The content below is intended for those who coordinate or supervise academic personnel. Information intended for an academic personnel audience is available at Leaving the UW.
Emeritus
Upon retirement from the University, both faculty and librarians may be considered for emeritus status, a lifelong designation that recognizes achievements of those with meritorious records. It is expected that consideration of an emeritus appointment will be made by the appointing unit at the time of retirement.
Faculty
Emeritus appointments require an affirmative vote of the unit faculty and concurrence by the dean/chancellor and the provost. Generally, emeritus status criteria include having at least 10 years of service as a faculty member and holding the rank of professor or associate professor. Under certain circumstances the president may grant emeritus status to deans, vice presidents, or others if deemed appropriate (UW Faculty Code Section 24-34 B.13).
Confirmation of Appointment Standards (Faculty)
In considering a faculty candidate for an emeritus appointment and before submitting the request in Workday, the dean/chancellor should determine whether the candidate meets the following appointment standards:
- Is retiring/has retired from a tenured, WOT, research track, teaching track, or clinical-salaried appointment
- Is retiring/has retired at the rank of professor or associate professor
- Has/will have held a UW faculty appointment for at least 10 years prior to retirement
- Is requesting/recommended for emeritus status within one year of retirement
- Has been found meritorious in each of the 5 years leading up to retirement, and has an overall record of meritorious performance
- Has had no misconduct issues requiring review and/or resolution in the 5 years leading up to retirement
Confirmation of the dean’s/chancellor’s review will be required when the emeritus request is processed in Workday. If the dean/chancellor would answer “no” to anything on the list, they should email vpap@uw.edu to arrange for further discussion before entering the emeritus request into Workday. Answering “no” does not necessarily mean the emeritus request will be denied; rather, that additional consideration may be required.
Librarians
Emeritus appointments for librarians may be recommended by the University Libraries for eligible librarians at the time of retirement, with approval by the dean of University Libraries and the president of the University. Generally, emeritus status criteria include having at least 10 years of service as a University Libraries employee and holding the rank of librarian or associate librarian (UW Librarian Personnel Code Chapter II Section B 4.a).
Confirmation of Appointment Standards (Librarian)
In considering a librarian for an emeritus appointment and before submitting the request in Workday, the dean should determine whether the candidate meets the following appointment standards:
- Is retiring/has retired at the rank of librarian or associate librarian
- Has/will have held a UW librarian appointment for at least 10 years prior to retirement
- Is requesting/recommended for emeritus status within one year of retirement
- Has an overall record of being found meritorious and has been found meritorious in each of the 5 years leading up to retirement
- Has had no misconduct issues requiring review and/or resolution in the 5 years leading up to retirement
Confirmation of the dean’s review will be required when the emeritus request is processed in Workday. If the dean would answer “no” to anything on the list, they should email vpap@uw.edu to arrange for further discussion before entering the emeritus request into Workday. Answering “no” does not necessarily mean the emeritus request will be denied; rather, that additional consideration may be required.
Emeritus Titles By Appointment Type
| Appointment Prior to Retirement | Emeritus Appointment |
| Professor Professor WOT* |
Professor Emeritus |
| Associate Professor Associate Professor WOT* |
Associate Professor Emeritus |
| Research Professor | Research Professor Emeritus |
| Research Associate Professor | Research Associate Professor Emeritus |
| Teaching Professor | Teaching Professor Emeritus |
| Associate Teaching Professor | Associate Teaching Professor Emeritus |
| Clinical Professor | Clinical Professor Emeritus |
| Clinical Associate Professor | Clinical Associate Professor Emeritus |
| Librarian | Librarian Emeritus |
| Associate Librarian | Associate Librarian Emeritus |
* Without Tenure (WOT) by Reason of Funding
Workday Entry for Emeritus Appointments
When processing the emeritus request in Workday, the unit must:
- Check that the dean/chancellor has confirmed the candidate meets the appointment standards listed in the Confirmation of Appointment Standards sections for faculty or librarians as applicable.
- Include one of the following applicable statements in the Comments field of the Add Academic Appointment Track business process:
- “Dean/chancellor confirms candidate meets appointment standards”
- “Dean/chancellor received pre-approval from vice provost for Academic Personnel”
Once an emeritus title is conferred, the emeritus academic appointment will exist in Workday for the rest of the appointee’s life. When in paid status, the emeritus employee should have an emeritus position in Workday. When unpaid, the emeritus appointee should have an unpaid academic position. See the Hire Emeritus and Hire and Change Job For Unpaid Academics user guides and the Emeritus Employee Type Decision Tree for more information.
Required Documents for Emeritus Appointments
Award of Emeritus Status: Faculty
PDF 1
- Documentation from faculty member stating intention to retire
- Chair/ director/campus dean’s letter indicating the faculty vote and recommending emeritus title
PDF 2
- Signed, completed sexual misconduct disclosure form and, if there’s a break in service, all employer responses
Award of Emeritus Status: Librarian
PDF 1
- Documentation from librarian stating intention to retire
- Dean of University Libraries’ letter to provost recommending emeritus appointment
PDF 2
- Signed, completed sexual misconduct disclosure form and, if there’s a break in service, all employer responses
Re-employing Emeritus Academic Personnel
PDF 1
- Offer letter from department identifying academic personnel name, title, appointment percent, and length of paid appointment with emeritus’ concurrence must be uploaded to Workday anytime an emeritus faculty member or librarian is re-employed
PDF 2
- Signed, completed sexual misconduct disclosure form and, if there’s a break in service, all employer responses
Re-employed Retirees
UW faculty and librarians who retire, but who do not hold emeritus status, may partially re-employ after retirement using the titles/ranks in the table below.
| Title/Rank Prior to Retirement | Title/Rank Upon Re-employment |
| Professor Professor WOT* Research Professor Teaching Professor |
Professor, Retired |
| Associate Professor Associate Professor WOT* Research Associate Professor Associate Teaching Professor |
Associate Professor, Retired |
| Librarian Associate Librarian |
Librarian Retired** |
| All other academic titles eligible for retirement | Retiree – Academic ** |
* Without Tenure (WOT) by Reason of Funding
**No corresponding academic appointment is required
Unless a faculty retiree maintains a vested right to re-employ, re-employment is at the discretion of the dean/chancellor who will take into consideration—among other things—the needs of the University and availability of funding.
Workday Entry for Re-employed Retirees
To re-hire an academic retiree who has not been appointed to emeritus, consult the Hire-Academic Personnel user guide.
Other Details: Re-employed Emeriti and Retirees
The salaries of academic personnel with emeritus appointments and other retirees who are re-employed shall be commensurate with the monthly base salary at the time of retirement.
Faculty and librarians can find additional information on OAP’s Leaving the UW and Working after Retirement web pages.