Your Career: How we wrestle with (and avoid) the retirement decision

The one thing you can’t do is say: “Bob, I’m sensing that the thrill is gone. Certainly your student evaluations suggest as much. Isn’t it time for you to retire?” ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now read The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. The one thing you can’t do is say: “Bob, I’m sensing the thrill is gone. Certainly your student evaluations suggest as much. Isn’t it time for you to retire?” Our hiring procedures for screening candidates at the start of an academic career have been widely discussed. (And even parodied.) What we talk about far less, though, is the much murkier process at the other end of the career arc — the decision about when and how to step away from the profession. Doing away with mandatory retirement has left faculty members with little guidance on the matter. Yes, an age-based rule of 65, or 70 — or 85, for that matter — is a blunt instrument that doesn’t take into account the different rates and ways in which we age, our different life situations, the different needs of our academic units, or the differing career trajectories in different disciplines. One-size-fits-all retirement mandates are admirably clear but frustratingly unnuanced. But in their absence, how can we help colleagues, and ourselves, reach thoughtful and well-informed decisions about retirement? There are many good reasons to retire at the “right” time — whenever that might be for each of us. What prevents us? In part, our indecision is deeply human. Retirement planning can be hard because most of us don’t want to face our mortality, and the waning of our gifts. But plenty of other factors, beyond the obvious financial ones, also may make it difficult for a faculty member to make the call at the right moment. Continue reading: “[We Need to Talk About Retirement]( by Kevin Dettmar - Talk to us: Since ChatGPT arrived on the scene, fears that students will use it to cheat on papers and exams have steadily increased. We want to hear from you. This past semester, do you suspect that your students cheated with ChatGPT or other AI tools? Email our [Beth McMurtrie](mailto:Beth.McMurtrie@chronicle.com) or [fill out this form]( to share your experiences and plans. Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here.]( ADVERTISEMENT UPCOMING PROGRAM [The Chronicle's Strategic-Leadership Program for Department Chairs] [Join us in June]( for a virtual professional development program which will provide the space, time, and tools to help department chairs take on the challenges and opportunities of the role. Through workshops, high-level seminars, and individual development plans, chairs will think strategically about their departmental and institutional impact. [Register today!]( NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. LATEST CAREER ADVICE, OPINION, AND NEWS THE REVIEW | FORUM [How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Higher Ed?]( [STORY IMAGE]( ChatGPT is just the beginning. Twelve scholars and administrators explain. ADVERTISEMENT ADVICE [Everyone Thinks They’re a Marketing Expert]( By Aaron Basko [STORY IMAGE]( An enrollment administrator inherits the marketing office and explores how to merge two very different professions. COLLEGE LEADERS [Most New Presidents at Top Research Universities Are Now Women]( By David Jesse [STORY IMAGE]( A new study found that 53 percent of leaders appointed to R1 research universities since the fall of 2021 are women, though men still lead 70 percent of those institutions. HIRING & DEI [Are Diversity Statements Illegal?]( By Adrienne Lu [STORY IMAGE]( Legal experts are divided. A new lawsuit may provide clarity. DUCK AND COVER [‘More Cowardly Than Cautious’: Faculty Decry College Leaders’ Silence on DEI Attacks]( By Katherine Mangan [STORY IMAGE]( When speaking out carries political risks, but staying quiet seems like complicity, the leaders are caught in a bind. REPUTATION AT STAKE [Fighting Claims of Research Misconduct, Stanford’s President Isn’t Pulling Punches]( By Elissa Welle [STORY IMAGE]( Marc Tessier-Lavigne has been vocal in defying his critics, even amid an investigation into image-manipulation allegations. Experts say the strategy may be risky. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Reimagining the Student Experience - The Chronicle Store]( [Trouble at the Top]( Many leaders and industry observers say it has been decades since the heat on presidents has been this intense. [Order your copy today]( to explore what today’s presidents are up against, how things are changing, and how to navigate new challenges. What we’re reading Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - In Roxane Gay’s latest [Work Friend column]( she offers advice on how to get out of participating in a group picture at the office. - [Advice]( from The Conversation on “how to have better disagreements” and keep people talking. - Looking for more summer-reading suggestions? [Here’s a list]( The New York Times. MORE CAREER RESOURCES DATA [Race, Ethnicity, and Gender of Full-Time Faculty Members at More Than 3,300 Institutions]( [STORY IMAGE]( This sortable table shows the percentages of full-time faculty members who were members of specific racial and ethnic groups at degree-granting colleges and universities. POLITICS AND RACE [DEI Legislation Tracker]( By Adrienne Lu, Jacquelyn Elias, Audrey Williams June, J. Brian Charles, Kate Marijolovic, Julian Roberts-Grmela, and Eva Surovell [STORY IMAGE]( Legislators, mostly Republicans, want to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices; end anti-bias trainings; and banish diversity statements. PAY UPDATE [How Much Has Faculty Pay Changed Over Time?]( By Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( See the latest federal data on compensation for all ranks of the profession at thousands of American colleges. DATA [How Much Has Noninstructional-Employee Pay Changed Over Time?]( [STORY IMAGE]( A sector-by-sector look at changes in average annual pay for workers in noninstructional jobs from 2012-13 to 2020-21. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Join New Jersey?s #1-RANKED Graduate School of Education]( Rutgers University [Post Doctoral Associate - Center for Women in Business - Researcher]( Rutgers University [OPEN RANK TENURE TRACK in Native American Studies]( University of Michigan Department of American Culture [Search other jobs.]( CAREER RESOURCES [Man sitting at a laptop computer.] Explore [Career Resources]( a new online destination to find career-related articles, advice, reports, events, and more designed to help you advance in your career. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037