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This week on the Faculty Factory podcast, we welcome Vicki Freeman, PhD, MASCP, MLS(ASCP)cm SCcm, FACB, for an exploration of staying productive in retirement alongside discussing some common challenges when stepping down from full-time faculty life.
Dr. Freeman is a professor emeritus and former tenured Chair in the UTMB Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences. She’s also the former Associate Dean for Faculty Development at the School of Health Professions.
Her decision to retire was influenced by family considerations and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. She sees retirement not as an endpoint but as an opportunity to pivot toward rest and other meaningful activities. It also provides a nice way to avoid some of the workplace politics she no longer is obligated to navigate.
“I’m just not interested in putting up with the politics anymore,” she told us. “When the politics start getting involved, I know it’s time to check out.”
She remains active through professional service and community involvement, showcasing that retirement can be a time for purpose and personal growth. She also discussed the importance of maintaining routines while enjoying the freedom to reinvent oneself.
Faculty Factory and Retirement
For more conversations surrounding retirement, be sure to check out all of our retirement-related episodes.
Did you know? As announced in our November Faculty Factory newsletter, we are excited to share that a new book from the Faculty Factory community is currently in development and will be released in 2026. Coming soon:
An Anthology of Academic Transitions: Faculty Factory Interviews on Retiring & Rewiring
This book, like the previous three in our collection, will be free to everyone as a digital version that you can directly download from the Faculty Factory website. We will also have Kindle and print versions available on Amazon. Stay tuned to our weekly Faculty Factory Podcast for more information on its release date!
Have you read our previous three books? Check them out here: