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Phased retirement program
UNCW phased retirement policy
Effective from July 1, 2002
The major goal of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington Phased
Retiremen Program is to provide additional flexibility and support
for individual tenured faculty members who are approaching retirement.
The program permits faculty nearing retirement to reduce their working
hours while maintaining their professional commitment to students and
the university. The program increases the university's contractual
alternatives for accommodating faculty interests and creates a new
faculty benefit.
Advantages of the phased retirement program
- The program offers an additional benefit to tenured faculty members
and therefore helps in recruiting and retaining quality faculty members.
- The program facilitates institutional planning for allocation
of instructional resources by identifying some faculty positions
that will become available at an earlier time and with more certainty
than currently possible.
- The program allows the university to allocate and begin to fill
faculty positions with new personnel while retaining the skills and
knowledge of experienced faculty on a half-time basis during their
phased retirement period.
- The program both permits and encourages tenured faculty to continue
their affiliation with the institution, although in an untenured
status, while decreasing their obligations, thereby providing a gradual
transition into full retirement.
Characteristics of the phased retirement program
- The phased retirement program is a benefit that can be exercised
at the option of eligible tenured members of the faculty—subject
to the terms and conditions of the program outlined in program documents.
- The program is available to all permanently tenured faculty members
who (1) have five years full-time service at the university, (2)
are age 50 or older, and (3) are eligible to receive retirement benefits
through either the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement
System (TSERS) or the Optional Retirement Program (ORP). In both
cases, individuals must have at least five years of full-time service
at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Tenured faculty
occupying full-time administrative or staff positions are not eligible
to participate in the Program unless and until they vacate such positions.
The decision to enter the program, once made, is binding.
- All enrollments in the program shall commence with the fall semester
of the academic year next following execution of a contract between
the university and the participant for Phased Retirement Program
employment whether or not services are performed in the fall semester.
- The Department of Human Resources will identify and notify by
letter all faculty initially eligible for the program, up-date the
list of eligible faculty quarterly, and provide notification of their
eligibility by letter to all faculty added to the list. Human Resources
will also identify those faculty ineligible to participate in the
program because they currently occupy full-time administrative or
staff positions.
- Upon entering the phased retirement program, faculty members officially
retire from the university and, hence, relinquish permanent tenure.
In return, they have the right to contract for half-time employment
for a period of three academic years following the date of retirement.
If a faculty member has not attained "normal retirement age" as
defined for their retirement system, there must be a minimum 30-day
break in service between their last work day and the first day of
their participation in the phased retirement program. For purposes
of the program, “normal retirement age” is the age at
which the participating faculty member would have first satisified
an age and/or service requirement for “service” (unreduced)
retirement if enrolled in TSERS. If a faculty member has achieved
any of the service levels required to obtain the “normal retirement
age,” he or she need not undertake a break in service prior
to entering the phased retirement program.
- Faculty members who enter the phased retirement program retain
their professorial rank and the full range of responsibilities and
rights associated with that rank as described in the Faculty Handbook
of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (except for the
status of permanent tenure). They also acquire all benefits associated
with the status of "retired faculty." Departments and schools
within the university are encouraged to extend full departmental
responsibilities, rights and benefits to faculty in the phased retirement
program. These may include, but are not limited to, roles in tenure
review and promotion, committee memberships, and professional support
services offered by the department or school. In return, faculty
in the phased retirement program are expected to maintain high levels
of professional commitment to the university.
- The phased retirement program permits faculty to work half-time
for half-time compensation based on their final year of full-time
service. Half-time work may take the form of full-time duties one
semester per year or part-time duties both semesters of the academic
year, as determined by mutual agreement. In both instances, remuneration
will be paid over a 12-month period.
- Eligible faculty members will first meet with the Director of
Human Resources or designated Human Resources staff person in order
to develop a full understanding of the terms of the program. After
this initial meeting, faculty members wishing to participate in the
program will make written application to their department chair (or
dean in any school without departments).
