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TOTAL COMPENSATION Your salary and benefits comprise your total compensation. Duke spent $1.8 billion last year on pay, and another $425 million to maintain benefits.
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ARE YOU A SMART COMMUTER? Less than 5 percent of Duke’s registered commuters use alternative transit; options exist to share a ride.
SUSTAINABLE DUKE Duke Campus Farm, a full-scale educational farm, blooms on an acre in the Duke Forest off Friends School Road.
N EWS YO U CA N U S E : : Vo l u m e 6 , I ss u e 3 : : A p r i l 20 1 1
Are you saving enough? TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DUKE’S BENEFITS NOW TO OBTAIN FINANCIAL SECURITY IN RETIREMENT assandra Taylor sat at her kitchen during retirement. At Duke, faculty and table with a notepad, budget staff can take advantage of Duke’s spreadsheet and stack of quarterly benefits to help them obtain this level retirement account statements at the of financial security. Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan. A 403(b) plan ready. Her mission: squeeze more money “Even during challenging times, it is for monthly-paid faculty and staff who can make out of her budget for retirement. imperative that we each keep the goal of voluntary pre-tax contributions. Duke contributes “I ran the numbers up and down adequately contributing to our retirement to the accounts of all eligible faculty and staff. and back and forth a couple of times, savings as one of our highest priorities,” jotting down figures so I could compare said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for Employees’ Retirement Plan. A pension plan scenarios,” said Taylor, who has worked Duke Human Resources. designed to provide hourly-paid staff with a at Duke three years as a Duke Credit Taylor values Duke’s contribution to Union financial guidance counselor. guaranteed monthly income at retirement, paid her 403(b) retirement plan. “It’s like free After an evening of number money,” she said. But she won’t let up on entirely by Duke. crunching, Taylor concluded she could her goal to gradually increase her raise her monthly retirement contribution from her monthly pay Savings for Retirement Plan. A 403(b) plan for contribution from 3 to 4 percent using to the annual maximum of $16,500. hourly-paid staff members who can make voluntary the money she saves on fuel by “If we get a raise this year, the first pre-tax contributions. (Duke does not contribute to commuting in a hybrid, not an SUV. thing I’ll do is check the payroll this plan). “It also meant pulling back on other calculator on the HR website and see if I items like eating out,” she said, “but I am can afford to increase my contribution to For more information about Duke’s retirement willing to forego some luxuries now in order 5 percent or maybe higher,” she said. “I benefits, visit hr.duke.edu/retirement to have a comfortable retirement later.” just feel it is imperative that I keep saving Taylor’s decision to increase her for retirement.” retirement contribution bucks a national Working@Duke offers a look at how trend indicating that fewer people are saving for retirement. According to a five employees are planning for retirement: January survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, U.S. workers are more pessimistic about their chances for a comfortable retirement. More than START EARLY a quarter (27 percent) of 1,258 workers say they are "not at all confident" Retirement is decades away for Kristen Lee, 31, but she’s already about retirement, up from 22 percent in 2009 and 2010, and the highest planning for it. level ever measured in the 21-year history of the survey. “I’m at the time of my life when I need to figure out my long-term This belt-tightening is reflected at Duke with some faculty and staff goals and dreams, and having a comfortable retirement is part of that,” said putting away less in their retirement plans in recent years. Decisions like Lee, a clinical trials specialist at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. these have likely contributed to a majority of Americans saying they are When Lee started working at Duke in 2002 after college, she was more either a little or far behind financially in preparing for retirement. focused on immediate financial goals. “I’ve seen some of my older relatives Financial experts recommend that any retirement plan include three having a hard time making ends meet during retirement,” she said. “I don’t components: social security, an employer’s plan and an employee’s personal want to repeat some of those patterns.” savings. Combined, these components should replace between 75 and 85 percent of pre-retirement income to maintain the same standard of living
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Duke’s Retirement Plans
Cover image: Cassandra Taylor, a Duke Credit Union financial guidance counselor, crunches numbers to squeeze more money out of her budget for retirement.
