EARLY RETIREMENT AND THE STEADY STATE UNIVERSITY OF THE 1970s: A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

As the 1980s approach, most colleges and universities can expect several current trends affecting education to continue. Fewer students will be attending institutions of higher education. Administrators and faculty have both begun to search for humane, but effective, methods of reducing faculty size. This paper examines the potential of early retirement programs as a means of adjusting to the needs for a steady state staffing pattern during the next decade and beyond. Even though early retirement does not seem encouraging, tentative recommendations are offered for its effective use.