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[geonerd]

Is the retired faculty member the student's advisor? It's odd that a retired faculty member would be permitted to advise students, unless the person has emeritus status. 

TF, if you are the graduate program advisor/director of graduate studies then your input is not meddling.

[msparticularity]

Is the retired faculty member the student's advisor? It's odd that a retired faculty member would be permitted to advise students, unless the person has emeritus status. 

TF, if you are the graduate program advisor/director of graduate studies then your input is not meddling.

This struck me as odd, too. In the programs I have been involved with, there is a "sunset clause" for advising even for emeritus faculty members--generally only a year or perhaps two from the date when they go emeritus. And the DGS becomes much more involved, for exactly the policy reasons TF is experiencing.

[tenured_feminist]

I see that my vagueness contributed to some confusion here. My apologies. I actually overstated the nature of the relationship between the student and faculty member; as the student is pre-dissertation, there is no chair yet. Should the student get there, the dissertation chair will presumably come from the student's major field, which is not this one. My own role is complicated by the fact that I wear two hats, GPA and field coordinator. If this be hattery, make the most of it!

But I have to say that I disagree with a blanket policy of putting emeriti out to pasture with respect to graduate students. While they may not be ideal dissertation supervisors if they haven't kept up with their fields (which is not universally true), they can be excellent mentors and critical readers. They're particularly good at spotting when the latest flavor of the day is merely old wine in new bottles and I've seen them help students produce great work that integrates forgotten insights with the latest flavor of the day. Those who remain really engaged are often much more responsive than current faculty because they aren't teaching and usually aren't administering big grants. Of course YMMV wildly depending on the person, but that's true for every potential committee member, regardless of rank/status.

[msparticularity]

But I have to say that I disagree with a blanket policy of putting emeriti out to pasture with respect to graduate students. While they may not be ideal dissertation supervisors if they haven't kept up with their fields (which is not universally true), they can be excellent mentors and critical readers. They're particularly good at spotting when the latest flavor of the day is merely old wine in new bottles and I've seen them help students produce great work that integrates forgotten insights with the latest flavor of the day. Those who remain really engaged are often much more responsive than current faculty because they aren't teaching and usually aren't administering big grants. Of course YMMV wildly depending on the person, but that's true for every potential committee member, regardless of rank/status.

I agree that emeriti often have a great deal to offer grad students--I had one on my committee, and his sense of perspective and long-term insights were incredibly valuable. My point was just that having a chair who has been out of the department for awhile can be a very serious problem, since it really is not easy to stay completely up to date with administrative detail once one is no longer active faculty. One very good solution I have seen work is to separate the jobs of the dissertation research director and the chair.

[zoelouise]

"bight"! Excellent vocab.

[tridaddy]

There comes a time when you don't have to explain why some policies, processes and regs have changed. Not to imply that "retired faculty member" is a child, but that's how we deal with children in many cases. The bottom line is, "this is what we decided and that's it". Stop explaining your decisions and leaving the door open for further discussion (what I call a tennis match approach). Also, take a look at the CHE article (October 30, 2009) on academic ethics and the responsibility faculty have to their students. It seems to me, the advice "retired faculty member" is giving the student is poor at best and is a breech of the ethical responsibility owed to the student.

Have you discussed the issue with your dean? Not to pass the buck but sometimes just telling the person to go speak with the dean regarding the matter is enough to bring a halt to the meddling. BTW, make sure the dean is fully aware of all sides of the issue and agrees with your (department's) decision.

[oatmeal]

Of course a related issue is how to "deal" with faculty members who could retire but choose to hang on and on and on... Dealing with retired faculty members in the situation the OP mentioned is very difficult because of the history and the nebulous status of emeriti. Good luck!

[spyzowin]

Everyone, retired or not has a right to disagree with whatever departmental policies that there are, and everyone is free (at least us tenured types) to share our feelings about administration or policy with whatever students we feel like. And if someone doesn't like it, they can lump it.

A lot of these discussions always boil down into idiotic debates regarding collegiality and arguments over who has crossed whatever line. It's ridiculous and this thin-skinned self-important behavior is probably the worst problem in academia today. People need to get over themselves.

If the political environment of your university is such that a doctoral student has to learn some complex code in order to sit some very very ordinary exams, and write a dissertation much like every single other dissertation on planet earth, perhaps that student would be well advised to leave.

[tee_bee]

"bight"! Excellent vocab.

Chime. Loved it. Erud.. I mean, intell... I mean, being really smart isn't dead!

[renji]

Be kind to the retired faculty... often they retired because of the rules of the pension system not because they had lost the desire to teach/research. We have a few that haunt our building anytime there is a free lunch. They are always telling stories about people who worked here before I ever arrived.

They seem lonely.

[justanotherucprof]

In the University of California, emeritus faculty have the right of notice of, and voice in, department meetings, but have no vote on personnel cases. They have full voice and vote in the Academic Senate. Presidential directive some years ago instructed campuses to provide office and research space commensurate with continued activity, if possible, but it isn't always possible given all the demands on space.

[alleyoxenfree]

This may or may not be useful, but can this guy's energy be channeled in some positive direction?  Can he be given a job of organizing a retrospective for a soon-to-retire prof?  Can he be set to organizing an archive of the department's work?

And can he be honored at the next awards night or luncheon as the founder of X program, which is now building on his work to go in new directions?

Divert and disarm.

[kshenko]

In the University of California, emeritus faculty have the right of notice of, and voice in, department meetings, but have no vote on personnel cases. They have full voice and vote in the Academic Senate. Presidential directive some years ago instructed campuses to provide office and research space commensurate with continued activity, if possible, but it isn't always possible given all the demands on space.

At my institution, faculty members don't automatically become professor emeriti upon retirement.  They just become "retired professors" if they choose to teach as adjuncts.  One must apply for an emeritus/emerita position and continue to work on a full-time basis. 

People w/ weak research records are routinely denied this privilege (it costs univ. a great deal of money).  And, yes, professor emeriti do vote and participate fully in other dept-related business.

[zoelouise]

At my institution, faculty members don't automatically become professor emeriti upon retirement.  They just become "retired professors" if they choose to teach as adjuncts.  One must apply for an emeritus/emerita position and continue to work on a full-time basis. 

People w/ weak research records are routinely denied this privilege (it costs univ. a great deal of money).  And, yes, professor emeriti do vote and participate fully in other dept-related business.

This sounds like a good approach!

[buglet]

At my past university, retired faculty often taught for the University for Seniors program.  This was a program  designed for other retired members of the community who could take classes at the university without credit, just out of interest.  It is a great idea that lets retired faculty contribute to the university and be a part of it in a manner that does  not interfere with current policies.

And, that graduate student needs an advisor currently working in the department.  Why should his/her career be destroyed because the retired faculty member is ill-informed or trying to push his/her weight around?  Grad students often don't understand departmental politics, and what might be an annoyance to you now, may well adversely affect this student's life for many years if they are forced out of the program due to poor advising.