New Faculty Emeriti Board Makes AUP History

AUP is proud to announce the creation of a new Emeriti Board dedicated to representing the interests of all retired AUP colleagues, both former faculty and staff. This forward-looking step will provide concrete pathways to advise retirees on their transition to retirement, to better support communication between the University and its former employees, to foster and advertise faculty emeriti research, and to organize events, conferences and student mentorship programs.

Constituted in October 2023 by Interim Provost Hannah Westley and five founding members (Diane Bonneau, Kathleen Wilson-Chevalier, James Clayson, Roy Rosenstein and Jula Wildberger), the Emeriti Board is a direct contribution to the improvement of the quality of our academic community, promoting inclusion and increasing collaboration among AUP employees post-retirement. As AUP Interim Provost Hannah Westley explains, “With the establishment of the Emeriti Board, our retired AUP colleagues who have made their careers at the University will remain connected and engaged with the Institution.

“There will be new rights and possibilities that benefit both faculty emeriti and all others. We are excited to be the voice at AUP that is creating conversations and building communities,” said Jula Wildberger, who retired from AUP in Spring 2023 and is the current Chair of the Emeriti Board and Professor Emerita of Classics. In her role, Wildberger will ensure all AUP retirees' concerns and perspectives are heard on campus. Responsibilities of board members like Wildberger will also include drafting full bylaws for the Board’s activities and future elections, and in Spring 2024, the Board will host its first election where every retired AUP employee will be given the opportunity to vote and/or participate in the election.

Currently, retiree community outreach is managed manually by Wildberger, who coordinates invitations and internal communications but the creation of the Board will help streamline the process by formally digitizing and creating an easily accessible platform for community updates.

“It’s fantastic [but] what’s important is the next stage: a running system in the University in partnership with the professors who helped build AUP,” said Kathleen Wilson-Chevalier, who retired from AUP in 2016 and is a founding member of the Emeriti Board and Professor Emerita of Art History. Wilson-Chevalier, who recently met with a former student who graduated in 1994 and works as a museum registrar, noted, in particular, the unique opportunity to build stronger bonds with former students. “Those with unique careers can join AUP’s network and can become mentors to current students,” she said.

Moving forward, the Emeriti Board is eager to attract more AUP retired colleagues, both former staff and faculty. “We want to build community and we are working in different practical ways to make that possible,” Wilderberger emphasized.

For more information on the AUP Emeriti Board, contact Jula Wildberger, Chair of the Emeriti Board at jwildbergeraup.edu. The Emeriti Board invites all retired AUP colleagues to fill out this questionnaire, to get engaged and join the community. A complete list of the faculty Emeriti Board can be found on AUP’s website here.