The Stanford Emeriti/ae Council: Origins and Early Years

by David Abernethy (Political Science; Council Chair, 2006-18)

The first sign that Stanford University recognized the roles its emeriti/ae could play in the institution’s life came in an October 2002 vote by the Faculty Senate. With unanimous support, a new Senate seat was created for “a senior member of the Academic Council.” The occupant could not vote but could participate in all discussions and debates. The Senate’s Committee on Committees appointed Professor James Mark, a pioneer in thoracic surgery and former Chief of Staff at the Stanford Hospital, as the initial occupant of the position. 

The key person behind this initiative was Law School Professor Henry Greely, the 2002-03 Faculty Senate Chair. Greely’s private notes before he took office, which he shared with me, show a desire to include retired faculty in Senate affairs. His remarks at the October meeting, as recorded in the official minutes, were clear on the rationale: “This colleague will be charged with bringing to the Senate’s attention the views and concerns of the emeritus faculty. I think this is very important, actually, for the Senate. Two years ago I chaired the working group on Homeowner University Relations, and in that job was really shocked by the level of unhappiness and bitterness I found among many, but not all, of the emeriti…Having a representative on the Senate is one good step in the direction of improving that relationship. Also, while serving on that working group, I had an occasion to serve with Al Hastorf (former Provost), and it made me realize what wisdom was contained in the senior members of the Academic Council.” 

So from the start, the idea was that greater emeriti/ae involvement offered a twoway benefit: 

• to emeriti/ae, who now could express their views to a University-wide audience and to relevant administrators; and
• to the University, which could gain from the experience and insights of individuals who had spent many years contributing to the institution’s mission through their research, teaching, and mentoring. 

Jim Mark (Surgery) and Al Hastorf (Psychology), who had been friends for years, decided to create a small group of emeriti/ae, drawn from different parts of the University to reflect diverse perspectives. Initial members of this new Emeriti Council, in addition to its two founders, were Richard Lyman (History, former President), Nancy Packer (English, Creative Writing), Lawrence Ryan (English), and Anthony Siegman (Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics). Kenneth Scott (Law) joined in 2005. After a few years the Council began to select the Senate representative from among its members, a practice continuing to this day. In addition, the Council chair has given an annual report to the Senate on the group’s activities. 

Council expenses were covered from the beginning by a modest allocation from the Provost, signaling recognition and support of its role by the Administration. We have reported to the Provost through the Vice Provost for the Office of Faculty Development. Initial staff support was provided by Nicole Reed, then by Pamm Moore. 

The size of the group gradually expanded, with Council members selecting individuals from not-yet-represented parts of the University. An important step was adding emeriti/ae staff, who constitute about a third of Stanford’s current 1,000 local emeriti/ae. Four retired staff and twelve retired faculty members serve on the 2024-25 Council. Especially important for the Council’s effective functioning has been Susan Schofield, who had served as Stanford’s Academic Secretary among many positions. Susan joined in 2006-07 and has played a key role in communicating with our constituents and in helping to set the Council’s agenda and to implement our decisions. 

In 2004 or 2005 I approached Al Hastorf with the proposal that the Council sponsor a lecture series in which distinguished emeriti/ae would speak about their lives. These talks would include speakers’ early years and whatever aspects of their personal stories and professional careers they would be willing to share. I was rewarded for my sins by being asked to join the Council and to work on implementing this idea. The resulting “Autobiographical Reflections” lecture series began in 2006-07, initially in Tresidder Union and later moved to the Faculty Club. The first speakers were Professors Kenneth Arrow (Economics), Patrick Suppes (Philosophy, Statistics), Arthur Kornberg (Biochemistry), and Diane Middlebrook (English). We’ve aimed at intellectual diversity by selecting a rough balance of speakers in the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields. 

From the outset our sole audience was local emeriti/ae and their spouses or partners. The goal was to create a sense of community among emeriti/ae, many of whom had limited University social networks, and to foster friendships at the informal gatherings following each talk. Attendance was in the 75-100+ range. 

Over 50 lectures in this quarterly series have now been recorded. They may be accessed on the Council’s website by clicking on “Events.” “Past Abernethy lectures” gives an alphabetized list of the recorded speakers. “Listen to all previous episodes” organizes speakers by the year of their talk. 

Taken together, “Autobiographical Reflections” provide fascinating information and insights into the evolution of Stanford University as it rose to international prominence over the past 70 years. Many of the speakers spent decades here. They observed up close, and from a wide range of academic posts, the challenges and opportunities the institution faced and how these were addressed. These lectures complement the impressive oral history interviews conducted by the Stanford Historical Society. 

In 2011 the Council began to co-sponsor, with the Stanford Center on Longevity, a quarterly lecture series addressing issues of particular interest to people in the last phase of their lives. Speakers have addressed physical, psychological, and emotional health concerns, the aging process, financial issues in retirement, housing options, and coping with loss, among other topics. Ingram Olkin (Education, Statistics) ran this program for several years. Michele Marincovich (Center for Teaching and Learning) now leads it. In recent years these talks have been presented virtually on Zoom and hence have reached a larger and geographically more dispersed audience than with the “Autobiographical Reflections” series.

Initiatives by Council members in the first decade include: 

• A monthly social hour held in the Faculty Club Library, which at its height attracted over 30 people. It was cancelled after about a year as attendance dwindled.
• A program, led by Stanley Schrier (Hematology) in cooperation with Stanford’s Office of Science Outreach, that placed 31 Foothill Community College students as interns in Stanford’s science labs over a three-year period.
• A 2006 lecture by Professor Laura Carstensen (Psychology) on “Cognitive Changes in Aging.”
• Creation by George Springer (Aeronautics/Astronautics) of a website giving all University retirees information on retirement planning, health plans and benefits, services provided by the University, athletic events, and volunteer opportunities on campus and in the local area. We lacked the staff to maintain the website, and usage declined. But George helped to persuade the Human Resources Office to expand its own web information and the range of its programming for all retirees.
• Publicity for activities sponsored by Avenidas, a non-profit Palo Alto organization assisting senior citizens to “age in place.” Avenidas’s services were especially relevant for retirees living on campus who planned to continue there as long as possible. Council member Dick Scott (Sociology) was an active leader in Avenidas activities.
• A panel jointly presented with the Stanford Historical Society entitled “Health Care in the U.S.: A Work in Progress.” It featured five distinguished Stanford experts: Professors Pizzo, Enthoven, Fuchs, Garber, and Milstein.
• A talk to the University’s Department chairs, encouraging them to consider recruiting emeriti/ae for department teaching and mentoring activities. Mentoring could include confidential guidance for junior faculty members.
• A meeting with administrators responsible for graduate education. We suggested that retired faculty could be asked to describe the evolution of their fields at orientation sessions for entering graduate students.
• Multiple conversations with the Benefits Office, conveying dissatisfaction with the way health insurance claims and questions were handled.
• Collaboration with Academic Secretary Rex Jamison to increase the number of emeriti/ae on committees writing the faculty memorial resolutions read at the Faculty Senate.

Many of our early initiatives didn’t produce results. But failure didn’t keep us from persisting. Maybe next time! The Emeriti/ae Council is deeply grateful to the University’s leaders, whose financial, staffing, and other assistance enabled us to carry out our tasks for over two decades and to involve our constituents more deeply in the life of this great University.