Phased Retirement

Purpose: 

To describe the College of Liberal Arts policies and procedures for initiating and executing a phased retirement contract on behalf of a faculty member. 

Relevant Definitions: 

Phased Retirement: a post-retirement arrangement whereby a faculty member is hired into a part-time, non-tenure track appointment, under conditions agreed to in a formal contract. As differentiated from Modified Service.

APS: Academic Personnel Services; an area of the Provost's Office that oversees faculty appointment processes & other related matters for UT.

Process: 

1. Faculty member notifies Department Chair of interest in phased retirement. 
2. Department Chair responds to faculty member in writing, cc:ing Department Manager, providing them information and notice about the process and mentioning the faculty member's rights and responsibilities, in compliance with HOP 2-2420 on Phased Retirement.
   1. Can also provide them UT's general retirement checklist, as a courtesy
3. Department Chair contacts the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to discuss the possibility of phased retirement for the faculty member. In particular, the Chair should be prepared to make the case as to why granting phased retirement for the faculty member is in the best interests of the university if the faculty member would like to request phased retirement of more than one year in duration. (see HOP 2-2420)
4. Department Chair notifies faculty member of discussion's outcome. 
   1. Additional negotiation among faculty member, Department Chair, and Associate Dean, may occur, as necessary.
5. Once faculty member decides to proceed with request, they should complete the contract template (Attachment A from HOP 2-2420, at the bottom), and upload it to the Faculty Separations Portal for COLA HR Review.
6. COLA HR will review the draft and return to the department with any changes.
7. The faculty member's request and draft contract are then submitted by the Chair to the department’s governing body (BC or EC) for consideration. 
8. Following governing body consideration, the signed contract is uploaded to the Faculty Separations Portal, along with a memo from the department chair including: 
   1. Acknowledgement of 
      1. the faculty member’s request for phased retirement; 
      2. the faculty member’s submission of the signed agreement; and  
      3. the effective date of the phased retirement contract (normally 8/16 of the following academic year). 
   2. Statement of the chair’s support, and  
      1. confirmation that the department’s governing body voted on the agreement;
      2. confirmation the governing body supports the agreement; and  
      3. statement of the date the governing body voted. 
9. COLA HR processes request and forwards to APS for final approval. 
10. Meanwhile, the faculty member should proceed with their retirement plans, following the steps of the UT pre-retirement checklist.
    1. The Department Manager (or delegate) processes the Separation BP in Workday, following normal separation procedures, and provide additional assistance to the faculty member as necessary. 
11. APS executes phased retirement job in Workday, according to the terms of the approved phased retirement contract. 

At the end of the phased retirement contract:

1. Department processes faculty member's final separation in Workday at end of phased retirement contract (Reason: End of assignment).
   1. Note: if the faculty member has been awarded an Emeritus title, the Termination step must be final-approved before the Emeritus assignment can be processed. (See also Emeritus)
   2. Note: Amendments to phased contract appointment dates require special handling. If a faculty member wishes to change their contract dates (i.e., end the agreement early), contact COLA HR and also refer to the Provost guidance on faculty retirement.

Points of emphasis:  

• One of the most important things for faculty seeking phased retirement: They ought to proactively initiate their retirement process with Central HR. Faculty often lack awareness that phased retirement involves at least two distinct steps that must happen sequentially: 1) formal retirement, and then 2) re-hire into a phased-retiree job.
  • Delays and complications most often occur from issues on the retirement end of things, rather than on the phased retirement contract side. 
  • Delays and complications on the phased retirement end most often result from waiting too long to begin negotiations with the Associate Dean.  

• The key department responsibilities are
  • to read the HOP on phased retirement and
  • ensure communications with the faculty member comply with the requirements set forth in the HOP.
• Subsequently, it is important to remember that the department governing body needs to approve the agreement, and the draft phased retirement contract needs to be sent to COLA HR for review. 

Policies: 

• COLA faculty will be approved for phased retirement contracts only following careful consideration by the dean, and only when a request is demonstrated to be in the college’s best interest.
• Phased retirement requests in excess of one-year contracts will be considered in exceptional circumstances only. 
• HOP 2-2420 Modified Service and Phased Retirement

Other Related Links: 

Faculty Separations

HR Pre-Retirement Checklist 

Provost Guidance on Faculty Retirement

Provost Retirement Seminar

Teacher Retirement System (TRS) (NOTE: Any faculty member enrolled in TRS must have a minimum one-month break in service before beginning appointment as a phased retiree; therefore, if phased retirement is to begin 9/1, the faculty member’s termination date must be no later than 7/31.)