Retirement
The FAS Retirement Program
In December 2010, the FAS unveiled a voluntary retirement program. The FAS Retirement Program allows faculty to choose a phased, personalized retirement path with a transition that lasts from two to four years, depending on the option chosen by the faculty member.Here you'll find resources to help you learn about and plan for your retirement. Our office is here to support you.
Faculty Retirement Program Brochure
The Faculty Retirement Program Brochure provides information on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences phased-retirement program, which gives faculty the opportunity to plan a personalized, multi-year transition into retirement.
Questions about retirement?
To schedule a confidential retirement conversation, please contact Jerrine Milke.
For detailed information about retirement benefits, please contact Sadiyah Jackson, Benefits Consultant, at 617-495-3139 or sadiyah_jackson@harvard.edu.
Overview
For more detailed information, please refer to the FAS Appointment and Promotion Handbook or the Faculty Retirement Brochure below.
Professors Emeriti
Emeritus status is not conferred automatically based on the fact of retirement alone. Rather, a faculty member is eligible for emeritus/a status upon retirement when the faculty member
- Retires from a tenured faculty, Professor of the Practice, or Professor in Residence position after faithful service (at its core, faithful service means service in keeping with Harvard’s fundamental institutional values),
- Has reached the age of 60 or more, and
- Has a minimum of five years of continuous service immediately preceding retirement.
If these conditions are determined to have been met, the faculty member is eligible to hold the title of Professor of [Department], emeritus/a upon retirement. If the individual held an endowed chair while active, that title may carry forward with the emeritus/a designation.
Research Professors
In accordance with FAS policies, the title “Research Professor” is available to individuals eligible for, or already holding, emeritus/a status who are actively engaged in research. This title can be held for the five years immediately following retirement. Individuals who prefer this title, in lieu of the regular title of Professor Emerita or Professor Emeritus, should write to the Dean of the Faculty annually to state their planned research activities for the coming year.
The research professor title supersedes the regular title of Professor Emerita or Professor Emeritus during the period in which it is held, but research professors are eligible for all the privileges available to Professors Emeriti. In the absence of the annual request for appointment, on specific request from the individual or at the end of the five-year period, the faculty member’s title will revert to the standard Emeritus/a designation.
Compensation
When a retired professor charges his/her/their salary on a grant, the maximum amount of salary that can be charged will be based on what the federal government calls the Institutional Base Salary (IBS). The IBS at the time of retirement is converted from the 9-month academic year to an annualized amount. This conversion consolidates the academic year and summer/supplemental months. For example, if a faculty member’s full-time, academic-year salary at the time of retirement was $150,000, his/her/their 12-month IBS would be $200,000. The salary should be set at the level of committed effort as indicated in the grant proposal/award. For example, if two calendar months of effort are budgeted, then the maximum salary to be charged to the grant would be 2/12ths of the IBS or, as in the example of the 12-month salary of $200,000 used above, $33,333.
Retirement Information and Resources
Explore our curated list of resources designed to support you before, during, and after your retirement.
Rights and Privileges in Retirement
This document provides information on Research Professor appointments, teaching after retirement, PI eligibility, email and IT, and more.
Financial Advisor Interview Questionnaire
This document provides questions for faculty who are vetting financial advisors.
Faculty Departure Checklists
These checklists are designed to guide faculty members, department administrators, and other supporting administrators through the steps leading up to a faculty member's departure. While these lists are most relevant in the months, weeks, and days leading up to a retirement date, you may want to preview them to prepare.
Harvard Human Resources Retirement Information
For more detailed information on university-wide retirement programing, including university-funded retirement plans and investment options, please see the Human Resources Retirement page.