Op-ed: Emeritus at Aarhus University

An emeritus is not employed and does not receive remuneration or compensation in connection with the affiliation. When entering into an emeritus scheme, an individual agreement must be drawn up, where a detailed plan for the collaboration must be settled. An emeritus scheme is a time-limited agreement for 1-3 years, with the possibility of extension. The rules for the emeritus scheme is described in detail here: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/fileadmin/www.medarbejdere.au.dk/hovedomraader/Arts/Politikker_og_delstrategier/Emeritus_paa_Aarhus_Universitet_vejledning_REV_FEB23.pdf

The guidelines mention a range of tasks that may be included, among other things:

• Publishing
• Completion of a specific research project
• Participation in research collaborations
• Guest teaching
• Supervision of bachelor and master students
• Co-supervision of PhD students

In my own case, I have focused on publishing. When you are on the payroll, your calendar is filled with tasks related to managing projects, specific research projects, supervising students and, not least, applications for external funding. Since the Department of Agroecology became part of Aarhus University, there has been a tendency for scientific papers to turn into ‘reports’ of completed research. This is probably partly due to the fact that a large part of the research is carried out through PhD projects. There is a need for conceptual papers putting the knowledge obtained in a context of – preferably both – the scientific environment and the surrounding society. As an emeritus, I have the opportunity to really delve into the subject. It has been incredibly rewarding for me to be able to concentrate fully on data interpretation and the writing process. The majority of the articles I have published consist of re-analysis and reinterpretation of existing data. The last two articles, I would say, are the most significant ones I have written.

If you want to see the emeritus affiliation in a broader quality of life perspective, I can point to the satisfaction of the intellectual challenge. Of course, you can do crossword puzzles or similar to keep your head busy. But – at least for me – there is nothing that can compare to the situations where data speaks to you, and you suddenly see how things are connected and need to be described. Then there is also the satisfaction in ‘paying back’ to the society for the privileged life you have had as an academic. The fact that the accumulated knowledge you have acquired benefits society – broadly speaking.

The latter – the relevance of an emeritus course – is, by the way, one of the prerequisites for an agreement to be concluded. The guidelines for the scheme state that it is a prerequisite that the affiliation is of mutual interest to both the retired employee and the university. You are not entitled to a scheme, even if other retired employees have one.

My experiences as an emeritus have reinforced an idea that I also had as an employee. There is too little focus on researchers getting the time and working conditions required to delve deeply into a data management and writing process. Some places abroad operate with ‘sabbatical leave’, which involves a period of freedom from other tasks. I would not suggest a leave scheme to be introduced as an automatic thing that applies to everyone. But I would say that it should be the responsibility of modern research management to facilitate innovative research for promising employees.

Finally, I would recommend that, in parallel with the above-mentioned enriching affiliation with the university, you remember to live your senior life. There are so many other good things in life. Life is short!