Severance options for tenured faculty members

The "Tenured Faculty Option Program" was established in 1995 and renewed by the Trustees in 1999. This is a voluntary severance program for tenured faculty members wishing to resign, retire, and/or reduce their teaching at an earlier age than would otherwise be feasible for them. The program is now in effect through June 30, 2010.

In addition to providing financial security and institutional recognition to tenured faculty members who desire to leave their tenured position, the program is designed to encourage curricular changes by increasing the turn-over rate of faculty appointments and to reduce faculty compensation costs. An additional goal of the supported resignation option (option (c) below) is to facilitate a change in careers for tenured faculty members who believe it would be advantageous to do so.

The program provides three options through which the College and a tenured faculty member may bring about a voluntary termination of the individual's tenured appointment in return for a severance payment and/or a stipend for service. The three options are:

  • a) Full separation. A faculty member resigns from the tenured ranks, after which s/he has no further teaching obligations at the College, and receives a severance payment payable over the two academic years immediately following entrance into the program.
  • b) Phased separation. A faculty member resigns from the tenured ranks and is offered a fixed-term contract for up to two years for part-time teaching. The faculty member receives a severance payment payable over the two academic years immediately following entrance into the program plus a stipend for teaching for the term of the part-time appointment.
  • c) Supported resignation. A faculty member resigns from the tenured ranks in return for a two-year non-renewable appointment as Research Professor (or Research Associate Professor). During the term of appointment as Research Professor, the faculty member carries out a plan of work, subject to the College's agreement, for which the faculty member is paid a stipend.

To be eligible for options (a) and (b), a faculty member must hold tenured rank, have attained age 60 and have completed at least 15 years of service to the College by the time of entry into the program. There is no minimum age requirement for option (c), whose eligibility conditions are otherwise the same as for options (a) and (b).

Subject to the College's agreement, eligible faculty members may enter the program on July 1 of any year. Those wishing to elect one of these options must notify the Dean for Academic Affairs by September 15 of the calendar year preceding that in which they wish to enter the program. Normally, the College will not accept more than three requests for participation in any year.

A complete description of the program, including the formula for estimating severance payments and stipends for service, is available in my office. Feel free to call if you would like to discuss the details.