THE ROLE EXIT PROCESS OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY: A STUDY OF FACULTY RETIREMENT

Abstract

Between 1965 and 1975, over 500 community colleges opened across the United States. Thirty-five years later, the founding faculty has begun to retire. This study was designed to reveal the experiences of veteran community college faculty as they left their teaching role. The study examined the role exit experience of faculty, comparing the faculty's experiences to Ebaugh's (1988) description of the role exit process. Using Ebaugh's role exit theory to frame the interview questions, this qualitative study examined how 22 college faculty members in the Dallas County Community College District determined when to retire, how their decision affected their classroom performance, and how they adjusted to retirement. During the first stage of role exit, faculty members experienced feelings of burnout, were displeased with organizational changes, and became interested in retirement incentives. In the second stage, more than half considered other types of work as an alternative to teaching. For most, financial incentives characterized the turning point in the decision-making process, the third stage of role exit. After deciding to retire, most reported feeling relieved and believed their classroom performance was either unchanged or improved. In retirement, the participants reported enjoying other interests, freed from the routine of teaching. A consideration of the culture of community colleges was critical to achieving an understanding of these teachers who loved their students, their teaching, and the organizations they helped to build. Recommendations are made for both administrators and faculty members who are part of this period of significant employee turnover.