Request for Retirement Election and Agreement

This form serves as the official mechanism for faculty to provide irrevocable written notice to the Provost of their election to retire, as required by University policy. Submitting this form initiates the process for formalizing a Retirement Agreement.  

What is a Retirement Agreement?

A Retirement Agreement is a formal, policy-specific contract between a faculty member and the University. It is the required instrument for faculty who elect to participate in specific incentive programs. It outlines the transition timeline, workload adjustments, and financial terms, and constitutes an irrevocable commitment to retire on a specified date.

  

Who is eligible for Retirement Agreements?

• Tenure Track: Eligible for Phased Retirement or Monetary Incentive, contingent on age and years of service requirements.
• Teaching Track: Eligible for Phased Retirement only.
• Research, Librarian/Archivist, and Special Faculty: These tracks are not eligible for the Phased or Monetary incentive programs. Faculty in these tracks should coordinate retirement directly with their department leadership. 

Timelines to Consider

Retiring often involves Medicare and Social Security, which can take several months to set up. Whether you are retiring fully or starting a Phased Retirement, we recommend submitting this form at least six (6) months before your planned retirement date or before you would like your phased retirement period to begin.

Emerit Status

Emerit status is separate from retirement agreements. Receiving emerit status is not automatic upon retirement and is not granted through a Retirement Agreement. Eligible faculty who wish to be considered for emerit status must submit a separate request through the Notice of Intent to Retire and (Optional) Request for Emerit Status form. To allow sufficient time for review and approval, emerit requests should generally be submitted at least six (6) months before your planned retirement date. Emerit status is an honorific designation that follows its own review and approval timeline and may be requested whether or not a faculty member participates in a phased retirement or monetary incentive program.

Related policies include:

Policy on Emeriti Faculty
Retirement Options for Tenured Faculty
Policy to Provide Phased Retirement Option for Teaching Track Faculty

To ensure that we can communicate with you throughout the Retirement Agreement process, please enter your preferred email address. This can be different from your Andrew ID.

Note: Specify the number of years served to determine eligibility for specific policy incentives. 

• Tenure track: Enter years served specifically on the Tenure track. Do not include years in previous roles (e.g, Postdoc, Adjunct, or Visiting).
• Teaching track: Enter your total years of service at CMU.

Tenured Faculty Eligibility & Options

Phased Retirement

• A tenured faculty member with at least 10 years of service on the tenure track
• 61 years of age or older by their intended retirement date

Monetary Incentive

• A tenured faculty member with at least 10 years of service on the tenure track.
• Selects a retirement date that falls within the eligibility window, which:
  • Begins on July 1 coinciding with or immediately preceding the date in which the Faculty Member reaches the age of 64, and
  • Ends on the June 30 after the faculty member reaches the age of 67.

Important: The Monetary Incentive program has specific eligibility and timing requirements. Faculty considering this option should contact Human Resources early in the process to confirm eligibility and review available options.

Teaching Faculty Eligibility

• A Full Teaching Professor OR Associate Teaching Professor appointed to a 5-year term with at least 10 years of service with the University.
• Age 63 years of age or older prior to the commencement of the phased retirement period.
• Selects a retirement date that falls within the eligibility window, which:
  • Begins on October 1
  • Ends on January 31 before the beginning of the academic year during which the phased retirement would commence.
• Meets all eligibility criteria prior to September 1 when the phased retirement period begins.
• Finalizing the Retirement Date (Appointment Term Implications): The Phased Retirement Agreement requires selection of an irrevocable retirement date, which is subject to the following rules concerning the Faculty Member's current appointment term:
  • If there is more than two (2) years remaining, they must agree to retire prior to the expiration of their current appointment term.
  • If there is less than two (2) years remaining, the current appointment term will be automatically extended to coincide with the agreed-upon retirement date, without the necessity of further review.

Emerit Status

Emerit status is separate from retirement agreements. Receiving emerit status is not automatic upon retirement and is not granted through a Retirement Agreement. Eligible faculty who wish to be considered for emerit status must submit a separate request through the Notice of Intent to Retire and (Optional) Request for Emerit Status form.

To allow sufficient time for review and approval, emerit requests should generally be submitted at least six (6) months before your planned retirement date. Emerit status is an honorific designation that follows its own review and approval timeline and may be requested whether or not a faculty member participates in a phased retirement or monetary incentive program.

Relevant Policy:
Policy on Emeriti Faculty

Irrevocable Notice of Election

By signing below, I am providing formal written notice to the Provost of my intent to retire and my request to enter into a Retirement Agreement.

1. Per University policy, by submitting this notice I irrevocably elect to retire under the option selected above.
2. This notice satisfies the policy requirement to "notify the provost in writing" of my retirement election for the forthcoming year.
3. Following this submission, the University will prepare a formal Retirement Agreement that outlines the specific terms of my transition.
4. If I have elected the Monetary Incentive, my retirement must be effective no later than the June 30 following this election.