4.21 Emeritus/a Status

Purpose

To designate criteria for award of emeritus/a status, establish procedures for nomination, approval, and revocation processes, and recognize the University of Northern Iowa Emeritus Association.

Policy Statement

Emeritus/a is an honorary status, conferred upon certain faculty, and non-temporary academic administrators, institutional officials, and professional & scientific staff following retirement or resignation who qualify for and are awarded the status. Eligibility requirements include a minimum of twenty years of creditable full-time or part-time service in higher education with a minimum accumulation of ten years of service at the University of Northern Iowa. The Provost and Executive Vice President may grant emeritus administrator status to central administrative officers, deans, and directors who otherwise would be eligible for emeritus status as stated above, except that they retire or terminate their service to the University before accumulating ten years at the University of Northern Iowa; those persons must have served the minimum of twenty years in higher education.

Titles for those approved for emeritus/a status are:

  • Professor Emeritus/a, for instructional faculty, regardless of previous rank
  • Consistent with academic administrator or administrative professional & scientific position title of position held (e.g., Director Emeritus/a). 

Other privileges of those holding Emeritus/a status are established by the University in consultation with the Emeritus Association and are to be found at https://emeritus.uni.edu/about.

Procedures

Formal application is initiated with completion of the online Emeritus/a Request Form. In addition, for a faculty member’s application, a letter from the nominee’s Department Head or College Dean, or their designee, is required to be submitted to Senate leadership. The application is processed through normal administrative channels except the UNI Faculty Senate also acts on all requests pertaining to faculty members. Posthumous nominations may be submitted through normal administrative channels.

Revocation

Once awarded, emeritus/a designation continues in perpetuity unless the recipient either requests to have their emeritus status rescinded or violates the intent and spirit of the faculty emeritus/a by engaging in egregious conduct that would diminish the reputation of the University of Northern Iowa. 

The emeritus/a status of non-faculty may be revoked at the discretion of the University president in consideration with the stipulations outlined above.  

In order to revoke faculty emeritus/a designation, a petition must be made by a member of the University to the UNI Faculty Senate for consideration. The UNI Faculty Senate then has the authority and may vote to revoke faculty emeritus/a designation by a two-thirds majority vote. Actions or conduct protected by academic freedom shall not be used to revoke faculty emeritus/a status.

Office of Academic Affairs and Faculty Senate, approved February 11, 2019
University Council, approved April 15, 2019
President and President’s Cabinet, approved April 26, 2021