- Services to be performed under the phased retirement plan will
then be negotiated between individual faculty members and their department
chairs. In determining the appropriate halftime work plan, the complete
range of faculty activities (including teaching, research and creative
activities, service, advising, work on grants, publications, etc.)
should be considered. However, no work plan may include duties incident
to summer school curricula. The specific description of half-time
responsibilities may vary by school or college and among departments
or even by individuals within the same unit. Chairs will make their
recommendations concerning these applications to the dean of their
respective school or college. The deans will add their recommendations
concerning each application and convey them to the Provost and Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Provost and Vice Chancellor
for Academic Affairs exercises final authority for approving half-time
work plans.
- The negotiated agreement to participate in the program must be
in writing and signed by the faculty member, the head of the employing
unit, and other appropriate supervisors, including the Provost. The
agreement must be executed not later than six months prior to commencement
of phased retirement duties. Upon the mutual agreement of the parties
involved, participation in the program may end before the end of
the contractual period allowing immediate full separation from university
employment.
- Faculty participating in the program will be subject to performance
review and eligible for salary increments and merit pay based on
annual evaluations, subject to applicable restrictions on retirement
earnings.[1] Faculty
will continue to be subject to The Code of the University of North
Carolina, the Faculty Handbook of the University of North Carolina
at Wilmington, and other university policies. Under Section
VIII.A.1 of Policies of Academic Freedom and Tenure in the Faculty
Handbook of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, faculty
in the phased retirement program may be suspended or discharged during
the contractual period only for the causes and pursuant to the procedures
therein specified. [1 General
Administration offers this clarification: "With respect to the
initial year of participation in Phased Retirement, the participant's
salary . . . is one-half (50%) of the salary that the faculty member
earned during the last 9- or 12-month period of full-time employment
prior to entering the program. Should the faculty member be enrolled
at an institution that has established the term of program participation
at more than one year, the participant would be eligible after the
first year of participation (and for further years) for an annual
salary increase made applicable by the institution for the participant's
position incident to the succeeding year."]
- Participation in the phased retirement program is limited to no
more than 10% of the university tenured and tenure-track faculty
and to no more than 20% of the tenured and tenure-track faculty positions
of any individual department. Within these caps, the university anticipates
no programmatic or financial limitations to participation in the
program at this time. However, the university reserves the right
to reduce participation levels upon a finding that financial exigency
or academic-program compromise prohibit the established level of
participation—with appropriate advance notification to eligible
faculty. The Provost, acting on the recommendation of the deans,
may raise the caps at any time—such that the opportunity for
faculty participation in the phased retirement program is increased.
- This program will be offered for application on a continuing basis
and eligible faculty members or members who become eligible may elect
annually to seek to enroll in the program during the enrollment life
of the program, with active participation to commence with the fall
semester next following acceptance by the university for participation.
Faculty may indicate their intent to enroll in the program during
the annual published window of opportunity to apply for Program participation,
to be published prior to October 15. If, during a given enrollment
period, a greater number of faculty apply for program participation
than the number of slots available (under established institutional
or departmental caps), priority for participation will be extended
in the following preferential order:
- First, to faculty who have attained "normal retirement
age" as specified by the UNC Optional Retirement Program
or an "unreduced service benefit eligibility" as
specified by the Teachers' & State Employees' Retirement
System—regardless of length of service.
- Second, among faculty who have attained "normal retirement
age" or an “unreduced service benefit eligibility," to
faculty with the greatest number of years of service within
the University of North Carolina system.
- Third, among faculty who have not attained "normal retirement
age" or an "unreduced service benefit eligibility," to
faculty with the greatest number of years of service within
the University of North Carolina system.
- Faculty who begin participation during the life of the program
will be allowed to complete their contract even if the phased retirement
program ends.
- Annual reports of faculty participation in and the impact of the
program will be prepared by all academic units to aid in evaluating
the Program.
- The Provost and the Director of Human Resources shall designate
representatives of their respective offices authorized to answer
questions about the program. Currently, those representatives are:
- Raymond Burt
Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Academic Affairs, Alderman Hall
910-962-3137
- Sam Connally
Assistant to the Chancellor & Director of Human Resources
Human Resources, University Center
910-962-3855
- Kay Fryar
Director of Human Resources Administration
Human Resources, University Center
910-962-3698
- Phased retirees are eligible to participate in the same set of benefit
and deduction programs as other permanent half-time employees.
Text last revised 7/1/02
Approved by UNC-GA 8/8/02
See also the Human
Resources phased retirement page.
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