Policy

Ramapo College of New Jersey may honor retired faculty and administrators with emeritus status, in recognition of their distinguished contributions before retirement.

Reason for Policy

Sets forth policy, criteria, and procedures to bestow and revoke emeritus status.

To Whom Does the Policy Apply

Retiring faculty, retiring presidents, and retiring academic and non-academic administrators of the College at the rank of dean or higher, who have served at the College for at least ten years and provided distinguished service while doing so.

Related Documents

Procedure 318: Emeritus

Contacts

Office of the President
(201) 684-7610

I. Criteria

The emeritus title may be awarded to:

– retiring faculty members who have served the college for at least ten years and have been distinguished in teaching, scholarship, College and community service, and the fulfillment of professional responsibilities;
– A faculty member must be at the rank of Associate or full Professor at the time of retirement.
– retiring Presidents and retiring academic and non-academic administrators who have served the College for at least ten years and have been distinguished in mentorship, leadership, College and community service, and the fulfillment of professional responsibilities;
– An administrator must be at the rank of Dean or higher at the time  of retirement.

With support from Employee Relations (ER) and Human Resources (HR), all recommendations for emeritus status must be received by ER/HR no later than October 15, and advanced to the Office of the President no later than November 10. The approved nominations will then be presented to the Board of Trustees at its first regular meeting of the calendar year.

II. Recommendation Process

a. Faculty recommendations must:

– Include a written description of the nominee’s contributions to the College throughout their career in four areas: teaching, scholarship, College and community service, and the fulfillment of professional responsibilities.
– The faculty of the school from which the nominee retires generates the written recommendation for emeriti distinction and advances it to the dean of the school. The Dean then submits a recommendation to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs who shares it with Employee Relations. The Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, in turn, makes a recommendation to the President. If the President supports the recommendation, the President will bring the matter to the Board of Trustees for consideration.
– The authority to grant emeritus status to retiring faculty rests with the Board of Trustees.

b. Administrator recommendations must:

– Include a written description of the nominee’s contributions to the College throughout their career in four areas: mentorship, leadership, College and community service, and the fulfillment of professional responsibilities.
– Colleagues of the retiring administrator generate the written recommendation for emeriti distinction and advance it to the administrator’s immediate supervisor. The supervisor then submits a recommendation to the Division Vice President who shares it with Human Resources. The Division Vice President, in turn, makes a recommendation to the President. If the President supports the recommendation, the President will bring the matter to the Board of Trustees for consideration.
– Written recommendations may also be initiated by the President and, if supported by a majority of the President’s Cabinet, be advanced to the Board of Trustees with the written concurrence of the President’s Cabinet.
– The authority to grant emeritus status to retiring administrators rests with the Board of Trustees.

c. President recommendations must:

– Include a written description of the president’s contributions to the College throughout their career in four areas: mentorship, leadership, College and community service, and the fulfillment of professional responsibilities.
– Any member of the Board of Trustees may generate the written recommendation for emeriti distinction and advance it to the Board of Trustees care of the College’s Board Liaison or Board Recording Secretary. The Liaison/Secretary then advances the recommendation to the Executive/Judicial Committee of the Board of Trustees and shares it with Human Resources. If the Executive/Judicial Committee supports the recommendation, the Committee will advance the matter to the full Board of Trustees for consideration.
– The authority to recommend and grant emeritus status to retiring presidents rests with the Board of Trustees.

III. Revocation of Emerita/Emeritus Status

Emerita/emeritus status may be revoked at any time. Without limiting such discretion, revocation may occur when it is determined that the individual’s conduct, before or after receiving the emerita/emeritus designation, conflicts with the intent and spirit of the designation and/or causes harm to the College’s reputation. The authority to revoke emerita/emeritus status rests with the Board of Trustees.

IV. Privileges

All those holding the rank of emeritus will be notified of the associated privileges. Notification to faculty will be issued by the Office of the Provost. Notification to Administrators will be issued by Human Resources. Privileges associated with holding the rank of emeritus include:

– Ramapo College identification card
– On-campus parking
– A Ramapo College retiree e-mail account
– Employee discount rates to most events on campus and to the campus Bookstore
– Access to selected College publications
– Access to emeritus offices
– Identification in various College publications/resources
– Eligibility to participate in College commencements, Founders’ Day, and convocations
– Use of athletic/recreation facilities at a rate comparable to the employee rate
– Use of on-campus dining at a rate comparable to the employee rate
– Library/Learning Commons privileges

Emeriti faculty and administrators are encouraged to continue their association with the College through Institutional Advancement.