March 18, 2012

Aging Professors Create a Faculty Bottleneck

At some universities, 1 in 3 academics are now 60 or older

Professors Are Graying and Staying, Creating a Faculty Bottleneck 1

Corey Wascinski for The Chronicle

At elite research universities, where longtime professors enjoy freedom and resources, many don't see the need to retire. The number of faculty members ages 65 and up more than doubled from 2000 to 2011.

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close Professors Are Graying and Staying, Creating a Faculty Bottleneck 1

Corey Wascinski for The Chronicle

At elite research universities, where longtime professors enjoy freedom and resources, many don't see the need to retire. The number of faculty members ages 65 and up more than doubled from 2000 to 2011.

By Audrey Williams June

Older faculty members may have good reasons for sticking around, but the lack of an exit strategy can make it hard for departments to plan for the future.