When four generations converge in the academic workplace, it can create serious culture clashes. It is happening across college campuses--in offices as diverse as admissions, student affairs, legal affairs, and technology. It is especially striking in the faculty ranks, where generational challenges have extra significance amid recruiting efforts,…

This article discusses how community colleges respond to the rising number of faculty members who are eligible for retirement. Many faculty members at community colleges are near retirement largely because many of the colleges were created and did the bulk of their hiring between 1965 and 1975, when the first group of baby boomers was entering the…

According to a recent article in The New York Times, the political makeup of academe may be changing. In 2005 more than 54 percent of full-time faculty members in the United States were older than 50, compared with just 22.5 percent in 1969. Patricia Cohen, a reporter for the "Times," couples that with another intriguing fact: Recent studies…

Nine years ago, the American Association of Retired Persons officially shortened its name to its abbreviation, AARP. One big reason was that so many of its older members balked at the notion of a "retirement" that connoted time spent only on leisure activities, when so many of them were continuing to work longer--in the same career or in a new…

Aging baby boomers approaching retirement, more educated than previous generations, may see proximity to a college or university as a factor in relocation. Institutions can offer residential and recreational facilities for special programs or for adults seeking advanced degrees. Colleges and universities can adapt to this new trend and…