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Retired Professors Associations Network – RPAN
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Connected Beyond Retirement
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Connected Beyond Retirement. At age-friendly universities, academically and professionally active colleagues should be able to retain their university email accounts after retirement
Dear Retired Professors Associations Network Member,
The University of Padua, Italy, provides an excellent example. Retired professors who wish to continue contributing to the University may be granted the title of Senior Scholar (Studioso Senior dello Studium Patavinum). Senior Scholars retain their personal university account on the UniPd.it domain and can receive university email without time limitation. They also retain access to the services and resources of the University Library System. A list of Senior Scholars, updated on January 21, 2026, has been published by the University and includes their university email addresses.
The University explains that the purpose of the Senior Scholar status is to preserve and enhance the knowledge and professional expertise of retired faculty, strengthen their sense of belonging to the University, and avoid losing a valuable heritage of knowledge and commitment. Clear, simple, fair, and beneficial.
The University of Padua demonstrates that retirement from employment does not have to mean retirement from the academic community—or the loss of one’s university digital identity. This is an excellent example of a university administration recognizing retired colleagues as a continuing academic resource rather than simply as former employees.
There is not enough data available on how many retired professors remain professionally and academically active. Those who do remain active might well ask themselves why the university administration revoked their email addresses. Are retired professors afraid to ask why they have lost their university email account? ChatGPT 08.09.2026.
We kindly ask you to forward this message to a retired colleague who is being told by an age-unfriendly university that her/his university email account has been deactivated because she/he has retired.
CC: Members, Professors Emeriti Network September 14, 2026
Link: CONNECTED BEYOND RETIREMENT Do University Values End at Retirement ChatGPT 15.09.2026
Links to universities that do not deactivate university email accounts for retired colleagues
United States
University of Michigan, Human Resources. Retiree Privileges. Computing Services, All Retirees.
Faculty and staff who have a Google U-M email account when they retire will have continued use of their U-M email box by visiting mail.umich.edu, and use the same uniqname, password, and directory entries used as an employee at no charge. Those with an Outlook U-M email account, including Michigan Medicine faculty and staff, must request a U-M Google email account to continue use of their U-M email address after the Outlook account deactivates, which will occur upon retirement.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Identity Management, Exchange Email after Retirement
For Urbana faculty/staff who retire from the university, their email access is continued for life. Normal password expiration rules apply. Their O365 license is then downgraded from an A5 to A1 license. This allows the retirees to use the web versions of Microsoft 365 applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and so on, thorough a web browser. They will no longer be able to download or use the Microsoft 365 desktop versions provided through the University’s license.
University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame Association of Retired Faculty. Faculty and Staff Retiring from the University – IT services one has access to.
As a staff member retiring from the university, we will cover the major IT services and your access. Faculty who retire are treated similarly. Note – it is your responsibility to check with HR on if you are considered a retiree who continues to have access to your nd.edu account.
University of Kansas. KU Information Technology. Information for Retirees.
Emeritus and other retirees who maintain a campus presence may be eligible for additional services, including access to select systems and full technology support through the Technology Support Centers.
Pennsylvania State University. Retiree Programs & Resources. Email Access.
With your Penn State retiree status, you will continue to be able to access your Penn State email online through Office365 by using your PSU Access ID and password. Penn State IT maintains policy pertaining to Penn State retiree technology and email access.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Office of Innovative Technologies. Retiree Email for Staff.
Faculty and staff who retire with ten years of service, are eligible for continued access to email.
University of Alabama. Email Account Management Post Employment, Retirees.
Faculty — User email account access will continue with a retiree designation placed in the address of any outgoing messages (e.g., username@retiree.ua.edu).
Troy University. Retiree Email.
Faculty and staff who officially retire from Troy University, including those with the distinction Professor Emeritus, may continue to use their Trojan email after retirement.
Santa Clara University. Technology at SCU, Retiree Email Service.
SCU is pleased to offer eligible non-emeriti faculty retirees and eligible staff retirees an email account ending in @retirees.scu.edu, hosted by Google. Use of the Retiree Email Service is governed by these terms of service.
