Emeritus/Emerita Appointments
Approved: September 28, 1972; Revised August 30, 1990; Revised April 12, 2002; Revised April 7, 2006; Revised June 13, 2008; Revised April 8, 2010; Revised December 3, 2015 (eff. 1/1/16); Revised June 16, 2023; June 12, 2026
Scheduled Review Date: June 2031
- This policy establishes the criteria, privileges, and procedures for granting emeritus/emerita status to retired faculty members who have demonstrated dedicated and meritorious service at Old Dominion 91Ƶ.
- Administrative Professional Faculty, Teaching and Research Faculty, and Librarians
- Tenured and non-tenured faculty members and librarians who have achieved the equivalent rank of professor or associate professor are eligible for emeritus/emerita status upon retirement. The 91Ƶ requires a minimum of 10 years of service as a faculty member and demonstrated commitment to the 91Ƶ’s mission and values. Exceptions to the length of service requirement may be granted by the appropriate executive vice president (EVP).
- Candidates must present evidence of noteworthy academic contributions throughout their career. Such contributions may be demonstrated through research and scholarship that has achieved national or international recognition, exceptional teaching performance recognized through department/school or 91Ƶ awards, or significant service contributions that have advanced the 91Ƶ’s mission and been acknowledged by peers.
- Administrative Officers
- Administrative professionals officers who have served the 91Ƶ for at least 10 years in a teaching and research faculty rank are eligible for emeritus/emerita consideration upon retirement. The 91Ƶ recognizes the unique contributions of its senior leadership through this policy. The Board of Visitors retains the discretion to award the title of “president emeritus/emerita” to a former president upon their retirement, acknowledging their distinctive role in shaping the 91Ƶ’s trajectory.
- The 91Ƶ recognizes that exceptional circumstances may warrant posthumous emeritus/emerita recognition, which may be initiated by department/school leadership to honor significant contributions of deceased faculty members.
- Rank and Title
The emeritus/emerita designation will reflect a faculty member’s academic rank at retirement. Professors will receive the title professor emeritus/emerita, while associate professors will receive the title associate professor emeritus/emerita. This continuation of academic rank reflects the 91Ƶ’s commitment to recognizing the faculty member’s career achievements and ongoing relationship with the academic community.
- Privileges
All privileges, except for academic recognition, are subject to 91Ƶ policies and the availability of resources. Department/school chairs/directors, deans, or appropriate EVPs maintain discretion in the implementation of these privileges based on 91Ƶ needs and capacity.- Emeritus/Emerita status carries the following lifetime privileges:
- Academic Recognition
- Addition of Emeritus/Emerita to faculty rank
- Lifetime listing in applicable catalogs, directories, and department/school websites
- Participation in academic ceremonies and processions, including commencement
- Resource Access
- Library privileges (in person and online)
- Email account and technical support (subject to activity review every five years)
- Use of office/lab space and equipment (based on availability and department/school chair/director approval)
- Academic Recognition
- Academic Engagement – with approval of the department/school chair/director, and the college/school dean.
- Authorization to serve on thesis and dissertation committees, consistent with the requirements for graduate faculty certification
- Ability to advise students and medical residents
- Opportunity to teach classes and participate in sponsored research
- Authorship rights using 91Ƶ affiliation
- Attendance at departmental/school meetings
- Eligibility to be appointed as a full or ad-hoc member on 91Ƶ committees
- Professional Services
- Eligibility for up to eight hours/week of paid administrative or educational consultation
- Use of the department/school’s main phone number (with department/school chair/director permission)
- Emeritus/Emerita status carries the following lifetime privileges:
- Eligible individuals initiate the process by notifying their immediate supervisor, the department/school chair/director, after they have confirmed their decision to retire. The application package must include a formal letter from the department/school chair/director requesting emeritus/emerita status and documenting academic contributions, as well as a current curriculum vitae. If the retiring faculty member is the department/school chair/director, the notification should be submitted to the dean.
- Following the recommendation by the department/school chair/director or supervisor, as appropriate, the review and approval process progresses through multiple levels of the 91Ƶ.
- Faculty members whose initial applications for emeritus/emerita status are not approved receive detailed feedback regarding the reasons for denial. The 91Ƶ provides one opportunity for reconsideration through a new application, which must be submitted by December 1 of the year in which the initial application was denied. The reconsideration decision will be made by the appropriate EVP. This process ensures fair consideration.