In part this is due to differences in their work and their research, say University officials.
For humanists, says Secretary of the Faculty John B. Fox Jr. '59, "research and teaching are often felt to be in opposition to each other."
Time spent teaching is time spent away from libraries doing further study.
"[In the humanities] it's perfectly respectable to retire," Fox says.
It's a different story in the natural sciences where student involvement and professors' laboratories are closely wedded. For them, retirement has long been equated with the end of their research-- a lifetime of work some professors are unwilling to relinquish.
"Professors in the sciences are often dependent on having substantial lab space and funding, and that's less the case in the humanities. In the humanities it may be that one desperately needs the carrel in the library," Hastings says.
A Change in Name Only
Read more in News
Council Swiftly Tackles Long DocketRecommended Articles
-
Students, Faculty: Alienated?Undergraduates often complain that their professors are not accessible enough. But some faculty members say the problem lies with students,
-
Bigger Can Be BetterIn choosing a college, many students see the issue of class size as one of the most important in their
-
Harvard Tightens Faculty PolicyHarvard is reining in even its most famous. Despite the increasing temptation to expand their playing field through the Internet,
-
Aging Faculty Postpone RetiringOnce upon a time, being a tenured professor at Harvard meant being set for life. An established Faculty member could
-
Too Many or Too Few Professors in the '90s?If everything goes as scheduled, 1994 could be a bad year for Harvard's junior professors. A federal law prohibiting a
-
Schools Consider Faculty AgingFew jobs promise a lifetime term: a seat on the Supreme Court, the papal office and membership on the Harvard
