Emerita & Emeritus Faculty

Nominating Retiring or Tenured Faculty for Emerita or Emeritus Status

Recommendations to award emerita or emeritus status to retiring, tenured members of your faculty must be received in John Geer’s office by 5:00 p.m., February 17, 2016. Part II, Chapter 1, Section D in the online Faculty Manual states:

                  “A tenured faculty member who has served the University with distinction
over a period of years and who remains upon active status until retirement
may, upon the recommendation of the appropriate Dean, the Provost or
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, and the Chancellor, be awarded the title of
emeritus or emerita by action of the Board of Trust.”

Guidelines for submitting recommendations may be found in the Faculty Manual.

Recommendations should be accompanied by a biographical statement of some 325-350 words citing the faculty member’s contributions to the University and the academic world in teaching, scholarship, and service.

Please send your recommendations directly to Danielle Certa, Administrative Manager for Faculty, via e-mail (atdanielle.certa@vanderbilt.edu), or send your hard copy to her attention in 105 Kirkland Hall, attention John G. Geer, Vice Provost for Academic and Strategic Affairs.

New Appointments – All Ranks​

General Information

• The status of “Emeritus/Emerita” recognizes tenured faculty who end full-time service to the University.
• A tenured faculty member who has served the University with distinction for an extended period of time, and who remains on active status up to the time of retirement is eligible for Emeritus/Emerita status.
• Appointment to Emeritus/Emerita status is initiated by the Department Chair, and approved by the Dean, Provost, Chancellor, and Board of Trust

Appointment Process

• Awarding of Emeritus/Emerita status is initiated by the Department Chair, who provides to the Dean a curriculum vitae for the candidate along with a 250-300 word biography outlining his/her contributions to the University and the academic world in teaching, scholarship, and service.
• In general, these documents should be received prior to 5:00 P.M. on February 26^th of the intended retirement year.
• Upon approval, the Dean forwards the documentation to the Provost, who then conveys the request to the Chancellor, and the Board of Trust.
• Upon approval of the Board of Trust, the Chancellor notifies the Dean, who informs the Department Chair and the candidate .
• Public recognition of Emeritus/Emerita status is made at Commencement at the end of the academic year.
• Once the process is complete, all updated information is entered into the Faculty Information System (FIS) by the Dean’s Office.