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Conferring Emeritus Status

The title “Emeritus” may be conferred by the Board of Regents to a faculty member or librarian at the time of retirement, upon the recommendation of the unit/department head, and with administrative approval. The emeritus title for a faculty member will be commensurate with the position held at the time of retirement.

Application Requirement of Policy

Full-Time Faculty and Librarians.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for emeritus status, a faculty member or librarian must:

  1. Be retiring from a tenured or continuing multiple-year appointment,
  2. have held such continuing appointment for at least ten years,
  3. and have a record of distinguished service.

A university administrator, to be eligible for emeritus status, must:

  1. Hold a faculty or librarian appointment,
  2. have served in a position at the dean level or higher,
  3. and have a record of distinguished service.

The emeritus title for an administrator will be commensurate with the position held at the time of retirement (e.g., Dean Emeritus, President Emeritus, etc.). For faculty or librarians recruited directly to administrative positions, the ten-year employment requirement is waived. An individual who retires from faculty status while holding an eminent faculty designation (Regents Professor, Distinguished Research Professor, or Distinguished Teaching Professor) shall be eligible for the designation with Emeritus status. All faculty and administrators must submit the nomination materials and receive approval from the Board of Regents.

Responsible Party

Two letters are required for the Emeritus nomination from the college. First, the department head and/or Chair is responsible for submitting a recommendation letter on letterhead and the letter should include a decision/vote from the Unit Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee. The second page of the submission, to not exceed 250 words and be written by the department head and/or Chair, should describe the top accomplishments and justification as to why the retiring faculty member or librarian merits this honorable and distinguished title.

Second, the college Dean is responsible for submitting an additional recommendation letter on letterhead and the letter should include a decision/vote from the College Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee.

The complete nomination will be submitted to Jeanette Garriga, Sr. Executive Assistant, Provost Office. After acceptance from the Provost and President, the final approval is conferred by the Board of Regents. Please contact Faculty Success if you have any questions about the nomination process or policy requirements.

Policy Information

The University may award the designation of “Emeritus Professor” to recognize individuals who have exhibited outstanding performance during their employment and achieved a high level of professional recognition. Visit the following link to view the revised UNT Policy 06.013: Emeritus Policy (updated 6/2021).

View a full list of UNT retiree benefits and resources.

If you have any questions about the nomination process please contact Faculty Success.