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Editor’s Note
Newsbriefs
LEANORA MINAI
Primetime with President Brodhead in April
Leanora.Minai@duke.edu
On April 27, Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead will address faculty and staff during the next Primetime forum. Brodhead will offer an update on the “state of the university,” including an update on Duke’s financial status and Duke’s plans for global expansion. The event will begin at noon; the location, which was being finalized at press time, will be posted at hr.duke.edu/primetime. Employees are encouraged to submit questions for Brodhead through the Primetime website at hr.duke.edu/primetime. The event will be webcast live, but those who RSVP and attend in person will be entered into a drawing for lunch with Brodhead.
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ynn Ball, a certified benefits specialist who will present to Duke employees during Financial Fitness Week in May, suggests finding a way to increase your retirement savings contribution by 1 percent each year. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that you don’t have enough money to save,” Ball said. “People think if they can’t save a lot, it isn’t worth saving at all. That is just so wrong. Even a small amount, saved consistently, will make a huge difference over 25 or 30 years.” In preparation for Financial Fitness Week, which is May 23-27, this month’s issue of Working@Duke includes useful information to help employees plan for retirement and understand their total compensation at Duke. In the cover story, “Are you saving enough?” we talk with financial experts like Ball and take a look at how five Duke employees are saving for retirement through Duke’s benefits. You’ll learn how Duke employee Cassandra Taylor is trying to squeeze more money out of her budget for retirement, and how another staffer, Betty Jones, dipped into her retirement savings and is now trying to reposition herself for retirement. “Start early,” said Sylvester Hackney, associate director of Duke Benefits. “Whenever we talk with people who are about to retire, the one thing they say is they wish they started saving earlier.” By early May, you will receive a “Personal Benefits Statement” in the mail detailing your salary and benefits at Duke. Give the statement a good look to ensure you are on target to maintain your current lifestyle in retirement.
In addition, Damien Cave, a correspondent for The New York Times, will present on “Interpreting Disaster” during the final lecture of 2010-11 Provost’s Lecture Series, “Natural Disasters and Human Responses,” on April 11. Cave will discuss how reporters tackle the challenges of traumatic stories – how they get to where they need to be, how they choose which stories to tell and how they are impacted by what they experience. From 2008 to 2010, he served as the newspaper’s Miami bureau chief. In addition to covering the earthquake in Haiti, Cave’s coverage of Florida ranged widely from recession, politics, veterans and out-of-control bunnies. The lecture is at 5 p.m. in the Social Sciences Building, Room 139. Learn more at provost.duke.edu/speaker_series.
Deadline for reimbursement receipts April 15 Plant sale at Duke Gardens April 30 The Sarah P. Duke Gardens and other local vendors will sell hundreds of plants, trees, shrubs and garden-related gift items during the spring plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30. “Spring is an exciting time of year, which makes us all giddy to get out in the garden and plant,” said Jason Holmes, a curator and horticulturist at Duke Gardens who helps manage the sale. “Among other things, we’ll be selling lots of perennials that are well suited to spring gardens in the Triangle region.” The gardens staff and members of the Durham County Master Gardeners will also be available to offer free gardening advice. The sale is open to the public, with free admission. Faculty and staff who become new Duke Garden members on or before April 29 get a discount on membership and special admission to the preview sale on April 29.
Website created for Japan relief; Provost’s lecture on ‘Interpreting Disaster’ Duke has set up a website [japanrelief.duke.edu] as a clearinghouse for information and resources related to Duke’s response to the disaster in Japan. The site includes travel restriction updates, related Duke news items, information about relief efforts and events, and a list of resources for members of the Duke community who may be affected by events in Japan. To suggest items for the site, please contact Laura Brinn at (919) 681-8975.
April 15 is the deadline for submitting Health and Dependent Care Reimbursement Account receipts from 2010. Faculty and staff must submit all receipts by April 15 for services provided from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2010 to receive reimbursement. Receipts can be scanned and submitted as attachments to an e-mail or submitted online. Learn more at hr.duke.edu/reimbursement.
Sustainability efforts gain gold Duke’s efforts toward environmental sustainability have been rated “Gold” by a new rating system from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Like the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system for buildings, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) gives ratings of Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Duke has earned a Gold rating with a score of 65.74 from an evaluation of three main categories – Curriculum and Research; Operations; and Planning, Administration and Engagement. Duke received recognition for sustainable dining initiatives such as trayless dining, recycled content napkins and composting. Transportation demand management programs, such as carpool matching, telecommuting and bicycle sharing also increased Duke’s score. “Our participation in STARS will allow us to better assess where we have room to improve our sustainability efforts on campus as well as how we compare to our peer institutions,” said Tavey Capps, Duke’s sustainability director.
