1. Senior Faculty Transitions Task Force: Part II
Executive Committee
November 21, 2008
Dr. Gary Schoolnik
Dr. David Stevenson

2. Introduction to Today’s Presentation
Part I presentation, August 15
Faculty retirement and funding issues
Recommendations for school and department chairs
4/12/2019

3. Key Findings Faculty Retirement
The fraction of faculty age 51 and older is rising and currently stands at 47%
A considerable fraction of faculty in their sixties:
Feel that they do not have sufficient funds to retire
Are planning to retire in their seventies
Many faculty have not engaged in personal financial planning
Many faculty lack information on topics relevant to retirement
4/12/2019

4. Key Findings (cont’d) Faculty Retirement
Many faculty, especially women, do not communicate with their chairs regarding their plans
There is a desire for flexibility by some (but not all) faculty with respect to retirement
The written institutional policies re retirement do not encourage flexibility; tailored arrangements are possible but not promulgated
There is interest in volunteering in a variety of capacities
4/12/2019

5. Review: Key Recommendations for the School - Retirement
Personal financial planning: The School should strongly encourage faculty to engage in personal financial planning and find ways to facilitate it.
Information: The School should compile as much relevant information as possible on a single web site.
Advising: The School should establish a small cadre of senior faculy/emeriti to serve, in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs, as resources and advisors to individual faculty as they consider retirement or other transitions.
4/12/2019

6. Review: Key Recommendations for Department Chairs - Retirement
Communication: Chairs or their delegates must meet annually with all of their faculty.
Flexibility: Departments should provide as much flexibility as possible to accommodate a faculty member’s desire to make a transition to retirement.
Departments should develop guidelines for less than full time service as a way to phase into retirement.
4/12/2019

7. Key Findings Funding Transitions
There is a lack of knowledge about what would happen in the case of either a short-term or a long-term loss of funding.
Women express this lack more frequently than men.
In the face of funding losses, there is probably a significant disconnect between faculty expectations for funding support from department/school resources and the department/school’s capacity to meet those expectations.
4/12/2019

8. Administrative Transitions
Part II, today
Administrative transitions
Task Force recommendations
Phase I Implementation Plan
4/12/2019

9. Administrative Transitions:
Survey Results*
Administrative Transitions:
Faculty Feelings and Experiences as Revealed in Senior Faculty Transitions Survey*
*Survey Format Was Described at August 15, 2008 Executive Committee Meeting
4/12/2019

10. Administrative Roles
Defined in survey as “a position with major administrative responsibilities at least equivalent to department chair, division chief, medical director, or associate dean”
4/12/2019

11. Possible gender disparity
1. Regarding Your Major Administrative Role, Degree to Which You Agree: I am glad I made the decision to assume the role
Possible gender disparity
response distribution by gender

12. 2. Regarding Your Major Administrative Role, Degree to Which You Agree: The extra burden on my time was manageable
Possible gender
disparity
Possible gender disparity
Possible gender disparity
response distribution by gender

13. 3. Regarding Your Major Administrative Role, Degree to Which You Agree: The impact on my personal/family life was tolerable
Possible gender disparity
response distribution by gender

14. Possible gender disparity
5. Regarding Your Major Administrative Role, Degree to Which You Agree: Upon completion, I experienced/anticipate an easy time reviving my teaching program, to the extent it may have declined during my administrative term
2 Responses Reflecting
Possible gender disparity
response distribution by gender

15. 6. Regarding Your Major Administrative Role, Degree to Which You Agree: Upon completion, I experienced/anticipate an easy time reviving my clinical program, to the extent it may have declined during my administrative term
Possible gender disparity
response distribution by gender

16. 4. Regarding Your Major Administrative Role, Degree to Which You Agree: Upon completion, I experienced/anticipate an easy time reviving my research program, to the extent it may have declined during my administrative term
Possible gender
disparity
response distribution by gender

17. 7. Regarding Your Major Administrative Role, Degree to Which You Agree: Entering the role, I felt there was a good discussion with my Chair and/or Dean, as appropriate, about the timeline and a transition plan at the end
63-70%: disagree/strongly disagree
response distribution by gender

18. 8. Do you feel there is a need for more formal counseling/advice to discuss what is needed to most easily transition out of an administrative position? At the start of taking on a significant administrative role
42%-55%
response distribution by gender

19. 9. Do you feel there is a need for more formal counseling/advice to discuss what is needed to most easily transition out of an administrative position? After starting but well before the end of a significant administrative role
58%-74%
Female>Male
response distribution by gender

20. Key Findings: Administrative Transitions
Most faculty are glad they took on their administrative roles.
However, women are less satisfied than men with their administrative roles and find the impact on their time and on their personal/family lives less tolerable.
Most faculty believe they can easily revive their teaching and clinical roles after stepping down. Fewer thought it would be easy to revive their research programs.
Most faculty feel there is a need for more formal counseling/advice to discuss what is needed to most easily transition out of an administrative position after starting but well before the end of a significant role.
4/12/2019

21. Key recommendations re: administrative transitions
Clarity should be provided re: roles/expectations/probable time commitment of faculty before stepping into administrative leadership roles. Armed with this information, it is expected that faculty will make an informed decision.
Attention should be paid, if not at the outset, then well before stepping down, to the transition out of an administrative role
Guidelines should be developed regarding the factors that should be discussed in both entering and leaving administrative roles
4/12/2019

22. Task Force Recommendations
Entire set of recommendations provided as hand-out
Five categories:
Advising
Communication
Information
Institutional flexibility
Planning
4/12/2019

23. Phase I Implementation Plan: The “Top Ten list”
Establish the Associate Deanship for Senior Faculty Transitions within the Office of Academic Affairs
Develop a comprehensive Senior Faculty Transitions Web site
Work with the Office of the Provost on possible revisions to FRIP
Develop a phased retirement program
For department chairs: develop departmental guidelines for phased retirement workloads
Develop ideas for encouraging/providing incentives for personal financial planning
4/12/2019

24. Phase I Implementation Plan: The “Top Ten list” (cont’d)
Develop a policy of annual meetings of chairs (or their delegates) with all faculty
Explore career re-engineering options and resources (Associate Dean for Senior Faculty Transitions)
Develop statements (or guidelines) regarding short-term and long-term changes in funding
Develop guidelines for faculty entering and stepping down from administrative roles
4/12/2019