- Faculty member retires
- UCD Pensions provides a list of retired faculty to University Secretariat detailing:
- Title and Name
- Personnel Number
- Date of Retirement
- School
- University Secretariat contacts the relevant Head of School to confirm the following information in order to determine whether or not a faculty member is eligible for an Emeritus title:
- That the faculty member is retired and has not, to your knowledge, been employed on a post-retirement contract by the School or does not hold an ‘office of similar character’ at another institution.
- That the faculty member is eligible for conferring status as per the procedures outlined.
- The position held by the faculty member on retirement (i.e., Full Professor / Professor / Associate Professor / Assistant Professor (or Lecturer)).
- Confirm which Emeritus title should be conferred.
- On receipt of the confirmation from the Head of School, University Secretariat submits the recommendation to the subsequent meeting of Academic Council or its Executive Committee for approval, noting the retirement date. Details of Academic Council meeting dates can be found on the Academic Council webpage and the Executive Committee webpage.
- When the title is approved by Academic Council, correspondence will issue from the Registrar/Secretary to Academic Council to the retiree to confirm the decision.
Emeritus
13 December 2023
Emeritus
The title of 'Emeritus' may be conferred by Academic Council to faculty on or after retirement in recognition of meritorious service to the University. Emeritus is an honorary title and defined by University Statute.
Conferment of Emeritus Titles (Statute 25)
Statute 25 states that “the Governing Authority, on the recommendation of the Academic Council, may confer the title of “Emeritus” upon any Full Professor, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor (or Lecturer) on or after retirement, in recognition of meritorious services to the University. The title of “Emeritus” shall be held only if the person concerned does not hold another office of a similar character. An Emeritus appointee shall not be entitled to membership of the Academic Council.” (Chapter 9, Section 16).
At its meeting of 12 December 2019, Governing Authority delegated approval of Emeritus to Academic Council.
Learn more about Statute 25 in the Governance Document Library.
When is the title conferred?
UCD Pensions provide lists of retired faculty directly to University Secretariat. On receipt of notification from UCD Pensions that a faculty member has retired, University Secretariat will contact the relevant Head of School to confirm that the candidate is eligible for an Emeritus title. Only on receipt of confirmation from the Head of School can the recommendation for an Emeritus title be put forward to Academic Council for approval. See below for a detailed outline of the process. Currently there is no requirement to nominate/be nominated although there are cases where a Head of School or College Principal makes a nomination to the Registrar.
Conditions & Titles
Before a Full Professor/Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor (or Lecturer) can be conferred with the Emeritus title, they must be retired and can no longer be working in any paid capacity in UCD.
| Position at retirement | Emeritus title |
|---|---|
| Full Professor | Emeritus Full Professor |
| Professor | Emeritus Professor |
| Associate Professor | Emeritus Associate Professor |
| Assistant Professor (Lecturer) | Emeritus Assistant Professor (Lecturer) |
The conferral process in full
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The title is conferred following a meeting of the Academic Council (AC) or its Executive Committee (ACEC). There may be a gap of months between your retirement date and the next meeting of AC/ACEC. Once the title has been conferred you will receive correspondence from the Registrar/Secretary to Academic Council confirming it.
Access to systems will depend on your role in the University. The awarding of an Emeritus title does not provide any additional IT service entitlements beyond those offered to retired faculty. Retired/Emeritus and Research & Teaching Active (RTA) staff have different levels of access to IT systems. Moving between one and the other can result in the loss of access to features like Zoom or the ability to download software, for example.
Emeritus status and RTA status are quite different and have different levels of access associated with each. RTA staff have the widest range of access. If you hold an Emeritus title and you need additional IT access then you need to talk to your School about becoming an RTA staff member.
No. Awardees of the Emeritus title must be retired and can no longer be working in any paid capacity in UCD. Emeritus awardees may still operate in roles under the Research & Teaching-Active (RTA) Retired Faculty Policy as these roles are voluntary and unpaid.
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