Emerit/Emeritus Faculty FYI

• What does the title of Emeritus Professor mean?

  The title of Emerit/Emeritus is an honorary title bestowed upon a faculty member who has retired from the university. The title indicates that while the individual is retired, they continue to hold the rank prior to retirement. Traditionally, the title is worded as such; Professor Emeri/Emeritus, Assistant Professor Emerit/Emeritus, Associate Professor Emerit/Emeritus, and Senior Lecture Emerit/Emeritus.

• Are faculty automatically awareded Emeritus status when they retire?

  Retiring faculty are not automatically awarded the Emerit/Emeritus title. To be eligible for Emerit/Emeritus status, tenure track and tenured faculty (Associate, Assistant, and Full Professors) must have excellent teaching, scholarly, and service records consistent with their appointments. Additionally, faculty must have worked at least ten years as full-time faculty (CWU Faculty Code, Section 1. B. 2. ii.). 

  Non-tenured faculty are also eligible for Emerit/Emeritus status. To be eligible, non-tenure faculty must have an excellent teaching record.  Additionally, "a normal requirement for eligibility to the emeritus faculty is for the faculty member to teach at least thirty (30) quarters over a minimum of ten (10) years and have an accumulated total of at least 200 WLUs as a member of the teaching faculty" (CWU Faculty Code, Section 1. B. 2. iii.).

  Eligible faculty are then nominated and the faculty member's department will conduct a vote. Once approved by the department, the decision is sent to the college Dean and then to the Provost for approval. The CWU Board of Trustees may also grant the Emerit/Emeritus title posthumously to faculty members deceased during their term of service to the university.

   

• Is it 'Emerit' or 'Emeritus'? Is there a difference?

  There is no difference between Emerit and Emeritus.

  In an effort to replace gendered language in the CWU Faculty Code and to align with CWU's commitment to diversity and inclusion, the Faculty Senate voted to accept the term Emerit during the May 3, 2023 Faculty Senate meeting. 

  As per the justification presented to Faculty Senate, "the Latin term emeritus was originally used to refer to soldiers who had completed their military duty. The term was later used for those retiring from professional positions and emerita to refer to female retirees. Freyd (Professor Emerit: It is Time to Reject Gendered Titles for Retired Faculty; 2021) points out a few issues with the use of the masculine 'Emeritus') "The common usage makes gender salient in situations where it need not be made salient." (para 2 and 3) "[the terms Emeritus/Emerita] force a binary distinction that may be particularly oppressive to some individuals." (para 3). The following universities have formally adopted the gender-neutral term Emerit; University of Wisconsin-Madison (2022), University of Oregon (2022) (Bylaws and Faculty Code Committee, 2023; Faculty Senate motion March 3, 2023).

  Faculty may refer to themselves as Emerit, Emeritus, Emeriti, Emeritum, or Emerita. However, all university documentation will use the gender neutral term Emerit.