Phased Retirement for Tenured Faculty

I. POLICY AND GENERAL STATEMENT

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (“University”) may offer tenured faculty, who have met the service requirements for retirement under the Teacher Retirement System (“TRS”) or the Optional Retirement Program (“ORP”), the option of retiring and relinquishing their tenure and any endowed positions, then maintaining a part-time appointment for a set period of time  to “phase” into complete retirement. Phased Retirement shall be allowed only after a determination that a part-time continued appointment not only benefits the individual faculty retiree but also will result in a significant benefit to the University. Appointment to Phased Retirement shall be for a specific period of time not to exceed three fiscal years. Such appointments shall terminate at the expiration of the Phased Retirement period.  Existing policies of the University related to retirement and/or emeritus faculty status apply.

It is the responsibility of the faculty member seeking Phased Retirement to comply with all applicable rules of TRS or ORP.

II. DEFINITIONS

Retiree: A retiree is any tenured faculty member who voluntarily terminates employment with the University and who meets the service requirements for retirement under TRS or ORP.

Phased Retirement: Phased Retirement is an option that may be offered to tenured faculty to retire and relinquish their tenure and any endowed position(s) in exchange for a set term of reduced appointment in teaching, clinical service and/or research. The tenured faculty member would officially retire, then maintain a part-time term appointment without tenure until the expiration of the Phased Retirement Agreement.  The Phased Retirement Agreement may not exceed three years.

Phased Retirement Agreement: An agreed upon written plan for phasing the faculty appointment from 100% employment to full retirement. The plan should include the fiscal years involved, the percentage of appointment for each fiscal year, workload academic duties, and compensation.

III. PROCEDURE

A. Eligible individuals desiring Phased Retirement should develop a Phased Retirement plan through discussions with the department chair/division director and/or the dean at least three months prior to the desired effective date.

B. This plan will be documented with a proposed written agreement for Phased Retirement using the approved form (Attachment A) and waiver (Attachment B).  The Agreement must be reviewed and approved by the faculty member, the department chair, the dean and the Executive Vice President & Chief Academic Officer.  A copy of the agreement should also be sent to Employee Benefits.

C. At the agreed upon date, the faculty member retires and relinquishes his or her tenure and any endowed position(s).  The retiree will receive any customary payout of vacation upon retirement as provided in HOOP Policy 28 Vacation.  The normal personnel action process for retirement will apply.

D. The Agreement remains in effect until complete retirement at the end of the Phased Retirement period, unless the faculty member elects to complete retirement prior to that date.

E. Faculty compensation and benefits during Phased Retirement:

• Compensation during the phased retirement period will generally be based on the faculty member’s compensation immediately prior to the effective date of the Phased Retirement Agreement, taking into account the percent effort for the appointment.  However, should assigned duties be significantly changed for the phased retirement period, the compensation should be mutually agreed upon by the faculty member and the chair or division director.   In such cases, some components of prior compensation (i.e. supplements, augmentation, etc.) may be reduced or eliminated.  Faculty shall not be eligible for and will not receive any merit salary increases, merit based lump sum payments, or any other salary adjustments not contemplated by the faculty member’s Phased Retirement Agreement.
• Employee benefits will be available to the extent provided by state law and current University policy.  See HOOP Policy 17 Appointment Status, HOOP Policy 18 Insurance Eligibility and all other benefits related HOOP policies for additional information. For faculty members in a benefits-eligible position, vacation and sick leave accruals will start over and will be based on the percent time appointment during the phased retirement.
• All usual rights and responsibilities of faculty appointments shall continue through the term of the Agreement except that the faculty member may not be elected to serve on the Interfaculty Council or any committee or group of the faculty to which members are elected by the faculty. Voting status as a faculty member shall be retained to the extent that the faculty member remains eligible for voting in a particular group.
• Removal from the University's payroll for at least one full calendar month following the effective date of retirement and before commencing service under the Phased Retirement Agreement is required if the faculty member is retiring under TRS.

IV. CONTACTS

• • Office of the Executive Vice President & Chief Academic Officer
  • 713-500-3062
  • https://www.uth.edu/evpara/contact-us/leadership.htm

---