A Professor Emerita
"Professor Emerita" is the title given to a female professor who has retired in honorable standing but still keeps the title of "professor" she held directly before retirement. "Emerita" is the female form of "emeritus." Although universities once considered it standard practice to call a retired professor--male or female--of good standing a "professor emeritus," an increasing number of universities now use the title "professor emerita" to refer to a retired female professor, and the title "professor emeritus" for retired males: for example, "Mary Smith, Professor Emerita from Andover College."
Pronunciation and Derivation
The adjective "emerita" [ɪˈmer.ɪ.tə] is derived from the past participle of the Latin word "ēmerērī," meaning to "earn through service." The plural form of "professor emerita" is "professors emeritae," while the plural of "professor emeritus" is "professors emeriti." The plural form of a group of male and female professors is "Emeriti". A Professor Emerita is also called "Emerita professor," a slightly less formal term.
How Professors Merit "Emerita"
Universities differ widely on what standards they use for awarding emerita/emeritus and on the privileges and benefits the title confers. According to the American Council on Education, a Professor Emeritus refers to "an honorary title conferred upon an individual for long and distinguished service to the institution" and is often "awarded at the end of a faculty member's full-time service or at retirement." Although the title is frequently given to full professors, a retired assistant or associate professor may receive it as well.
Privileges
Many universities allow a Professor Emerita to continue to teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, to act as an expert or adviser in her field, and to occupy an office on campus. Professors Emeritae sometimes leave their universities and take positions elsewhere in the outside world--carrying the title with them.
Emeritus or Emerita?
Although certain traditional universities resisted the shift to "Professor Emerita," the rise of feminism prompted many professionals of all kinds to re-think their vocabulary and to signal the difference between male and female. In general, University Style Guides across the U.S. and Great Britain now advise faculty and staff to use "emeritus" for a man, and "emerita" for a woman.
Professors Only?
The use of the title "emerita" in higher education reflects an expanding acceptance of the term in other fields. Today, even in the business world, the term "Emerita" frequently accompanies the title of a woman retired from active employment who maintains the title of her position and some of its perks and privileges: for example, "Mary Smith, Vice-President Emerita." The increasing popularity of the term "Emerita" is evident even in the female-owned company Emerita, which markets health products for older women.
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