Faculty Advisor about to retire

[Washingtonian15]

I'm in my first year in an English Literature PhD program that's one of the most prestigious in the country. When applying, I indicated in my personal statement that I wanted to work with a prominent faculty member whom we'll call Professor B (partly because he is one of only two other faculty who work in my field). However, after I accepted the university's offer, the chairman of the department broke the news to me gingerly that Prof. B is no longer working with graduate students and might be retiring soon; however, he was assigned to me as a firs-year mentor as a sort of consolation prize of sorts.

My relationship with Prof. B has been going well so far, but as I advance in my program, I know that the other two professors in my field will be inundated with requests by other students to serve on their committees. Does anyone recommend that I try to coax or convince Professor B to stick around long enough to serve on my committee, or do I just bite the bullet and compete to get one of the other two profs to work with me?

[rising_star]

You can't coax anyone to do anything, especially if they're planning to retire. What you can (and should) do is ask Professor B if they're willing to be involved in your continued progress toward the PhD and, if so, to what extent. Let them decide what they're willing to do.

[St Andrews Lynx]

If you're getting along well with Professor B, then I'd ask them directly if they will be around to serve on your committee. Don't take a No answer personally. Be proactive and approach the other professors: at this stage you can just say that you're interested in having them on your committee, and see what their response is. Even if your borderline emeritus prof does plan to serve on your committee, it doesn't hurt to talk to the other faculty.