Sixteen faculty members have confirmed accepting the voluntary retirement incentive. Department chairs emailed Optimist staff to confirm which faculty will be retiring. Some will retire in May, while others will continue in adjunct or part-time roles next academic year. Twenty-four faculty members have accepted the buyout.
Faculty accepting the voluntary retirement incentive, along with the year they joined university:
- Dr. Billy Van Jones, professor of psychology, 1974
- Dr. Cheryl Bacon, professor and chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, 1979
- Dr. Jim Cooke, professor of agriculture and environmental sciences, 1982
- Dr. David Dillman, professor of political science, 1984
- Jack Maxwell, professor of art and design, 1984
- Dr. Joe Bell, associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition, 1985
- Dr. Lorraine Wilson, professor of kinesiology and nutrition, 1985
- Dr. Dan Brannan, professor of biology, 1988
- Dr. Kay Williams, professor of music, 1989
- Dr. Vernon Williams, professor of history, 1989
- Dr. Jeanene Reese, associate professor of Bible, 1991
- Gary Varner, professor of theatre, 1996
- Dr. Connie Yarema, professor of mathematics, 1998
- Dr. Larry Norsworthy, professor of psychology, 1999
- Sandy Freeman, professor of theatre, 2005
- Dr. Jeanine Varner, professor and chair of the Department of Language and Literature, 2007
