THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 23, 1994 TAG: 9409230550
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
Old Dominion University's board on Thursday approved an early retirement package that officials say could save the school $1 million.
The package, which had been endorsed by the Faculty Senate, would offer a professor up to 150 percent of his annual salary, in addition to his pension. Tenured professors who are at least 55 years old and have 10 years of experience at ODU would be eligible.
But ODU could reject professors' requests for early retirement if a department didn't want to lose them. President James V. Koch said he couldn't estimate how many faculty members would participate. But already, he said, eight science professors have expressed interest.
The board also approved a new ethics policy, which tells professors to avoid ``exploitation, harassment or discriminatory treatment of students'' and to give their work at the university priority over outside activities.
Provost Jo Ann Gora said the policy would make it easier to discipline professors for unethical behavior. Koch said the university in recent years confronted a few professors for unethical activities, about which he declined to elaborate.
``They would say: `Who says? Where is it written?' '' Koch said. ``So now it is written.'' Robert L. Ake, the Faculty Senate chairman, said he had not heard any faculty objections to the policy. by CNB