A record 32 professors retire, spurred by incentive program

Published Jan. 21, 2016

Several Princeton giants are among 32 members of the faculty transferring to emeritus status this year — a record number that reflects the impact of the University’s 2010 retirement-incentive program. The professors have served a total of more than 1,000 years on the faculty.

The program allowed participants to teach for up to three years to allow departments time to plan for their departures. According to Dean of the Faculty David Dobkin’s office, 26 of the 32 professors retiring this year signed up for the program.

The University said at the time the program was announced that it was not a budget-savings initiative, but rather a way to boost Princeton’s hiring of junior faculty. Dobkin said that some professors already have been replaced, and others will be soon. “Almost all will be replaced with junior faculty,” he said.

The average age for Princeton’s full professors was 57.2 in July 2012, according to the dean’s office. Federal law in 1994 eliminated a mandatory retirement age for college professors.

In recent years, 12 to 15 faculty members have retired each year. Following is this year’s list, along with the number of years on the faculty:

LEONARD H. BABBY, Slavic languages and literatures, 25 years
MARK R. COHEN, Near Eastern studies, 37 years
MARTIN C. COLLCUTT, East Asian studies, 37 years
JOHN H. CONWAY, mathematics, 26 years
EDWARD C. COX, molecular biology, 46 years
FREDERICK L. DRYER *72, mechanical and aerospace engineering, 32 years
THOMAS J. ESPENSHADE *72, sociology, 25 years
JACQUES R. FRESCO, molecular biology, 53 years
CHARLES G. GROSS, psychology and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, 43 years
ANDRÁS P. HÁMORI ’61, Near Eastern studies, 46 years
MARIE-HÉLÈNE HUET, French and Italian, 14 years
MORTON D. KOSTIN, chemical and biological engineering, 49 years
HEATH W. LOWRY, Near Eastern studies, 20 years
RICHARD B. MILES, mechanical and aerospace engineering, 41 years
CHIARA R. NAPPI, physics, 12 years
SUSAN NAQUIN, history and East Asian studies, 20 years
EDWARD NELSON, mathematics, 54 years
JOHN A. PINTO, art and archaeology, 25 years
ALBERT J. RABOTEAU, religion, 30 years
FRANÇOIS P. RIGOLOT, French and Italian, 39 years
DANIEL T. RODGERS, history, 33 years
GILBERT F. ROZMAN *71, sociology, 43 years
PETER SCHÄFER, religion, 15 years
JOSÉ A. SCHEINKMAN, economics, 14 years
ANNE-MARIE SLAUGHTER ’80, Woodrow Wilson School, 11 years
ROBERT H. SOCOLOW, mechanical and aerospace engineering, 42 years
ZOLTÁN G. SOOS, chemistry, 47 years
ERIK H. VANMARCKE, civil and environmental engineering, 28 years
MAURIZIO VIROLI, politics, 26 years
FRANK N. VON HIPPEL, Woodrow Wilson School, 30 years
ANDREW J. WILES, mathematics, 30 years
MICHAEL G. WOOD, English and comparative literature, 18 years