Emeritus Status Approval Process

Emeritus Status Approval Process

Indiana University Policy ACA-45 states that the Emeritus title may be conferred upon a retired faculty member or librarian if recommended by the unit and appropriate administrators and approved by the Board of Trustees. The policy also states that campus-specific procedures should be followed for recommending faculty members and librarians for Emeritus status*.

At IU Kokomo, the Emeritus/Emerita title is conferred in recognition of a distinguished and lengthy career that includes significant contributions to this campus in the fields of teaching, research or creative work and/or service. The title is intended to encourage retired faculty involvement with scholarly and creative activities and interests, maintain connections with the academic community and promote engagement of faculty talents as a continuing resource for the university.

Below is a summary of the process for approving requests for Emeritus status on the IU Kokomo campus:

1. A retiring faculty member or librarian must submit in writing to the Dean of their academic unit a request for Emeritus status. Ideally, this will occur simultaneously with or soon after the faculty member or librarian has submitted their written intent to retire but must be submitted no later than six months following the date of retirement. The written request to the Dean should include a summary of relevant accomplishments and an up-to-date CV.
2. Upon receipt, the Dean will send a request for Emeritus status to either a standing or an ad hoc committee composed of other full-time faculty in the academic unit, who by majority vote will either approve or deny the request.
3. The outcome of the academic unit faculty committee vote should be forwarded to the Dean in the form of a recommendation to approve or deny the Emeritus status request, which includes a brief rationale and other explanatory information as needed.
4. Upon receipt of a recommendation from faculty, the Dean will send a recommendation to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs indicating support—or lack thereof—for approval of the request. A positive recommendation should highlight the retiring faculty member or librarian’s overall performance and contributions to the university; a negative recommendation should include a rationale.
5. If the EVCAA concurs with a recommendation for approval from the Dean, that office will send a recommendation for approval of the Emeritus request to the Chancellor.
6. If the Chancellor concurs with a recommendation for approval from the EVCAA, that office will send a recommendation for approval to the Vice President for Regional Campuses and Online Education.
7. If the VPRCOE accepts the recommendation of the Chancellor, a recommendation to confer Emeritus status will be placed on a Board of Trustees agenda for final approval.
8. The Office of the President will notify the IU Kokomo EVCAA when Board action on the recommendation is completed and Emeritus status is granted. The EVCAA then will notify faculty members of Board approval.
9. A copy of the letter of notification from the EVCAA is placed in the faculty member’s personnel file and sent to IU Human Resources for coding of the Emeritus title in HRMS. Note that the title follows the designation of academic appointment (e.g., Professor Emeritus of History).

Contact the Office of Academic Affairs or the Office of Human Resources for additional information about Emeritus or retiree status.

*Emeritus Status: Policies: University Policies: Indiana University

Office of Academic Affairs Spring 2025