not granted automatically to all retirees. Faculty members who have achieved associate rank at USF, and who have maintained a record of sustained contributions in their assigned duties during their careers at USF, qualify for Emeritus status.
  3. Within the umbrella of the campus wide policy on the conferral of Emeritus status embodied in this document, USF recognizes the diversity of disciplinary models of scholarship and therefore lodges the responsibility for evaluation of the appropriateness of the Emeritus status in each case in the department and college with which the faculty member is associated.
  4. The title of Emeritus may be removed by the provost or senior vice president for USF Health for actions that demean or harm the university. Emeriti faculty retain the rights and responsibilities of academic freedom.

Definitions

  1. “Retire” means to terminate service from the university and immediately receive full retirement benefits under any approved university retirement plan.
  2. “Faculty” includes: tenured faculty members holding the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor; and library professional staff holding the ranks of librarian, associate librarian, or assistant librarian; and central administrative officers, deans and directors, if they also hold regular faculty status.
  3. “Honorable service” means that the faculty or staff member was not terminated for violation of university policy. Honorable service includes permanent disability sick leave.
  4. “Department/School” means a department, school, or any equivalent academic entity in units that are not organized in traditional departments. This may include colleges without formal departmental or school structure.

Titles

Faculty members to whom the Emeritus status is granted will retain their rank at the time of retirement followed by the designation “Emeritus.” Those who are granted emeritus status should notify their chair/director at the time of application that they wish to use Emerita officially and may use that title informally whether or not they have notified in advance. Presidents, provosts, and deans and directors may retain at the time of retirement their last administrative title followed by “Emeritus or Emerita.”

Process

  1. Emeritus status is granted by the president of the university in coordination with the provost, and upon the recommendation of the chair/director of the department/school from which the faculty member is retiring. The chair’s/director’s recommendation will normally be endorsed by the dean of the college and the provost. However, the dean or provost is free to conduct a separate evaluation and to reach a decision regarding the candidate that may deviate from the chair’s/director’s or dean’s recommendations.
  2. The process is launched by a letter from the retiring faculty member indicating an interest in holding the Emeritus title, or by a nomination letter from any faculty member in the department. Although later applications will be considered, the process normally begins during the faculty member’s final semester of full employment and will be submitted to the Provost’s Office no later than one month before the end of that semester. It is expected that each department/school will develop its own procedures to ensure faculty input in reaching the recommendation that the chair/director will then write.
  3. The department chair/director must forward the nomination letter to the dean accompanied by a letter in which the chair/director endorses, or fails to endorse, the recommendation for granting Emeritus status. In either case, the letter should briefly evaluate the candidate’s record as a faculty member. This should include a statement regarding the candidate’s contributions to the university, the discipline, the profession, and student learning. Deans’ recommendations should involve consultation with the regional chancellors to determine concurrence with the recommendation if the faculty member being nominated is housed on a branch campus. Concurrence or lack thereof should be reported in the dean’s letter.
  4. The chair’s/director’s letter should be accompanied by the candidate’s curriculum vitae.
  5. Appointments to emeritus status shall be reported through appropriate channels for personnel changes to Human Resources.
  6. Emeritus status removal procedures occur when the provost/senior vice president for USF Health consults with faculty and dean in the relevant department and college and members of the University of South Florida senate designated by the president of the senate. Notice of the decision must be in writing by the provost/senior vice president for USF Health to the title holder. Appeal is available for the title holder in writing to the president of the university within one month of the provost’s/ senior vice president for USF Health’s written removal statement being received.

Benefits for Emeritus Faculty

  1. Emeriti faculty enjoy all benefits accorded retired faculty at USF. These include:
    • At the discretion of the chair/director and on the basis of available resources, access to departmental resources, including office and laboratory space, and such other departmental resources normally made available to faculty.
    • Being issued a retired faculty member identification card.
    • Faculty privileges at the library.
    • Maintaining a USF e-mail account and access to the internet.
    • Being listed in the university directory.
    • Eligibility for membership in the USF Club and the Campus Recreation Center.
    • Eligibility for purchase discounts on items sold at USF, subject to availability and external vendor contracts.
    • Eligibility for discounts for recreational facilities, athletic events, and other performances and exhibitions.
    • Purchase of semester or year-long parking decals.
  2. In addition, Emeriti faculty, at the present time, are accorded special privileges. These include:
    • Being issued a complimentary Emeritus faculty ID card by going to the USF Card Center.
    • Assuming continued engagement with the department, being listed on the individual’s home department’s website. [Note: Departments may choose to list any retired faculty who remain actively engaged in the life of the department.]
    • Participation in faculty meetings and departmental committees, subject to individual department’s bylaws.
    • Being granted free one-day parking in the green lots on an as needed basis, subject to any university regulations concerning use of this privilege. Daily permits may be obtained at the Campus Information Center by presenting an Emeritus faculty ID card. A free (to Emeriti) permit will be issued, allowing for parking in any green lot.
    • Participation in academic processions (graduations, convocations, etc.) in a position of honor.