Changes in Policies and Procedures and in the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty that would clarify the rights of retired faculty members were introduced at last Wednesday's faculty meeting.
According to Professor Henry D. Jacoby, chair of the Committee on Faculty-Administration, a key issue that must be addressed involves the role of a retiring faculty member. The issue concerns the process by which emeriti faculty may retain the title of "professor (without tenure)." Retired professors who still have teaching or research duties can keep this title with the approval of their department head, their dean and the provost.
"On retirement, a faculty member also changes his or her relationship to the Institute in other ways," said Professor Jacoby. "Faculty may remain active, teaching and/or continuing sponsored research, but nonetheless pass the reins to younger people. That is, it is our recommendation that they be expected to step aside from key governance tasks." The proposed amendments to Rules and Regulations of the Faculty, which will be voted at the May meeting, clarify this changed role in faculty governance.
The changes in Policies and Procedures, which have been approved by the Academic Council, specify that the length of time a retired faculty member can be appointed a professor (with payment at 49 percent or less) is normally limited to five years.
GRADING, DEGREE ACTIONS
In other business, the faculty also approved the continued internal use of intermediate grades and the addition of an SB in Aerospace Engineering with Information Technology.
Nominations of officers and committee members were submitted by Professor Joseph M. Sussman, chair of the Committee on Nominations. Professor Paul T. Matsudaira was nominated to be associate chair of the faculty for 1999-2001 (Professor Steven R. Lerman is the chair-elect). Professor Evelynn Hammonds was nominated to be secretary of the faculty.
Proposals were made that would establish an SB in Linguistics and Philosophy and a PhD program in Chemical Engineering Practice. Faculty Chair Lotte Bailyn read a statement from Dean of Engineering Thomas L. Magnanti supporting the proposal.
Professor Emeritus Robert B. McKersie, co-chair of the ROTC oversight committee, and Army Col. Robert R. Rooney reported on progress in offering ROTC leadership instruction to non-ROTC students. Col. Rooney noted the success of a joint ROTC/Leaders in Management program during IAP that led to the development of a seminar at the Sloan School scheduled for the fall semester.
"They say if you're going to talk here, you've got to have an overhead," quipped Col. Rooney as he displayed a mock slide titled "Leadership and Management Defined" with a graph and mathematical symbols.
The faculty were saddened to hear of the death of Professor Gian Carlo Rota and adopted a resolution honoring Professor Kenneth A. Johnson, who died in February.
A motion was introduced that would change the title of Director of Student Financial Aid to Director of Student Financial Services in the Rules and Regulations.������
A version of this article appeared in the April 28, 1999 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 43, Number 28).