UC Berkeley. Retirement Center, Retiree bMail Service.
Retiree bMail Service is for staff and academic retirees of UC Berkeley who would like to maintain their current Berkeley email account after their 90 grace period ends. Emeriti continue to have an active affiliation with the university, and therefore do not need to purchase this service to keep their bMail account.
University of California Riverside. UCR Retirement Center, Eligibility Requirements:
All of the following four (4) conditions are required to maintain or reactivate an UCR email account. Retire with 5 years of service at the time of retirement with UC. Retire at an age greater than or equal to 50. Retire in good standing. The retiree must become a dues-paying member of the UCR Retirees’ Association (UCRRA).
Canada
Dalhousie University. Dalhousie E-Mail Account
Retired Faculty may continue to use their email account to access webmail. However, please note that account passwords expire every 12 months. Users will be reminded to renew their password via their Dalhousie email.
University of Manitoba. Retiree email request.
A retiree email may be issued to UM academic and support staff upon retirement, whether or not they are members of The University of Manitoba Retiree Association (UMRA). Retirees with Emeritus or Senior Scholar appointments can keep their employee email accounts. Emeritus retirees will permanently keep their active employee email accounts, and those with Senior Scholar appointments will move to the retiree email solution once their appointments expire.
University of Saskatchewan. USask Alumni Email.
USask retirees (faculty and staff) have the option of keeping your email by becoming a member of the University of Saskatchewan Retirees Association (USRA) and paying the membership fee.
Europe
KU Leuven, Belgium. What happens to your KU Leuven mailbox when you retire?
When you retire or acquire emeritus status at KU Leuven, your mailbox is retained as long as you reconfirm its use annually via an email notification.
University of Galway, Ireland. Staff Retiring from the University.
Your Campus Account will not be disabled and access to your email account will work. You will keep access to Core Employee Self Service, which will allow to access your historical payslips and pension details.
University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Retirees.
Any retiree can obtain an @retired Oxford account; with departmental/college affiliation the retiree may retain a departmental/college email address.
University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (FH Potsdam), Germany. Campus.Account.
Retired professors keep their Campus Account for one year and can renew it annually.
News
RPAN Big Ten Retiree Association BTRA Minneapolis July 21 to 24 2026
Terminating university email accounts for retired professors who are still academically active is an unethical act. Action needed. 19. 06. 2026. Suggestions.
Proposal to Preserve University Email Accounts for Retired but Academically Active Professors. June 25, 2026.
Foundation
The Retired Professors Associations Network – RPAN was established following a Zoom meeting of Professors Emeriti Network on November 19, 2025, with the idea to collect and share website addresses of retired professors’ associations globally.
Its purpose is to facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and websites interlinking among associations so that retired academics can continue meaningful engagement.
Members of the Network include associations such as the Age-Friendly Universities Global Network, Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education – AROHE, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada – CURAC, AGE Platform Europe and others from Europe, North America, and Australia. The Network is open to associations and groups that are willing to link their websites and participate in international connection and collaboration.
In the meeting on November 19, 2025, the following topic was discussed: How Retired Professors are Organized and how they eCollaborate.
Chair
Dr. Eric Hockert, University of Minnesota Retirees Association (Past President FY24). Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education – AROHE (President-elect), United States. Big Ten Retirees Association (BTRA) 2026 Conference Planning Group Chair. University Retirees Volunteer Center (Past Board Chair), Office for Technology Commercialization (Retired), EHockert@Alumni.UMN.edu
Panel Members
Al Hermsen, MBA, Member, Board of Directors, University of Michigan Retirees Association, United States, AHermsen@UMich.edu
Dr. Heinz V Dreher, Independent Researcher, Professor Emeritus of Informatics, Mahogany Creek, Western Australia, H.Dreher@outlook.com
Dr. Walter Archer, Professor Emeritus. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. President, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada – CURAC. Book Review Editor, Canadian Journal of Higher Education, WArcher@UAlberta.ca
It was proposed that a further meeting be held in February 2026.
