The Emeriti Association was formed at a meeting on the university campus on February 9, 1978, climaxing more than a year of planning and organizational effort. Officers were elected under provisions of a constitution, which had been approved by mail ballot of emeriti faculty, then numbering 140. Establishment of the organization took place at the same time that the University revised and expanded its policy statement on the emeriti status of faculty. Continuity of relationships between emeriti faculty and the University were clearly defined.
Upon its formation, the Association was accorded recognition as the official body representing the University emeriti. The faculty strengthened the position of the Association by amending its constitution to provide for the annual election by the Emeriti Association of one its members to sit as a voting member of the Senate.
The Association has grown steadily in membership and in recognition as an active presence on the campus. The University has designated a week in February to be observed as "Emeriti Week", for honoring its emeriti faculty.