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A Few Ways for Retired Faculty to Stay Engaged With Duke

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In addition to staying active as researchers, many faculty want to continue to engage with the Duke community during their retirement. 

Maria Wisdom, assistant vice provost for faculty advancement, moderated a panel to highlight programs that can help retired and emeriti faculty connect with students, faculty peers and community members.

Here are excerpts from the speakers, who invite faculty members to contact them for more information about their programs.

“I direct the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program, part of The Graduate School. Retired faculty have taught for us. Our interdisciplinary seminars range across the humanities, arts, social sciences, and are occasionally science- and policy-oriented. Think of a course and bring it to us. If you’ve got an idea and it’s pretty well thought out, we can probably make it happen. Our faculty often get to know students in the program and are asked to supervise their master’s projects.” –Anne Mitchell Whisnant, Associate Professor of the Practice in the Social Science Research Institute, Director of Graduate Liberal Studies

“If you want to give a lecture or a couple of lectures to a room of incarcerated people, it can be on any topic. We do all the paperwork …. We also have a workshop series, about 6-8 weeks … creative writing, anthropology, biology, it can be on anything at all. We can set it up for you.” –James Chappel, Gilhuly Family Associate Professor of History, Co-Director of the Duke Prison Engagement Initiative

“OLLI at Duke is a lifelong learning community with more than 2,100 active members; about half have a Duke connection and 72% have advanced degrees. There are over 230 courses offered each year [for] people who show up because they are curious and want to learn. You can teach a course in person or online. You can also learn. Many instructors take courses themselves. … We have lectures, workshops, local outings and educational travel.” –Rhonda Parker, Director of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI at Duke)

“I retired nine months ago. The idea behind what we’re calling an emeriti college [an initiative in the works from the Office for Faculty Advancement] is a place for a broad range of engagements such as continuing to teach undergraduates and be involved in advising and beyond that. … Retired faculty have a lot to give to the university. We want to find ways for faculty to offer that. There are also things that the university can give to us. … We want to hear your ideas as we move toward piloting activities.” –Steve Nowicki, Professor of Biology, Emeritus

Related Resources

Main image: James Chappel, Steve Nowicki, Rhonda Parker and Anne Whisnant

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