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SFU scraps mandatory retirement
John Bermingham
The Province
June 1, 2007
They're
not getting any younger, so Simon Fraser University is wasting no time
in scrapping mandatory retirement for its professors.
The day the
legislature approved a bill eliminating mandatory retirement, SFU and
its faculty agreed to allow faculty to work beyond age 65.
Glenn
Chapman, an engineering professor who heads the 1,000-strong SFU
faculty association, said that of 21 profs turning 65 this year, dubbed
'The Class of '07,' 11 want to continue working.
"Assuming people
are healthy and are still actively engaged in research, a lot of people
want to continue working for a few years," he said yesterday.
"People are not talking about continuing for an indefinite period."
Chapman
said 40 per cent of faculty want to work past 65, and want the option
of scaling down their work to half-time or three-quarter-time.
Dario
Nonis, SFU's human resources director, said there are shortages of
skilled faculty, and the university is facing up to the economic
reality.
"It certainly provides some comfort to the faculty members who wish to work past 65," said Nonis.
"We are not sure how many may take advantage of that."
The
provincial legislation, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2008, amends the
Human Rights Code to prevent employers from imposing retirement on
anyone in the workplace.
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© The Vancouver Province 2007
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