In the Professors Emeriti Network Zoom Meeting on February 18, 2026, the following topic was discussed: Linking groups of retired academics across nations and beyond.
Co-chairs
Dr. Eric Hockert, University of Minnesota Retirees Association (Past President FY24). Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education – AROHE (President), United States. Big Ten Retirees Association (BTRA) 2026 Conference Planning Group Chair. University Retirees Volunteer Center (Past Board Chair), Office for Technology Commercialization (Retired), EHockert@Alumni.UMN.edu
Dr. Walter Archer, Professor Emeritus. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. President, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada – CURAC. Book Review Editor, Canadian Journal of Higher Education, WArcher@UAlberta.ca
Discussant
Dr. Bernhard Schrefler, Professor Emeritus, Mechanics of Biological Materials, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua, Italy. Vice President, Management Board, The Patavinae Libertatis Emeriti Association (PLE), Bernhard.Schrefler@dicea.UniPd.it
In the meeting, Working Group for RPAN goals discussion was formed:
Dr. Heinz V Dreher, Independent Researcher, Professor Emeritus, Western Australia
Dr. Jože Gričar, Professor Emeritus, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Al Hermsen, MBA, Past-President and Member, Board of Directors, University of Michigan Retirees Association, United States, Group Organizer
Dr. Sandra Patricia Hirst, Associate Professor Emerita. University of Calgary Canada
Dr. Michelle Porter, Professor, University of Manitoba, Canada
Dr. Nina M. Silverstein, Professor Emerita,University of Massachusetts Boston, United States
The Working Group met in Zoom meetings on March 3 and May 4, 2026. The meetings focused on discussing initiatives and goals for the Retired Professors Associations Network – RPAN, which aims to connect retired faculty across continents. Participants shared ideas on maintaining access to university resources like email, libraries, and health insurance after retirement. They explored opportunities for continued research collaboration and the possibility of establishing an “emeriti college” for lifelong learning. The group also discussed expanding the organization through conferences and connecting with sister institutions. They agreed to collect more ideas from members.
In the June 17, 2026 Zoom meeting of Professors Emeriti Network, the following topic was discussed: eCollaboration of associations of retired professors to accelerate cross-border eCollaboration of their members.
Chair
Al Hermsen, MBA, Past-President and Member, Board of Directors, University of Michigan Retirees Association, United States, AHermsen@UMich.edu
Presenters
Dr. Heinz V Dreher, Independent Researcher, Professor Emeritus. Mahogany Creek, Western Australia, H.Dreher@outlook.com
Dr. Jože Gričar, Professor Emeritus. University of Maribor, Slovenia. Program Coordinator, Inter-Municipality Initiative: Cross-border eCollaboration in the eRegion & Secretary, Professors Emeriti Network, Joze.Gricar@UM.si
Dr. Sandra Patricia Hirst, Associate Professor Emerita. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Canada. Vice President, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada – CURAC. E-letter Editor, University of Calgary Retirees Association – UCRA, SHirst@UCalgary.ca
Dr. Michelle Porter, Professor. Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba, Canada. Director of the Centre on Aging. Co-lead, North American Region for the Age-friendly University Global Network, Michelle.Porter@UManitoba.ca
Dr. Nina M. Silverstein, Professor Emerita. Gerontology Department, University of Massachusetts Boston, United States. Associate Editor, Journal of Transport & Health, Nina.Silverstein@UMB.edu
Associations
Age-Friendly Universities Global Network. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Aaron Guest, Aaron.Guest@ASU.edu
Age-Friendly Universities Global Network. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Aaron Guest, Aaron.Guest@ASU.edu
Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education – AROHE, United States. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Eric Hockert, EHockert@Alumni.UMN.edu
Australian Association of University Professors – AAUP. Links of interest. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Rylee Dionigi, Rylee.Dionigi@Professoriate.org
College and University Retiree Associations of Canada – CURAC, Canada. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Walter Archer, WArcher@UAlberta.ca
AGE Platform Europe, A society for ALL ages, Brussels. Contact person for website interlinking: Marine Luc, Project and Membership Officer, Marine.Luc@AGE-Platform.eu
University of Western Australia Emeriti Professors College. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Marc Tennant, Marc.Tennant@UWA.edu.au
University of Manitoba Retirees Association, Winnipeg, Canada. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Bill Kops, William.Kops@UManitoba.ca
Patavinae Libertatis Emeriti Association – PLE. University of Padua. Italy. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Bernhard Schrefler, Bernhard.Schrefler@dicea.UniPd.it
University of Padua Senior Scholars 08.09.2026. The University of Padua in Italy provides university email account to all retired professors.
