Currently, higher education is being roiled by class-action lawsuits filed against high-profile institutions, including MIT, Yale and New York University, over management of their retirement plans. As the lawyers are deployed and the billable hours accrue, it is timely to examine how those who have responsibility for retirement plan…

Important considerations for institutions wanting to establish supplementary early retirement benefits to encourage the practice are outlined. Regulations concerning pension plans, tax-sheltered annuities, and deferred compensation are reviewed. Individually negotiated early retirement supplements are not recommended. (MSE)

Administrators were interviewed at Franklin and Marshall College, a small private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, to learn the impact of federal regulation on the institution. These issues were discussed: (1) what federal regulations affect the interviewee's responsibilities and which are of greatest concern; (2) how the interviewee assesses…