Emeritus Policy and Procedure

Approved 4/14/06; Revised 9/20/19; Revised 9/16/22

Emeritus status is an honor that may be awarded to full-time faculty and professional staff who retire after distinguished and long-term achievement and service to a NSHE institution (per BoR Handbook Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 39.

Qualifications

The qualifications for this title are measured in terms of the individual’s total contribution to the College, based on both achievement and service.

Any member of the faculty retiring after at least ten years of full-time service may be recommended to the TMCC President for Emeritus status.

Any member of the faculty who retires after serving the College for less than ten years may be considered for Emeritus status; however, conferral of Emeritus status, in this case, is regarded as an exception.

Procedure

The Emeritus status application and approval process are as follows:

  • Emeritus candidates must submit the Emeritus application to their Dean or Director who will review it and, if approved, will forward it to the appropriate Vice President and then to the President. A completed Years of Service and Retirement Verification form (issued by Human Resources) should be attached to the application. 
  • Notices of retirement and applications for Emeritus status received by the appropriate Vice President by December 31 will be considered for an Emeritus award during the commencement ceremony.
  • Applications received after December 31 will be considered for an Emeritus award the following year.
  • The President's Office will notify the faculty member and copy Information Technology and Human Resources of the final decision. 

Benefits

Full-time faculty and professional staff who attain the rank of Emeritus receive the following benefits:

  • Faculty identification card.
  • Emeritus/Emerita listing in College Catalog.
  • Use of the title "Emeritus" or "Emerita," Truckee Meadows Community College.
  • After Board of Regents approval, the Emeritus/Emerita is recognized at the annual TMCC awards ceremony.
  • TMCC email account and access to appropriate TMCC listservs.
  • Grant-in-aid for Emeriti faculty and professional staff, their spouse or domestic partner, and their financially-dependent children (NSHE Title 4, Chapter 3, Sections 10 & 11).
  • Library privileges.
  • Business cards with the title "Emeritus" or "Emerita"*
  • Access to office space (based on availability) in the TMCC part-time faculty office.
  • Ability to purchase regular software/updates at employee discounts.
  • Membership in the TMCC Emeriti Club featuring:
    • Invitations to College public ceremonies such as academic processions, convocations, and appropriate social functions.
    • Invitations to serve as an ambassador for the College at mutually agreed-upon events within the community at the discretion of the president.
    • Invitations to assist the College during semester start-up and with special projects.
    • Regularly scheduled mixers (at least two a year) hosted by the TMCC Foundation.
  • Part-time teaching assignments: all invitations for Emeriti faculty to teach classes are at the discretion of the department chair and subject to approval of the dean within the resources of the school. Emeriti faculty may normally teach no more than two courses in any given semester.

* To order business cards from Consolidated Document Management Services (CDMS) do the following:

  • Log in with User name: TMCC, Password: Emeritus - and follow the directions to submit your order for verification and approval by the President's Office.
  • Emeritus members are responsible for the payment of business card orders.
  • Contact Auxiliary Services with questions.

Application

Given the unique demands and roles of full-time faculty in various areas of the College, each candidate must submit an application for Emeritus status that will be reviewed by the Director and/or Dean and appropriate Vice President for recommendation.

Prior to Emeritus status being granted by the President, the candidate will be asked to address the responsibilities listed below. 

The application may be up to five pages in length, and in general terms address the following three areas of faculty professional responsibilities.

Teaching/Professional Excellence

Describe how you have demonstrated commitment and success in providing excellent instruction to TMCC students, or if in a non-instructional faculty position, provide details about how you excelled in providing the professional services required of the position.

You may include one or more of the following:

  1. Descriptions of the courses taught at TMCC
  2. The various instructional delivery systems utilized
  3. Professional services provided
  4. Various student constituencies served
  5. Efforts at keeping instructional curriculum current
  6. Efforts at keeping professional services current and meaningful
  7. Other aspects of teaching excellence and professional service

Please include a completed Years of Service and Retirement Verification form (issued by Human Resources). Please allow Human Resources 10 working days to verify employment and retirement status and complete the form. 

Professional Development

Describe any efforts made in ongoing professional development that was required or appropriate for your discipline, profession, or occupation.

Contribution of TMCC and/or Surrounding Communities

Describe your commitment to the College and surrounding communities including one or more of the following:

  1. Leadership positions/efforts
  2. Commitments above and beyond the typical faculty contract
  3. Volunteer efforts on and off the campus
  4. Any other evidence of contributions the candidate wishes to present

Information about contribution to the College and/or surrounding communities should be summarized thematically, and not necessarily include a list of all activities, positions, committees, etc., over the course of one’s TMCC career.

Denial of Application

Should the candidate's application be denied by the Dean or Director, the candidate has the option of appealing.

Appeal Process

If a candidate's application is denied by the Dean or Director, the candidate may appeal the decision by writing to the appropriate Vice President. Once the appeal is made, the following will occur, facilitated by the appropriate Vice President:

  • A list of Emeritus candidates who have been denied is publicized campus-wide and a comment period will open, with the Vice President determining the length of this comment period.
  • Should three or more faculty or an administrator object to a particular candidate’s Emeritus application during this comment period, they should submit written, substantiated objections to the appropriate Vice President, who will review the submissions. Supporting statements may be submitted as well.
  • Should the Vice President deem that these objections have merit, she or he will convene a Peer Review Committee composed of three faculty from the candidate’s discipline to review the objections and supporting statements. The Peer Review Committee will review the comments and submit a written opinion to the appropriate Vice President.
  • The Vice President will review/evaluate the merits of the candidate’s application, the written comments, including the objections from three or more faculty or an administrator, and the Peer Review Committee’s analysis and recommendations, and forward her or his recommendation to the President for a decision.
  • There is no appeal to the Vice President's recommendation, and the final decision rests with the President.