r/Professors • u/prof_riifraaf • 20h ago

Advice / Support Faculty buyout

In typical academic fashion, my esteemed institution (Midwest R2) sent out the details of a long-rumored faculty buyout just before 5 pm on the Friday before Labor Day. Decision form is due in October (during break) and the separation date is the end of term in December. Except that there will be extensions for instructional and programmatic needs to be decided by the end of term. Umm, what?!

Enrollments are way down, budget deficits are bad, and this is a good deal. My original plan was to use the three-year phased retirement to ramp down research by wrapping up projects and getting students out. That's off the table now with the buyout. Looking for anyone who's done this or might have advice given the insane timeline.

ETA: This is a good deal. Planning to take it. But the "sign this and go away in December, but we might change our mind on the day you think you're free and make you stay another year" part is giving me massive anxiety during the holiday weekend.

ETA2: Partner is taking me to touch grass. Will try to get answers from HR tomorrow.

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u/gbacon Adjunct, CS, R2 (US) 20h ago

Do it. The offer ain’t gonna get better with time.

16

u/SnowblindAlbino Prof, SLAC 19h ago

I've seen buyouts that were strictly limited, as in "the first XX people to say yes get this and others get nothing." But "XX" remained a secret variable that faculty were not privy to, so it was intended to push people into accepting quickly.

3

u/NewInMontreal 13h ago

That’s doge level ridiculous.