Letters to the Editor must include name and contact information. E-mail letters to working@duke.edu or mail them to Working@Duke Editor, Box 90496, Durham, NC 27708. Fax letters to (919) 681-7926. Please keep length to no more than 200 words.
New season at Duke Farmers Market Want to go? 11 a.m to 2 p.m. every Friday from April 15 to July 15 and every other Friday from July 29 to September 23.
The Duke Farmers Market is located off Research Drive between the Nanaline H. Duke and Bryan Research buildings.
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hen the Duke Farmers Market opens up for its 11th season this month, faculty and staff will have a new way to enjoy locally-grown produce – a free recipe booklet with meals that can be made from goods purchased at the market. The market, which runs April 15 to Sept. 23, will feature about a dozen farmers and vendors selling produce and goods such as sweet potatoes, whole grain rolls and flowers. There will also be weekly drawings from farmers for free goods. “We’re very excited to start a new season,” said Diana Monroe, a health education specialist for LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program and organizer of the farmers market. “Finding local fruits and vegetables doesn’t get much easier than when the farmers come to you.” Holding raffles and offering the recipe booklet are part of LIVE FOR LIFE’s effort to promote the consumption of more fruits and vegetables. In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed North Carolina as the tenthmost obese state in the United States with only 25 percent of adults eating at least two servings of fruit a day, compared with 33 percent across the country. “Getting fruits and vegetables into your diet – especially locally grown ones that often come from farms that don’t use lots of pesticides – can only be a positive change,” Monroe said. “We hope that with all the variety
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of colorful and fresh produce, faculty and staff will take advantage of the market.” Elise Pangborn, a research coordinator with Duke’s Clinical Research Unit, has been a weekly visitor to the farmers market for 10 years. “I like the idea that the produce I’m buying is local, so it’s picked the morning I buy it instead of sitting on a truck, Duke Farmers Market runs April 15 to Sept. 23. train or boat before getting here,” Pangborn said. In addition to farm-fresh produce, employees can also buy special gifts for colleagues. During Duke Appreciation in May, faculty and staff can give produce away through the “MARKET-GRAM” program. Vendors will sell special arrangements of flowers, fruits, coffee beans and other products as MARKETGRAM specials priced from $3 to $12. Employees who purchase an item can then pick up from the LIVE FOR LIFE table a free MARKET-GRAM bookmark gift tag with messages like “You’re a peach” and “Working at Duke with you is sweet.” — By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Communication Services
For more Duke Farmers Market information, visit hr.duke.edu/farmersmarket
Your total compensation at Duke he university has balanced budgetary challenges from the economic downturn by only providing $1,000 lump-sum payments to staff making $50,000 or less in 2009 and $80,000 or less in 2010. This year, the university will provide performance-based pay increases for eligible employees. Despite not increasing base pay last year, Duke spent an additional $34.7 million to maintain benefits as part of the total compensation package for employees. A study by the Society for Human Resources Management in late 2009 indicated that 39 percent of companies were either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to reduce or change benefit offerings in early 2010. At Duke, keeping base pay flat again last year avoided about $22 million in additional costs, a trade-off that helped fund the additional investment in benefits. “Over the past few years, as we’ve tried to reduce the university budget by $100 million, we faced the challenge of investing in salaries or in benefits, and we chose to maintain our investment in our benefits,” said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for Human Resources. “We are pleased that this year, we can once again offer the option for performance-based merit increases, but this is a balancing act that we will continue to face in future years.” Labor costs comprise approximately 60 percent of Duke’s operating budget. For every dollar of wages an employee receives, Duke invests 20 to 25 cents on programs such as medical, life insurance, retirement programs and other benefits such as tuition assistance. Last year, Duke spent a total of $425 million to maintain its benefits package. The value of these benefits is recognized by many employees at Duke and is frequently cited as a primary reason why employees choose to work and continue their careers at Duke. Terry Witting, a program coordinator, has worked at We are Duke for 22 years. pleased She said she values more from Duke that this year, we than just the can once again offer monthly pay. The the option for children’s tuition performance-based benefit has allowed her daughter to merit increases, but attend Peace this is a balancing College without act that we will student loans. “My youngest continue to face in future years.” daughter goes to — Kyle Cavanaugh Peace, and Duke Vice president for Human Resources pays a little over $10,000 each semester – that is tax-free money for us,” Witting said. “When I think about not getting a raise last year, I think about not paying $20,000 a year for her to go to school. I don’t do a lot of complaining.” Working at a world-class institution is also a draw for many employees. Tracyene Charles, a library assistant at Perkins Library, said a highlight of her 12 years at Duke has been working on a vibrant campus. She loves the beauty of the gardens, free access to thousands of library resources and the steady stream of students. “I’m 46, but the students help keep me young,” she said. “I constantly learn about new technologies, new fashions, new movies. It is a wonderful perspective to be exposed to.” Charles appreciates the deliberate way Duke addressed trimming expenses and efforts to avoid large-scale layoffs. “I didn’t get too upset about not having a raise for a while because I assume that means there are still people out there who have a job,” she said. Job security is high on the list of things Michelle L. Taylor is thankful for, along with family-friendly benefits that make her life as a single parent easier. “It is good to know that Duke allows me to take time off for my children’s doctor and dental appointments,” said Taylor, a health information management clerk for the Duke Eye Center of Winston Salem. As Duke continues to offer competitive pay and comprehensive benefits while managing rising costs, Cavanaugh encourages employees to educate themselves about benefits connected to their job. “I want our faculty and staff community to understand the options Duke provides to help them protect their health, plan for retirement, protect their loved ones and to balance their work and family lives,” he said.
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Understanding your net worth at Duke Total compensation describes Duke’s investment in each employee as more than just a paycheck. Duke spent approximately $1.8 billion last year on salaries and wages and kicked in an additional $425 million to maintain its benefits package. The benefits each employee uses may differ, but Duke typically invests between 20 to 25 cents in benefits for every $1 of wages. The chart below shows an example of what a typical employee’s total compensation might consist of. In late April or early May, your personal benefits statement will arrive at your home. Check your personalized statement for a complete picture of your total compensation at Duke.
76% Salary 9%
Health Insurance/ Employee Health Services
7%
Retirement Plan Contribution
1%
Disability Insurance/Group Life Insurance
6%
Social Security/Government Programs
1%
Educational Assistance
Each employee’s total compensation package is unique, based on individual choices. To highlight elements that comprise total compensation, the chart above represents what a total compensation package might look like for a typical employee. Source: Duke Human Resources
What you’re saying on
— By Marsha A. Green Senior Writer, Office of Communication Services
3 Learn how to read your personal benefits statement as part of our “DIY” video series. Visit youtube.com/workingatduke
Most Duke community members commute alone, by car ince starting work at Duke in 1997, Hannah Arps has commuted in a variety of ways: walking, biking and sharing the ride by car or bus. With one car for the family, Arps has always made an effort to use sustainable, alternative transportation through Duke. She’s currently one of nearly 400 registered bicycle commuters and among about 900 members at Duke who use the Zipcar car-sharing service on campus. “I like that I can keep an extra car off the road for environmental reasons,” said Arps, manager with the Office of Technology Services in the College of Arts & Sciences. “If you’re in a position to walk or bike, it’s also nice to be able to build that exercise into your daily routine.” With limited parking spaces but high demand and a growing customer base, Duke wants to reduce by 6 percent the number of single occupancy vehicles coming to campus by 2012. That means removing about 1,600 parking permits from distribution to the Duke community. “It’s important for the Duke community to choose alternative transit options to reduce vehicles on and around campus and minimize Duke’s carbon footprint,” said Brian Williams, Duke’s transportation demand coordinator.
