This webinar series focuses on the broader transition into post-faculty life. Sessions explore the intellectual, social, and physical dimensions of retirement, helping participants envision a fulfilling and engaging next chapter. Join us to reflect, plan, and connect with peers navigating similar paths.
The Prospect of Retirement—Soon or Someday?
September 25, 2025
8:30am-9:30am
Zoom
What is it to be a retired faculty member? This webinar will consider the modern practice of retirement for academics, what others expect of retirees, lifestyle options and gratifications, frame of mind, and the question of one’s ongoing scientific and scholarly engagement.
Speaker:
- David J. Ekerdt, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Gerontology, University of Kansas, Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America
Professor Ekerdt was Associate Director of the Center on Aging and Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center (1988-1997) and later directed the KU Gerontology Center from 2003–2016. He taught courses in the sociology of aging. His research spans three main areas: the retirement process and its impact on health and relationships; how older adults manage possessions during downsizing (featured in his 2020 book Downsizing); and international studies on aging and future time perspectives.
Resources:
Illinois as an Age-Friendly University
February 17, 2026
8:30am-9:30am
Zoom
Join us for an engaging session on the Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Network, an international initiative that supports healthy and purposeful aging through higher education. As a proud AFU member, the University of Illinois is committed to fostering a campus culture where faculty can continue to thrive—whether through lifelong learning, mentoring, research, or community engagement.
This session will introduce the AFU framework, highlight Illinois’ age-friendly initiatives, and share ways faculty can be connected, contribute meaningfully, and explore new opportunities in this next chapter.
Speakers:
- Wendy A. Rogers, Director, CHART: Collaborations in Health, Aging, Research, and Technology and Khan Professor, College of Applied Health Sciences
- Carrie Wennerdahl, Assistant Director, CHART: Collaborations in Health, Aging, Research, and Technology