Association Professors Emeriti of Federico ll University in Naples – APEF, Italy. Contact person for website interlinking: Dr. Carlo Lauro, CLauro@UniNa.it
Michigan Retirees Association, United States. Contact person for website interlinking: AHermsen@UMich.edu
USC Emeriti Center, University of Southern California, United States. Contact person for website interlinking: Debbie Jones, JonesDeb@USC.edu
University of MInnesota Retirees Association (UMRA), United States. Contact person for website interlinking: Diane Young, YoungDianeC@gmail.com
Retired Faculty and Administrative Officers (RFAO) Organization, University of Vermont, United States. Contact person for website interlinking, Dr. Michael A Gurdon, Michael.Gurdon@UVm.edu
Associations’ Links to Retired Professors Associations Network
Age-Friendly University Global Network, Resources
Professor Emeriti Network
Organizational network of retired faculty contributing to the understanding of global changes based on aging. They collaborate to address emerging challenges through innovative solutions and disseminate these efforts to a broad range of stakeholders.
Retired Professors Association Network
Retired professors offer decades of specialized expertise. Network members participate in online meetings to discuss problem-based and action-oriented topics of concern to retired professors. The network is open to associations of retired professors and to associations.
Founding Members
Dr. Walter Archer, Professor Emeritus. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. President, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada – CURAC. Book Review Editor, Canadian Journal of Higher Education. WArcher@UAlberta.ca
Dr. Heinz V Dreher, Independent Researcher, Professor Emeritus of Informatics, Mahogany Creek, Western Australia, H.Dreher@outlook.com
Dr. Aleksandar Erceg, Professor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia. International Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (ICES), Aleksandar.Erceg@EfOs.hr
Dr. Robert D Galliers¸ University Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Former Provost, Bentley University, United States. Former Associate Director/Senior Advisor, Quality Services, European Foundation for Management Development, Belgium. Former Research Director, Department of Information Systems, London School of Economics, UK. Professor Emeritus and former Dean, Warwick Business School, UK. Former Head and Foundation Professor, School of Information Systems, Curtin University, Australia. Former President and LEO Award recipient, The Association for Information Systems, RGalliers@Bentley.edu
Dr. Michael J. Ginzberg, Professor and Dean Emeritus, School of Business, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Partner, ELM2 Advisors LLC, Strategic Transactions for Higher Education, United States, MJGinzberg@WPI.edu
Dr. Peter Glavič, Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering, University of Maribor, Member, University of Maribor Centre for Professors Emeriti and Retired Higher Education Teachers, Contact person: Active Aging Networks, Peter.Glavic@UM.si
Dr. Jože Gričar, Professor Emeritus. Secretary, Professors Emeriti Network. University of Maribor, Slovenia. Program Coordinator, Inter-Municipality Initiative: Cross-border eCollaboration in the eRegion. Joze.Gricar@UM.si
Dr. Aaron Guest, Assistant Professor of Aging. Edson College, Arizona State University, Unites States of America. Head, Age-Friendly Universities Global Network Secretariat, Aaron.Guest@ASU.edu
Dr. Michael A Gurdon, Professor Emeritus of Business Administration. Grossman School of Business, The University of Vermont, United States. President, Retired Faculty and Administrative Officers (RFAO) Organization, Michael.Gurdon@UVm.edu
Al Hermsen, MBA, Member, Board of Directors, University of Michigan Retirees Association, United States, AHermsen@UMich.edu
Dr. Sandra P. Hirst, Associate Professor Emerita. Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary Retirees Association, (UCRA), Canada. e-letter editor, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada (CURAC). Vice-President, Past Chair, Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA). SHirst@UCalgary.ca