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“It’s all part of Duke’s effort to go carbon neutral.” As of Jan. 1, figures show that Duke students, faculty and staff own about 27,000 permits for parking at Duke, while only 1,300 community members travel to Duke using an alternative option like biking, riding a bus or sharing a car ride. With less than 5 percent of Duke’s registered commuters using alternative transportation, Williams is working to educate campus commuters to change their behavior and not drive alone. As an incentive, students, faculty and staff who bike, carpool or join a vanpool receive up to 24 free daily parking passes, in addition to other perks like an emergency ride home through Triangle Transit. “Even though free parking or reduced permit rates are great ways to save money, the real savings come in when you factor in what you spend on fuel and lose in time,” Williams said. “If you live more than 15 minutes away from Duke, you’re likely to pay $20 to $30 a week in fuel and lose more than two hours spent behind the wheel.”
Number of Duke community members practicing an alternative commute Bike
377 Zipcar
889 Vanpool/carpool/rideshare
322 DATA/TTA public transit
601
— By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Communication Services
Less than 5 percent of Duke’s registered commuters use alternative transportation. Learn more about alternative transportation at parking.duke.edu.
Challenge yourself to share the ride in transit campaign J
im Fernandes knows about the importance of exercise and healthy living. That’s why he participated in last year’s SmartCommute Challenge, an annual spring campaign to encourage commuters to not drive alone to work or class. As part of the campaign last April, Fernandes pedaled 12-miles between his home near Research Triangle Park to his office on West Campus as often as his schedule allowed. “I like to challenge myself, and it sounded like fun,” said Fernandes, a physical therapist in Duke’s Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy. “Why not save a little gas and help the environment too?” The SmartCommute Challenge, which runs April 1 to June 1, is coordinated by GoTriangle and SmartCommute@rtp to help reduce traffic and improve air quality. Participants can sign up for raffles for prizes like gift cards and join special events each week through mid-May. The aim is to get Triangle area residents to try an alternative commute by riding a bus, carpooling, vanpooling, teleworking, biking, walking or riding an electric scooter. Duke offers various incentives for community members who use alternative transportation, including, among other perks, up to 24 free parking passes and discount bus passes. For more information, visit parking.duke.edu. Along with Fernandes, slightly more than 10,000 Triangle residents participated in the SmartCommute Challenge last year, cutting 3.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide – the equivalent carbon emissions of 85 Americans for an entire year.
“The Smart Commute challenge isn’t a big commitment – it’s trying new ways to commute to see which one works best for you,” said Brian Williams, Duke’s transportation demand coordinator. “You’ll likely save money and get time back in your day.” Both those aspects – time and money – were found to be growing concerns for commuters recently by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. A recent study shows that stopand-go traffic cost the average Riding a bus is just one way Duke faculty and staff can participate in the Triangle driver 22 gallons of gas annual SmartCommute Challenge. and 25 extra hours in traffic in Learn about alternative transportation 2008 and 2009. options at parking.duke.edu. In addition to Fernandes, Duke employee Molly Starback participated in last year’s SmartCommute Challenge. Starback commutes to Duke by bus from Chapel Hill to her office on West Campus because it puts time back in her day. “I don’t really like driving that much, so I prefer to take the bus so I can read and don’t have to deal with traffic,” said Starback, director of the Office of Postdoctoral Services. “Riding the bus gives me time to read for pleasure or get started on the day’s work before I get in the office.” — By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Communication Services
4 Join the SmartCommute Challenge at smartcommutechallenge.org
To help employees set goals, Duke’s five retirement vendors offer individual retirement consultations at no charge.
Are you saving enough? CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 As a bi-weekly paid employee, she is eligible for a pension through the Employees’ Retirement Plan. But she knows she should save additional money. To start planning, Lee recently attended a Duke Credit Union seminar, where she learned about the power of time: the sooner one begins saving, the more time money has to grow. By saving $44 from each paycheck from age 31 until retirement in an account that earns 5 percent interest, an employee can create a nest egg of $100,000. Waiting until age 40 to start saving means an employee will need to contribute approximately $78 from each paycheck to reach that same $100,000 goal. Lee isn’t contributing yet but wants to start saving $1,000 a year in Duke’s Savings for Retirement Plan 403(b) account to help ensure she has sufficient retirement income to maintain her standard of living. “I know I need to get into the habit of saving more,” she said.
