Retired faculty look to make greater impact

Bobbie Lubker retired from UNC seven years ago, but between Russian lessons, world travels and continued involvement with the University, she barely has time to notice.

“I’m busier in retirement than I was before,” Lubker, 76, joked as she sifted through papers on her sofa.

But she feels she could do more. More than 30 years of research and teaching in the education and allied health departments have left her with a wealth of knowledge she is eager to share with current students and researchers.

Lubker is one of the driving forces behind UNC’s growing Retired Faculty Association, a group of former University professors, researchers and faculty seeking to increase its presence in campus life.

“For the University, the question should be, ‘How do we utilize this phenomenal collection of talented people?’” said Lubker, a past president of the Retired Faculty Association.

The Retired Faculty Association, founded in 1986, seeks to further the exchange of skills and services between the current University and the retired community on its fringe. But until recently, the group has been nearly invisible.

“Universities just aren’t paying attention to the most underutilized, valued asset they have,” said Janette Brown, executive director and acting president of the Association of Retired Organizations in Higher Education, noting that the retirees can be especially valuable during the economic downturn.

In the past, the Retired Faculty Association seemed more concerned with issues of parking spaces and pensions than continued service to the University, said Dr. Anne Whisnant, director of research and communications for the Office of Faculty Governance.

Another problem, Brown said, is that many retirees aren’t aware of opportunities to organize.

Lubker and the current Retired Faculty Association are actively seeking to change that. Recruiting more eligible members and boosting their campus involvement has been on the agenda since Lubker served as president in 2006.

“Retired faculty can serve on town-gown committees, give lectures, serve on the law school’s mock court and continue to aid their former departments,” Lubker said.

Some members of the Retired Faculty Association continue to take advantage of research grant money, Lubker said.

The United States has a unique advantage in retirees in higher education — retirees aren’t forced out of the University community like they are in Europe, where the mandatory retirement age is 65, Brown said.

“There’s a real brain drain of these still-qualified people to U.S. universities,” Brown said. “The brain’s ability to solve problems only is greater as we age.”

“Besides, the adage is you’re not wise until you’re older,” Brown joked.

At UNC, the Retired Faculty Association recently met with Chancellor Holden Thorp to discuss the ways the University and the association can work together on a closer level.

Friday, retired faculty associations from UNC, N.C. State University and N.C. Central University are meeting to discuss the possibility of hosting the biannual Association of Retired Organizations in Higher Education conference in the Triangle in 2012.

Through these new initiatives, Lubker hopes that retired faculty learn to look beyond the traditional idea of retirement.

Plus, she misses UNC’s community.

“I thought the University would implode without me” she said.



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