I. BOARD OF REGENTS POLICY

According to the , the President of an institution may “at his or her discretion, confer the title of emeritus or emerita on any retired faculty member or administrative officer who, at the time of retirement, had ten or more years of honorable and distinguished USG service.”

II. ELIGIBILITY FOR VSU EMERITUS/EMERITA STATUS

Eligible employees for this status include any full-time retired professor, associate professor, assistant professor, lecturer, senior lecturer or administrative officer who, at the time of his or her retirement, had ten (10) years or more of honorable and distinguished service at Valdosta State University.

This service may include, but not be limited to, professional recognition in one or more of the following areas:

  • Excellence and/or innovation
  • College recognition, awards, honors
  • Professional association recognition, awards, honors
  • Community and /or professional service contributions, recognition, awards, honors

Since the purpose of awarding the emeritus designation is to recognize truly exceptional performance while at VSU, candidates must possess a consistent record of exceptional performance demonstrated by one or more of the following:

a)  a substantive record of outstanding achievement commensurate with national and international standards within the specific discipline;

b)  a recognized record of outstanding teaching, educational, or employment field contributions; and/or

c)  clear evidence of exceptional service to the University beyond normal expectations.

For teaching faculty members, the "emeritus" designation is appended to the rank held at the time of retirement, e.g., professor emeritus. For academic administrators, the emeritus designation, upon approval by the Provost and the President, is appended only to the most senior administrative title held at Valdosta State University, which may be held at or prior to the time of retirement, e.g., dean emeritus. The emeritus designation is not awarded for administrative titles held on an "acting" or “interim” basis.

III. PROCESS

A recommendation for emeritus/a status must follow the procedures outlined below and must be submitted either during the final academic/fiscal year of employment or no later than one year after the date of retirement. The bestowal of the emeritus/a title is a privilege, not a right.

To initiate the process, the immediate supervisor of the unit in which the candidate held his or her full-time appointment must write a letter of recommendation outlining the individual’s qualifications based on the nomination criteria above. This recommendation must be accompanied by the recommendation form and a copy of the candidate’s curriculum vitae.

The recommendation form, letter, and vita must then be submitted to the next higher level for review and endorsement, culminating with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs who will submit the final recommendation for the President’s approval.

If the recommendation is approved by the President, the retiring faculty member and/or administrative officer is sent a letter from the Provost’s Office, on behalf of the President, awarding the title of emeritus/a.

IV. BENEFITS/PRIVILEGES

  1. Invitation to participate in public ceremonies of the University, including commencement, open houses, and selected university functions.
  2. Inclusion in the faculty/administrator listing on the university emeriti webpage and in the catalog.
  3. Certificate with name and emeritus/a rank.
  4. If funds permit, entitlement to use university business cards and other departmental office privileges for the purposes of university service.
  5. Eligibility to serve on graduate thesis or doctoral dissertation committees, project committees, and as nonvoting members of university committees as appropriate.
Note: If the candidate is retiring early and is granted Emeritus/a Status, he/she will relinquish Emeritus Status if he/she resumes full-time employment at Valdosta State University or any other institution.

Approved by Faculty Senate March 22, 2018. Approved by Deans' Council September 26, 2018.