Dr. Eric Hockert, University of Minnesota Retirees Association (Past President FY24). Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education – AROHE (Presiden), United States. Big Ten Retirees Association (BTRA) 2026 Conference Planning Group Chair. University Retirees Volunteer Center (Past Board Chair), Office for Technology Commercialization (Retired), EHockert@Alumni.UMN.edu
Debbie Jones, MPA, Director, USC Emeriti Center & Director, Faculty Retirement Navigation & Advancement. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States, JonesDeb@USC.edu
Dr. Michael Kunze, MD, Professor Emeritus, Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Austria. Member, European Association of Professors Emeriti, Michael.Kunze@MedUniWien.ac.at
Dr. Carole-Lynne Le Navenec, Associate Professor Emerita, Nursing. University of Calgary, Previous Program Director, University of Calgary Retirees Association. Board Member, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada – CURAC , CLLeNave@UCalgary.ca
Dr.Dr.h.c. Heinrich C. Mayr, Professor Emeritus, Application Engineering, Former Rector, Alpen-Adria University of Klagenfurt, Austria. Head, Application Engineering Research Group, Department of Applied Informatics, Heinrich.Mayr@AAU.at
Dr. Nava Pliskin, Professor Emerita, Information Systems Management, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, PliskinN@BGU.ac.il
Dr. Danijel Rebolj, Professor Emeritus, Former Rector, University of Maribor, Slovenia, Danijel.Rebolj@UM.si
Dr. Bernhard Schrefler, Professor Emeritus, Mechanics of Biological Materials, Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padua, Italy, Bernhard.Schrefler@dicea.UniPd.it
Dr. Nina M. Silverstein, Professor Emerita, Gerontology Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston, United States, Nina.Silverstein@UMB.edu
Dr. Giuseppe Baldovino (Pino) Suffritti, Professor. Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Italy, Pino.Suffritti@gmail.com
Dr. Marc Tennant, Winthrop Professor. Chair of Academic Board. Member of the Senate. University of Western Australia Emeriti Professors College, Marc.Tennant@UWA.edu.au
Jodi Waterhouse, Director, Strategic Partnerships & Programs. Colorado University Denver, Anschutz Multidisciplinary Center on Aging. Office of Vice-Chancellor of Health Affairs, Department of Medicine|, Division of Geriatrics, United States, Jodi.Waterhouse@CUAnschutz.edu
Dr. Richard Welke, Regents Professor Emeritus. Computer Information Systems. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States, RWelke@RWelke.com
Dr. Doug Vogel, Professor of Information Systems & eHealth Research Institute Director. Harbin Institute of Technology, China. Fellow and Past-President, Association for Information Systems – AIS. Member, Cross-border eCollaboration Consortium. Fellow, Australian Institute of Digital Health – AIDH, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in association with the University of the Third Age, Vogel.Doug@gmail.com
Dr. David Zitner, Professor Emeritus. Founding Director, Medical Informatics, Dalhousie University. Consultant and Policy Advisor. Retired Family Physician, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, David.Zitner@Dal.ca
Links
Emeriti University of Padua Senior Scholars 08.09.2026. The University of Padua in Italy provides university email account to all retired professors.
Emeriti A Letter to University Administration 03.09.2026
Emeriti Retired Professors Associations in Europe ChatGPT & Google AI Mode 17.06.2026
Emeriti eCollaboration between retired and active professors ChatGPT & Google AI Mode 02.05.2026
Emeriti What can individual professors learn from the collaboration of universities in The Worldwide Universities Network WUN. ChatGPT & Google AI Mode 28.04.2026
Emeriti Opportunities in Internet supported active aging for retired professors. ChatGPT 24.01.2026
Emeriti Network of retired professors Importance ChatGPT 29.11.2025
Emeriti Associations of retired professors Benefits of websites interlinking ChatGPT 25.11.2025
Emeriti Collaboration engineering for retired professors ChatGPT 20.09.2025
