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Emeritus College draws on wealth of faculty talent

ASU has announced the formation of the Emeritus College, an organization that will provide a home and focus for the continued intellectual, creative and social engagement of more than 800 retired or soon-to-retire faculty members.

"This will be an important link with our retired faculty to continue scholarly and creative contributions to the university, drawing on their expertise and talent," says Milton Glick, executive vice president and provost of the university. "I extend my sincere appreciation to the faculty on the steering committee involved in supporting the development of this concept."

The college will be a generous volunteer effort on behalf of ASU's emeritus faculty. Its creation follows an analysis showing such a college will have significant benefit for the university, the community and the retirees themselves. Emeritus College faculty will serve in a number of ways, including mentoring students and junior faculty; providing additional teaching resources; overseeing collections and archives; offering public lectures and performances; and providing an organized source of expert consultants.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve ASU," says Richard Jacob, founding dean and chair of the steering committee that recommended the creation of the college. "Many of us have spent a lifetime in teaching and community service, and the Emeritus College will give us a place and a purpose for continued scholarship and research."

The Emeritus College will differ from other colleges within the university in many ways, the most visible being the absence of curricula, classes, degrees to award, and a student body. It will also be universal in its representation of disciplines, with members from virtually every academic department in the university.

Many of the college's functions will be offered by centers designed to bring together faculty from diverse academic backgrounds who have common interests in issues, research or creative activity. These centers include the Center for Mentoring, the Center for Issues in K-12 Education, the Center for Innovation in Teaching, the Center for ASU History and Tradition, and the Center for Emeritus Writing.

Terri Shafer, with Media Relations & Public Information, can be reached at (480) 965-3865 or (terri.shafer@asu.edu).