Emeritus Faculty

Process for becoming Emeritus Faculty

Emeritus faculty at the College of Medicine are appointed in recognition of sustained meritorious academic service to the University. Award of Emeritus rank is governed by AC-25 Emeritus Status.

Phased Retirement

For faculty on phased retirement, work hours are reduced, and as long as the faculty member meets the criteria noted in the policy, phased retirement has no impact on eligibility.

Requesting Emeritus Rank

The process for requesting Emeritus Rank for retiring faculty members at the Penn State College of Medicine is as follows:

1. The Department Chair provides a request to the Office of Faculty Affairs, as well as the faculty member’s current CV. This request should be submitted prior to the actual retirement date to ensure a seamless transition to Emeritus status and continuity of faculty privileges. The request letter should address the candidate’s eligibility for Emeritus Rank, as defined in AC-25, and should specify the date of retirement. If the Chair is requesting an exception to the eligibility criteria specified in AC-25, this should be clearly stated and justified in the letter. Note that requests for exceptions are rarely approved by the University.

2. The Office of Faculty Affairs will review and confirm that eligibility requirements are met.

3. Upon confirmation and Dean’s review, the Office of Faculty Affairs will enter the emeritus designation into Workday for review and processing at University Park.

The Dean will review all requests for exceptions, and will decide whether to forward the request to the President of the University, who makes the final decision.

Upon approval at University Park, the President of the University will send a letter to the faculty member notifying that Emeritus status has been granted, along with a certificate. Any space accommodations for the recipient of Emeritus status are determined and coordinated by the Department.

All faculty with Emeritus status are welcome to the Emeritus Faculty Organization.

The objective of the organization is to utilize the wisdom and knowledge of the Emeritus Faculty members to benefit the College of Medicine's missions of education, research, and service. In addition, the EFO exists to serve the needs of all emeritus faculty, including keeping the group aware and up-to-date on the University and College of Medicine privileges that accompany the rank of emeritus. The EFO was established in 2011 in the Office of Faculty and Professional Development in the College of Medicine, and functions as a conduit for emeritus faculty who would like to continue their participation in the teaching, mentoring and faculty affairs of the college

The Penn State College of Medicine Emeritus Faculty Organization's objectives are to utilize the wisdom and knowledge of the Emeritus Faculty members to benefit the College of Medicine’s missions of education, research and service. Currently, EFO members serve in the following roles:

• Problem Based Learning (PBL) instructors

• Admissions department interviewers

• Admissions department screeners

• Lion Care clinic attendings

• Members of the medical student research committee (MSR)

• Planning committee members and moderators of the Mini Medical School program

• Members of the College of Medicine Alumni board

• Site leaders for the Penn State College of Medicine Global Health Scholars program

• Members of the Global Health Advisory board

• Planning committee members/moderators of the Global Health research conference

• Interviewers for the MS4 practice ‘mock’ interview program

• Members of the diversity scholarship committee

• Giving student lectures

• Giving resident lectures

• Contributors to Wild Onions literary magazine

• Members of the Emeritus Academy

• Grant reviewers

• And more

Naming of the Scholarship

Samuel F. Hinkle was one of the College of Medicine’s founders, with close ties to Penn State University, Hershey Chocolate Company, The Hershey Trust and the Milton Hershey School. Mr. Hinkle trained as a chemical engineer, came to work at the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1924. Initially, he was instrumental in developing successful new products such as Mr. Goodbar and Hershey’s syrup. In 1947, he became plant manager and in 1956 was promoted to company president. In addition to being an effective company leader, he had a broad vision of the Chocolate Corporation’s role in the community. It was at his urging that The Hershey Trust provided the $50 million gift to Penn State University to build a medical college and teaching hospital in Hershey. Mr. Hinkle viewed the founding of the College of Medicine as one of his greatest accomplishments, and as entirely consistent with Milton Hershey’s wishes. In 1975, he described the College as “a school that’s growing in prominence and is surely going to be one of the very finest in the whole world before very long.” Mr. Hinkle passed away in 1984. The EFO honors him with this scholarship starting in 2022.

Amount of the Endowment

EFO members established this scholarship with an initial endowment of $50,000. Through EFO philanthropy, the scholarship has grown to over $77,000.00 with the ability to currently award $2,800.00 to one medical student annually.

Eligibility for the Scholarship

First year medical students are eligible for the Samuel f. Hinkle Scholarship if they demonstrate financial need by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have demonstrated high academic performance. Academic performance will be judged on undergraduate grades, MCAT score, graduate degrees, advance courses of study, publications, creative accomplishments and research.

How to Contribute

To make a contribution to the scholarship, contact Mark Sunday in the Development Office at msunday@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or 717-856-5805.

Mark Sunday, Gift Officer, Penn State University Development, PO Box 852, Hershey, PA 17033

Scholarship Recipients

• 2024-2025: Liana Bigaud

• 2023-2024: Mizuho Obayashi

• 2022-2023: Chaitanya Nimmagadda