Emeritus Updates

David Ekerdt

David Ekerdt has been writing about retirement. His 2024 Ageing & Society paper with Erin Adamson explored ways that economic inequality shapes the imagination of the future among older Americans. With co-authors in the Netherlands, he published a validation study of his 1986 essay that postulated a “busy ethic” for retirees. The essay has been cited over 650 times but this was the first empirical confirmation of the idea based on survey responses from Dutch retirees (The Gerontologist, 2025). Two additional surveys, one of U.S. institutions of higher education and one of KU retirees, informed a 2025 report co-authored with John Poggio and Edward Meyen of KU for the TIAA Institute Research Paper Series. The report concludes that schools and their faculty retirees can mutually benefit from ongoing connections. Finally, over the past two years Dave has served on the advisory board of the ASA Retirement Network and edited its newsletter, and he currently serves on the Retirees Rights and Benefits Committee of the University Senate at KU.