Chapter 12
Retired Professors
Note: For the specific purposes of this document and its associated procedures, except as otherwise noted, “divisional dean” also refers to the John A. Paulson Dean of SEAS, and “department chairs” to SEAS area chairs. Although SEAS faculty members follow the same policies, some procedures may vary. Therefore, members of SEAS should also consult SEAS-specific documents.
Note: All procedural questions regarding faculty hiring, reviews, promotions, and leaves should be directed to the appropriate associate dean, and the associate dean should receive a copy of all documentation regarding these procedures. For more detailed listings on whom to contact, please see the “FAS Contacts by Topic” table in Chapter 1.
Descriptions: Professors Emeriti, Research Professor
Emeritus status is not conferred automatically based on the fact of retirement alone. Rather, a faculty member is eligible for emeritus/a status upon retirement when the faculty member (a) retires from a tenured faculty, Professor of the Practice, or Professor in Residence position after faithful service (at its core, faithful service means service in keeping with Harvard’s fundamental institutional values), (b) has reached the age of 60 or more, and (c) has a minimum of five years of continuous service immediately preceding retirement. If these conditions are determined to have been met, the faculty member is eligible to hold the title of Professor of [Department], emeritus/a upon retirement. If the individual held an endowed chair while active, that title may carry forward with the emeritus/a designation.
In accordance with FAS policies, the title “Research Professor” is available to individuals eligible for, or already holding, emeritus/a status who are actively engaged in research. This title can be held for the five years immediately following retirement. Individuals who prefer this title, in lieu of the regular title of Professor Emerita or Professor Emeritus, should write to the Dean of the Faculty annually to state their planned research activities for the coming year.
The research professor title supersedes the regular title of Professor Emerita or Professor Emeritus during the period in which it is held, but research professors are eligible for all the privileges listed for Professors Emeriti below in Chapter 12, Section A. In the absence of the annual request for appointment, on specific request from the individual or at the end of the five-year period, the faculty member’s title will revert to the standard Emeritus/a designation.
When a retired professor charges his/her/their salary on a grant, the maximum amount of salary that can be charged will be based on what the federal government calls the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). The IBS at the time of retirement is converted from the 9-month academic year to an annualized amount. This conversion consolidates the academic year and summer/supplemental months. For example, if a faculty member’s full-time, academic-year salary at the time of retirement was $150,000, his/her/their 12-month IBS would be $200,000. The salary should be set at the level of committed effort as indicated in the grant proposal/award. For example, if two calendar months of effort are budgeted, then the maximum salary to be charged to the grant would be 2/12ths of the IBS or, as in the example of the 12-month salary of $200,000 used above, $33,333.
A. Privileges for Professors Emeriti
After retirement, Professors Emeriti are welcome to teach one four-credit course per academic year from one of the following venues:
a. Emeriti may offer Freshman Seminars and should visit this site to propose a seminar; or,
b. Emeriti may offer departmental courses at the invitation of the department chair and with approval by the divisional dean; or,
c. Emeriti may offer courses through the Division of Continuing Education.
An honorarium is paid for course instruction. The level of this honorarium is determined annually by the FAS administration.
In all cases, the department should notify the divisional/SEAS associate dean of the faculty member’s plans to teach, prior to formal approval of the appointment. The divisional/SEAS associate dean will work with the department on a brief letter from the department chair to the Professor Emeritus/a, confirming the teaching and the honorarium amount.
At the invitation of departments or concentrations, Emeriti are also welcome to offer individual or group tutorials and may supervise undergraduate theses.
Professors Emeriti have Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator Rights on a continuous basis, so long as they adhere to all FAS policies.
Professors Emeriti are welcome to continue to work with graduate students already under their supervision, although they may not take on newly enrolled students after retirement. Professors Emeriti are also welcome to conduct general examinations for continuing and newly enrolled graduate students.
Professors Emeriti have continued access to all libraries and online resources. In addition, they may sponsor up to three individuals for the privilege of research assistant.
Professors Emeriti maintain FAS email accounts and network access. They may continue to make use of services provided by Harvard University Information Technology, including desktop support, research computing, hosting, and other services as needed while working in space provided by the FAS. They also continue to be able to use their Harvard ID card to make use of Harvard’s computer and associated purchase programs.
a. Offices and Library Studies
Professors Emeriti are provided with office space (although not necessarily that which they occupied before retirement) for traditional academic and pedagogical purposes, within departmental and divisional guidelines. If faculty have a library study at the time of retirement, the FAS considers that as office space. Retired faculty ordinarily do not have both a departmental office and a library study during retirement. Use of library studies will continue to be governed by the rules of the Committee on Library Studies, which include continued, active engagement in library research.
Every effort will be made to allow Emeriti who are actively engaged in library research to continue to use the studies they held at retirement, but under some circumstances, they may be asked to transfer to other studies.
As with other members of the faculty, study-sharing arrangements and short-term loans (when Emeriti are temporarily away from Cambridge) are made in consultation with the Committee on Library Studies.
All other library study regulations and protections that apply to the full-time faculty also apply to Professors Emeriti.
b. Laboratories
The FAS welcomes the continued research activity of Professors Emeriti. The allocation of laboratory space will be based on the policies of the academic divisions or the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Space considerations being satisfied, Professors Emeriti may continue their research, primarily with postdoctoral collaborators, funded by research grants.
a. Research Support
Upon retirement, previously accumulated funds in the faculty member’s FAS research account continue to be available to Professors Emeriti.
Professors Emeriti continue to enjoy the right to secure funds for sponsored research. Although the University places no restrictions on the source of funds, academic divisions or the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences may do so as part of their oversight of sponsored research. For example, academic divisions or the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences may wish to establish the principle that Professors Emeriti can accept only peer-reviewed sponsored projects.
b. Administrative Support
Although Professors Emeriti ordinarily do not continue to have access to personal administrative support, they may make use of departmental resources to help prepare letters of recommendation for students and former students. Other administrative needs may be addressed at the discretion of the department.
Professors Emeriti are welcome to attend FAS Faculty Meetings as guests.
Professor Emeriti continue to receive newsletters, catalogs, and Faculty-wide mailings (unless they request that their names be deleted from the mailing list) and to be invited to departmental colloquia, lectures, and professional and social functions.
When a retired professor charges his/her/their salary on a grant, the maximum amount of salary that can be charged will be based on what the federal government calls the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). The IBS at the time of retirement is converted from the 9-month academic year to an annualized amount. This conversion consolidates the academic year and summer/supplemental months. For example, if a faculty member’s full-time, academic-year salary at the time of retirement was $150,000, his/her/their 12-month IBS would be $200,000. The salary should be set at the level of committed effort as indicated in the grant proposal/award. For example, if two calendar months of effort are budgeted, then the maximum salary to be charged to the grant would be 2/12ths of the IBS or, as in the example of the 12-month salary of $200,000 used above, $33,333.