We are looking for UM academics that are transitioning into retirement or have recently retired to participate in a focus group interview on their experiences. This project is financed by a Diversity & Inclusivity grant of UM and hopes to contribute to UM retirement policy.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Ilya Malafei.
Who? UM academic staff (all ranks) who retired max. 3 years ago, are in the process of retiring, or will retire within the next 3 years (if this time frame excludes you from participating but you feel that your contribution could be valuable, please, do not hesitate to contact us as well)
What? Focus group interview and possible follow-up (in writing or orally)
When? The focus group interviews will take place in December 2019 and January 2020
How long? Around 2 hours
Where? FASoS (specific room to be determined)
More on the project:
Transitioning into retirement: Building sustainable relations beyond employment with UM academic staff
At its first Diversity Day, UM became an official partner in the Age-friendly University (AFU) Global Network. The aim of this project is to help fleshing out what AFU’s 9th principle, “To engage actively with the university’s own retired community,” could/should entail. We will examine how academic staff at Maastricht University experiences the transition from work into retirement through qualitative interviewing; this transition is commonly understood as a major event in the life course that prompts older people to reinvent roles and identities.
Insights in the core issues that characterize these experiences will help UM further develop policies that support academic staff that is approaching retirement age as well as build and capitalize on more sustainable relations with this particular community beyond employment. Questions that we address in this respect and that tie in with UM Diversity & Inclusivity policy include: What about the talent, competence, and experience of academic staff who has/had to leave because of retirement? How can we support this particular community and benefit from it?
For more information about UM Diversity and Inclusivity grants, see here.
The research team consists of Prof. Aagje Swinnen who is an expert in aging studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She collaborates in this project with the research assistants Hadewych Honné, Ilya Malafei, and Mara Stieber. This project is an enactment of intergenerational exchange and learning, which resonates with the principles of the age-friendly university.
