IS THERE A GENERATION GAP IN ACADEMIA? AGE DIFFERENCES AMONG FACULTY IN ATTITUDES TOWARD MANDATORY RETIREMENT

Age and discipline differences in attitudes toward mandatory retirement and related issues were assessed among 85 faculty at a private university. Age differences were minimal and outweighed by discipline variations. In general, both age groups agreed that mandatory retirement should be abolished, even though the impact of this on universities was seen as negative. Concern over the rights of the individual and respect for the potential contributions of older faculty appeared to be the major reasons for the preferred abolition of a fixed retirement age. Attitudes toward tenure among the young and toward projected activities following retirement among both age groups did not appear to be related to the mandatory retirement issue.