Emeritus Status

Introduction

Emeritus/a status is an honorary designation conferred upon University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) retirees to recognize their contributions and accomplishments over their university careers.  It is available to University Staff employees provided they meet the eligibility requirements detailed in the policy. Individuals interested in being considered for emeritus/a status are encouraged to review eligibility criteria while investigating retirement options. 

Eligibility

Any person being considered for Emeritus/a status must meet the following criteria:

• The designee has engaged in exceptional, distinguished service to the UW institution. The title shall not be awarded as a matter of due course and shall not be granted automatically upon retirement.
• Candidate must be an employee with UWW who is permanently retired and is eligible to activate an annuity from the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS).
• Retired from UWW after 10 or more years of service.

Process of Conferral

1. Letter of recommendation drafted and approved by the home department/unit to include:
   1. Retiree’s name
   2. Retiree’s years of service to UWW
   3. Retiree’s retirement year
   4. Retiree’s home department (author of the recommendation)
   5. Recommendation to the Chancellor that the title of Emeritus/a status be conferred on the retiree
   6. Distinguished service to the department/unit and/or UWW
   7. Distinguished service to the profession
   8. Distinguished service to the community
   9. Awards and recognitions received by the retiree
2. Letter of recommendation submitted to Dean/Director for approval
3. Letter of recommendation submitted by Dean/Director to University Staff Council Chair
4. Vote by University Staff Council (date of conferral)
5. Resolution and Decision submitted by University Staff Council Chair to the Office of the Chancellor
6. Letter of Conferral sent from Chancellor to new Emeritus/a person, Alumni Office, and University Staff Council
7. Emeritus/a’s information (with conferral date, resolution, and conferral letter) added to official database kept by the Alumni Office
8. Emeritus/a’s information sent by Alumni Office to all relevant privilege-granting offices/units
9. Future information requests would go to Alumni Office (event invitation lists, etc.)

Privileges

• The Chancellor publishes the emeritus/a privileges and sends that list to appropriate governance groups. Please note the list of privileges listed in Exhibit 1 are just an example of the privileges offered. The privileges are determined by the Office of the Chancellor.

Additional Information

• The full policy is available in our Resolutions and Policies archive.