Transitional Retirement

Faculty who wish to apply for transitional retirement should submit the appropriate application form to the immediate supervisor by the deadline specified in the Procedural Calendar in order to discuss arrangements and work assignments. 

Approval of applications for participation in the Transitional Retirement program is made by the Provost. 

The period of Transitional Employment shall be mutually agreed to by the Faculty member and the Dean. The total period of Transitional Employment may not exceed three fiscal years and shall end no later than three calendar years from the date of the Faculty member’s agreement to retire. Tenure is concluded at the end of the Transitional Employment period. A faculty member could be hired, post retirement from a tenured position, into an at-will position. PERA or ORP must approve the individual’s application for benefits before he or she begins work and/or becomes entitled to any compensation under a transitional retirement contract. 

An application for transitional retirement shall not be approved unless the Faculty member executes a release of the University and its Board of Trustees, employees, and agents from all claims in any way arising out of or relating to the Faculty member’s employment with the University. 

For additional information, please see Section VIII of the Faculty Employment Handbook and information included in the Transitional Retirement Application.

In collaboration with Human Resources, the Office of Faculty Affairs also hosts two workshops -one in fall and one in spring- to cover the program.

Faculty Retirement Workshop (April 2024)

Workshop PowerPoint

Outside Employment and Conflict of Interest

The policy regarding faculty Outside Employment and Conflict of Interest can be found in Section V of the Faculty Employment Handbook.

Guidelines for Hiring Faculty

For thorough information on requirements for hiring new faculty, see Section I of the Faculty Employment Handbook.

The Office of Human Resources maintains updated information on the faculty hiring process and additional resources and forms are available to assist, including:

Emeritus Nomination Process

Typically, emeritus nominations are submitted to the Board of Trustees in the spring semester. The timeline for submission of nominations is detailed in the Procedural Calendar. In rare cases, if there are extenuating circumstances, we can process the nomination “off cycle”, i.e., outside the timeline spelled out in the Procedural Calendar. In such cases, the nomination should be submitted to the Provost’s Office no less than one month prior to the upcoming Board meeting to allow time for review by the Provost and President, and inclusion of the nomination in the Board Book. 

In order to be awarded emeritus status, the employee must 1) be retired; 2) have a record of service at MSU Denver of at least ten years in duration; and 3) have a record of excellence in their role. 

Emeritus nominations can be reviewed for employees who have announced their retirement, but the actual title of Emeritus cannot be assigned until the retirement date has passed. For example, a faculty member who, at the beginning of an academic year announces that they will be retiring at the end of the academic year can have their emeritus nomination reviewed during that spring semester. However, they will not be considered to have emeritus status until the retirement has occurred. Faculty on transitional retirement cannot be awarded emeritus status until the retirement has occurred. 

Additional information can be found in Section II.K of the Faculty Employment Handbook and the Emeritus Nomination Guide and Application.

Leave Without Pay Process

Proposal for leave without pay should be submitted in a single copy through the department chair or director and the dean to the Office of Faculty Affairs. The narrative should be typed on plain paper and follow the format on application.