Collegiate Times

A quarter of Virginia Tech's tenured faculty members are over the age of 60, and with budget cuts looming, the university must take a careful approach to faculty management.

Patricia Hyer, associate provost for academic administration, said the university monitors the age of faculty only from the perspective of maintaining a stable staff.

"We look at it as a way of keeping the work force replenished," Hyer said. "There is always an issue of moving a department forward."

That task has become more difficult for Richard Sorensen, dean of the Pamplin College of Business. With recent university budget cuts, his college has had to change how faculty members are hired.

Typically, a departing tenured faculty member is replaced through a recruiting process.

"We have about 135 faculty members," Sorensen said. "Normally there are anywhere between six and 12 faculty job searches going on at any given time."

Sorensen said budget reductions have halted the recruiting process. The College of Business must now look for different ways to fill teaching positions.

"We need to look to continuing appointments," Sorensen said. "In the short term, it reduces even more our ability to teach classes."

Currently, 10.7 percent of Tech's tenured faculty, the highest paid group of faculty members, is over the age of 65. Another 17.6 percent are between the ages of 60 and 65.

Sorensen said planning on retirement is not a useful strategy in the case of university faculty.

"We don't automatically assume anybody is going to retire at a certain age," Sorensen said. "We depend on them to tell us."

James Robertson Jr., professor and Director of the Virginia Civil War Center, said the typical retirement age for other professions does not weigh on his mind.

"As long as I feel good and enjoy what I am doing, I see no reason to retire," Robertson said.

Hyer said being a university faculty member is different from many other occupations in retirement age and in the way the job is vacated.

"Being a faculty member is much more than a job," Hyer said. "It is a way of life."

However, Hyer said the university has a wealth of junior faculty members who have not yet attained tenured status.

"We actually have more issues right now with absorbing and mentoring our junior faculty."

Hyer said the surplus of junior faculty is actually the result of major budget cuts in 2002 and 2003.

"We have dealt with some of our budget reductions by offering early retirement incentives," Hyer said.

In the fall of 2003, the university employed 279 tenure-track junior faculty members, and 983 tenured faculty members.

In fall 2008, there were 383 tenure-track junior faculty members, an increase of 104. Meanwhile, the tenured faculty only increased by 30.

Sorensen said the early retirement incentive program did not benefit his college.

"It was done on a strictly voluntary basis," Sorensen. "It wasn't targeted. In some cases, you found it was the higher performing faculty that took advantage."

Robertson said they simply gave those thinking of retirement an easier decision.

"For people who are ready to retire, it's a great incentive," Robertson said.

The incentive packages varied, but Sorensen said some provided 50 percent of the departed faculty member's salary for two years.

The current round of budget cuts produced a different response.

"The deans said they really did not feel they could afford early retirement incentives," Hyer said.

Sorensen said his college has asked the Provost's Office for financial assistance in paying faculty. The Pamplin College of Business contributes more than $2 million to the university from outside programs.

He said retiring tenured faculty would not be replaced in the near future.

Among other colleges that could face high numbers of retiring faculty are the College of Science and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

Hyer said the emeritus faculty program is often used as a transition tactic.

"Many of those faculty members who want to stay connected to Virginia Tech can. Some get rehired to teach for the university," Hyer said. "It's helpful for the faculty and it's helpful for the university."

The program allows retired faculty members to continue some duties with the university.

"From time to time, those people are asked to continue a teaching load at the university," Sorensen said.

However, state retirement packages restrict the use of emeritus faculty.

"The person cannot be rehired in the same role," Sorensen said. "Their role has to be somewhat different."