2008 Woodie Awards
Spring semester concludes some professors' careers at university
Liz Wilson
Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
After years of dedicated service, some professors will say good-bye to UTC within the next few years.
On April 11, a faculty retirement dinner will be held for several teachers, including human resources professor Marvin Ernst; English professors Craig Barrow and Edgar Shawen; management professor Sue Stacy; John Alvis, professor of accounting; Paul Geevarghese, professor of sociology, anthropology and geography; and Anne Johnson, associate professor of human ecology
Both Barrow and Shawen are participating in "post-retirement," a type of phasing-out process that is optional for faculty.
Over the next four years, Barrow and Shawen will gradually decrease the amount of courses they teach until they retire permanently.
Shawen said: "I don't think of it as retirement. I think of it as a negotiated load reduction."
After 35 years of teaching at UTC, Barrow and Shawen chose to begin the retirement process for several reasons.
Barrow said, "There are things that I would like to do that I haven't done."
Another reason involves age and all the issues that come with it, such as medical problems and retired spouses.
Although both professors said they have enjoyed their time at UTC and seeing the university grow, they look forward to retirement. They agree that going to football and baseball games are on their to-do list, as well as attending concerts and catching up on their literature.
Barrow said, "I'm going to be one of those old farts walking around campus with a bow tie, taking classes for fun."
Both professors also said they consider post-retirement to be a neat program, as they appreciate the flexibility and opportunity that it provides for faculty to ease into total retirement.
Like Barrow and Shawen, many professors opt to take a full four years to retire. According to Kathy Taylor, a benefits specialist in the office of human resources, post-retirement allows faculty to teach half of their usual workload at half the salary for any amount of time up to four years.
She also said, "On an average year, five to six professors retire from UTC."
According to Richard Rice, a history professor and faculty senate president, retired faculty members usually enjoy their newfound freedom.
Rice said, "Most who I have talked to have said they are enjoying retirement more than they had imagined, and wonder how they had time to teach and still do all the things they do, so they seem to be quite active in the community."
Although faculty may enjoy retirement, they will be missed.
Wendy Spear, a Chattanooga junior, said she doesn't think classes will be the same without certain professors.
"I don't think anybody else could be like Dr. Barrow," she said.
Yet Spear concedes that professors certainly deserve retirement because of their long, hard work.
She added, "I think professors should especially retire when they get burned out and fail to see the importance of their work anymore."
On April 11, a faculty retirement dinner will be held for several teachers, including human resources professor Marvin Ernst; English professors Craig Barrow and Edgar Shawen; management professor Sue Stacy; John Alvis, professor of accounting; Paul Geevarghese, professor of sociology, anthropology and geography; and Anne Johnson, associate professor of human ecology
Both Barrow and Shawen are participating in "post-retirement," a type of phasing-out process that is optional for faculty.
Over the next four years, Barrow and Shawen will gradually decrease the amount of courses they teach until they retire permanently.
Shawen said: "I don't think of it as retirement. I think of it as a negotiated load reduction."
After 35 years of teaching at UTC, Barrow and Shawen chose to begin the retirement process for several reasons.
Barrow said, "There are things that I would like to do that I haven't done."
Another reason involves age and all the issues that come with it, such as medical problems and retired spouses.
Although both professors said they have enjoyed their time at UTC and seeing the university grow, they look forward to retirement. They agree that going to football and baseball games are on their to-do list, as well as attending concerts and catching up on their literature.
Barrow said, "I'm going to be one of those old farts walking around campus with a bow tie, taking classes for fun."
Both professors also said they consider post-retirement to be a neat program, as they appreciate the flexibility and opportunity that it provides for faculty to ease into total retirement.
Like Barrow and Shawen, many professors opt to take a full four years to retire. According to Kathy Taylor, a benefits specialist in the office of human resources, post-retirement allows faculty to teach half of their usual workload at half the salary for any amount of time up to four years.
She also said, "On an average year, five to six professors retire from UTC."
According to Richard Rice, a history professor and faculty senate president, retired faculty members usually enjoy their newfound freedom.
Rice said, "Most who I have talked to have said they are enjoying retirement more than they had imagined, and wonder how they had time to teach and still do all the things they do, so they seem to be quite active in the community."
Although faculty may enjoy retirement, they will be missed.
Wendy Spear, a Chattanooga junior, said she doesn't think classes will be the same without certain professors.
"I don't think anybody else could be like Dr. Barrow," she said.
Yet Spear concedes that professors certainly deserve retirement because of their long, hard work.
She added, "I think professors should especially retire when they get burned out and fail to see the importance of their work anymore."
