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While it is expected that the benefit plans described below will continue for the foreseeable future, the College reserves the right to modify or discontinue them at any time. The language generally summarizes some of the terms and conditions of participation in the programs. Please refer to the plan documents and brochures available in the Office of Human Resources for detailed guidance.
6.1 General Employee Benefits
The Employment Handbook describes benefits available to regular full-time employees. At the time of publication of this Faculty Handbook, employee benefits include the following:
- Group Insurances: Benefits Section
- Life Insurance
- Medical Group Insurance
- Long-Term Disability
- Short-Term Disability
- Voluntary Insurance Offerings: vision, dental Benefits Section
- Section 125 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA’s) Benefits Section
- Retirement Plan Benefits Section
- Tuition Remission/Tuition Exchange Benefits Section
- Retiree Benefits* Benefits Section
- Statutory Benefits: Benefits Section
- Social Security/Medicare
- Worker’s Compensation
- Unemployment Insurance
- Domestic Partner Benefits Benefits Section
- Facilities and Services Facilities and Services Secton
- Leaves of Absence** Benefits Section
Employment Section of the Employment Handbook describes the policy describing the availability of continued health care benefits for employees who terminate their employment with the College (COBRA benefits).
While it is expected that the benefit plans listed above will continue for the foreseeable future, the College reserves the right to modify or discontinue them at any time. The language generally summarizes some of the terms and conditions of participation in the programs. Please refer to the plan documents and brochures available in the Office of Human Resources for detailed guidance.
*See also:
- Early Retirement Policy (Faculty Handbook Section 6.2)
- Emeritus/Emerita Status for Faculty (Faculty Handbook Section 6.3)
**See also:
- Pre-Tenure and Sabbatical Leaves (Faculty Handbook Section 7.7)
6.2 Early Retirement Policy
Tenured faculty members may elect to take advantage of one of two early retirement programs, the transitional sabbatical leave or the phased retirement option. To be eligible for the benefits of either program, the faculty member must be a tenured member of the Allegheny College faculty who has served Allegheny as a full-time faculty member for at least ten consecutive years and who is at least 58 years of age but not over 63 years of age in the semester immediately preceding the beginning of the early retirement program. Tenured faculty who meet these eligibility requirements must officially notify the Provost and Dean of the College no later than September 1 of their final year of full-time teaching at the College of their decision to retire and receive either the transitional sabbatical leave or the phased retirement option.
Eligible faculty interested in taking advantage of one of the early retirement options should contact the Office of Human Resources to obtain an application form. Faculty members with questions about the programs, including eligibility dates, should contact the Director of Human Resources or the Provost and Dean of the College.
The Transitional Sabbatical Leave
For eligible tenured faculty members who elect to voluntarily retire under this program, the College will provide the faculty member with a one-semester transitional sabbatical leave at full pay (based on the preceding semester’s salary) and full benefits. The salary payments during the transitional sabbatical will be spread over a six-month period. For Fall Semester sabbatical leaves, the salary payments will be made from September through February. For Spring Semester sabbatical leaves, the salary payments will be made from March through August. An eligible faculty member electing the transitional sabbatical leave does not incur an employment status change. Therefore, retirement distributions cannot begin until the end of the transitional sabbatical.
At the end of the six-month period of the transitional sabbatical leave, the faculty member’s retirement will become effective and employment with the College will officially end. The faculty member’s last day of assigned duties and responsibilities for the College will precede the beginning of the transitional sabbatical leave, although the faculty member is welcome to attend faculty meetings and related faculty activities during the sabbatical.
Salary payments during the transitional sabbatical leave will be made on regular College pay days for faculty. The College will make TIAA/CREF contributions on those salary payments as it does on salary paid during other types of paid sabbatical leaves. This program will not provide any payments to faculty beyond the expiration of the faculty member’s transitional sabbatical leave. The College, of course, reserves the right to modify or terminate this program at its discretion.
Phased Retirement Program
This program offers eligible tenured faculty members a two-year period to phase into retirement. During the first year of the program, the faculty member will work two-thirds of a normal full-time faculty schedule. During the second year, the faculty member will work one-third of a regular full-time faculty schedule. At the end of the second year, the faculty member will fully retire and employment with the College will end at that time. The faculty member will be paid two-thirds of his or her regular salary during both the first year and the second year of the program. The faculty member will continue to be eligible for the College’s benefits programs (life insurance, healthcare, dental and vision coverage, disability insurance, and TIAA/CREF) throughout both years of the phased retirement program. The faculty member remains eligible for salary increases on the same terms as all other faculty members. An eligible member electing the phased retirement program does not incur an employment status change. Therefore, retirement distributions cannot begin until the end of the phased retirement program.
Salary payments during the two years of phased retirement will be made on regular College pay days for faculty. The College will make TIAA-CREF contributions on those salary payments. Office and laboratory space for both years of the two-year phased retirement program will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis with the Chair of the department involved and the Provost. The College, of course, reserves the right to modify or terminate this program at its discretion.
(Created Fall 2008, Added to handbook 21 February 2013)
6.3 Emeritus/Emerita Status for Faculty
Emeritus/Emerita status is an honor that may be conferred by the President on faculty who have retired from the College, provided the faculty member is at least 58 years of age at the time of retirement, does not hold full-time employment at another academic institution, and has completed at least ten years of full-time and distinguished performance on the Allegheny faculty. Emeriti/Emeritae faculty may elect to participate in ceremonial occasions of the College wearing academic regalia. Emeritus faculty do not hold faculty status in the governance structure of the college.
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