The decision of when to retire is not one that faculty members have to consider alone, write G Anne Bogat (Michigan State University), Kathleen McCartney (Smith College), and Rena Repetti (University of California at Los Angeles) for the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Bogat, McCartney, and Repetti discuss the experience of joining a group focused on the topic of retirement. The group met twice a year to discuss concerns, fears, and hopes; strategies for approaching administrators about retirement; and the institutional supports available for the retirement transition. The authors reflect on the many lessons learned through this period—such as accepting ambivalence in the process and regarding post-retirement life as a “work in progress” that will evolve on its own time—and conclude that the process offered “a way forward” for the authors.
