The Task Force on Retired Faculty has begun several initiatives intended to support former faculty members now retired from the music and higher education profession. Taken together, these activities comprise an effort that is unique to our professional community. We hope this endeavor will help address the concerns of and identify the opportunities available to the increasing number of persons retired from our professional field.
Membership in The College Music Society offers a wonderful opportunity after retirement to continue association with the music and higher education profession. Each individual experience is unique both in making the transition to this new phase of professional life and in the kind of activity thereafter. It should be noted that retirement is not a time for simply reliving the past, but an opportunity to contribute by building on the past through new experiences. Some of the steps taken already by the task force in support of our retired members include:
Special sessions for retirees at both the 2003 and at the 2004 Annual Meetings. The 2004 Annual Meeting will include a special session moderated by former CMS Vice-President William T. Hopkins (San Francisco State University). This session will help us examine the main issues facing retired music professors, including retirement planning, networking, the expected and unexpected, opportunities, and, yes, disappointments.
Regional Chairs have been encouraged to include sessions for retired members in their spring conferences. Tom Brosh of this task force has been asked to serve as a liaison with the presidents of the Regional Chapters. We hope retired faculty will respond to the Calls for Program Participation issued by the Chapters for their spring 2005 conferences.
Mentoring. Discussions will continue with Nancy Cochran (Texas Tech University)Chair of the Mentoring Committee who will explore ways to include retired professors in its activities.
The CMS staff has collected names and information on all professors who have retired during the previous year as part of the annual audit of music units throughout the country for its Directory of Music Faculties. A special database of retired faculty is being developed by the Executive Office. A newsletter for retired faculty for sharing experiences and ideas as well as new programs of professional mentoring are being developed and will debut this spring.
The College Music Society believes that retired faculty are an integral part of the entire professional life of the music discipline. It hopes to identify, facilitate, and promote the unique contributions to the profession that each retired member can make.