STICK TO YOUR SAVINGS GOALS On his first day as a Duke employee 11 years ago, Todd Blandford, signed paperwork to contribute a portion of his paycheck to his Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan 403(b) account. I was in my “I was in my 30s and had 30s and had one one child. I realized I child,” said Blandford, 42, needed to get my director of financial house in alumni and order.” development IT systems. “I — Todd Blandford realized I needed Director, Alumni and to get my development IT systems financial house in order.” Now, with two children progressing through elementary and middle school, Blandford faces a challenge of saving for college and retirement. “I try to fund retirement first and college second, but I’m not putting as much as I think I should toward college,” he said. Lynn Ball, a benefits specialist and former keynote speaker at Duke’s Financial Fitness Week, said Blandford’s dilemma is common. “One of the hardest things for the average working person to do is to consistently put themselves first,” she said. “But the reality is, reducing your contributions or dipping into your savings – even for your kid’s sake – will make it hard to meet your retirement goals.” To help plan, Blandford scheduled a meeting with a Fidelity representative who works with Duke employees at no charge. “He assured me I was doing the right thing in making sure my wife and I are on track for retirement before saving for college,” Blandford said.
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EVALUATE ANNUALLY In 2009, Cassandra Taylor, the financial guidance counselor at the Duke Credit Union, grimaced after opening her quarterly investment statements with columns of negative If we get a numbers. “I saw raise this all those losses year, the first thing I’ll and wondered if I should pull out do is check the payroll of the market,” calculator on the HR she said. website and see if I Taylor can afford to increase remained in the market, and the my contribution to experience taught 5 percent or maybe higher.” her about — Cassandra Taylor tolerance for risk. Financial guidance counselor, Duke Credit Union “I can still be fairly aggressive in the market because I know I have plenty of years before retirement to make up any losses,” said Taylor, 43. Most financial advisors suggest investing more conservatively as individuals get older. This requires regularly monitoring your mix of investments to ensure it still reflects the amount of risk one is willing to tolerate, said Sylvester Hackney, associate director of Benefits at Duke. “People shouldn’t wait until there is a market crisis to evaluate their plans,” Hackney said. “If they are afraid of the market, they might consider changing their investment strategy to something less risky but not reduce their savings rates. Saving something is always better than saving nothing.”
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KNOW YOUR RETIREMENT NEEDS Stephen Harper, has been investing his savings since his great aunt gave him 15 shares of stock in American Home Products when he turned 12. “I learned to read the investment pages To really before I could plan for legally drive,” said Harper, 68, retirement, you’ve business manager got to know your for the Center for lifestyle, what feeds Cognitive your soul. Then you Neuroscience. have to figure out the But now he spends as much best way to afford it.” time thinking — Stephen Harper about future Business manager, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience expenses as he does investing. “To really plan for retirement, you’ve got to know your lifestyle, what feeds your soul,” he said. “Then you have to figure out the best way to afford it.” Lynn Ball, the benefits specialist, said getting a clear picture of retirement costs is important for people within 10 to 15 years of retirement. “I advise people to take a good hard look at reality – no covering up the eyes like at a scary movie,” she said. Harper isn’t in a hurry to retire, but he and his wife spend some evenings discussing retirement costs such as health insurance and home maintenance. They’ve also laid the groundwork for continuing activities they enjoy in retirement. “We have a lifetime National Park membership we expect to use a lot,” Harper said.
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IT’S NEVER TOO LATE Betty Jones dipped into her personal retirement savings during two
bouts of unemployment before she joined Duke eight years ago. Now she is concerned about having enough money to I wish I had maintain her saved more standard of living when she retires. when I was younger… “When I I figure it is never too went to a late to start saving retirement seminar last more.” spring, it was a — Betty Jones real eye-opener to Staff specialist, Alumni Affairs realize how far I was from where I need to be when it comes to savings,” said Jones, 54, a staff specialist in Alumni Affairs. Jones devised a plan for the next decade to position herself for a more comfortable retirement. She found a seasonal part-time job, increased her contribution to the Duke Savings for Retirement Plan 403(b) account and vowed to meet regularly with a financial representative. “I wish I had saved more when I was younger,” she said. “But I’m putting as much back as I can into retirement now. I figure it is never too late to start saving more.”
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— By Marsha A. Green Senior Writer, Office of Communication Services
Retirement 101 • Examine your Personal Benefits Statement. Learn how much retirement income you can expect from Duke’s retirement plans. • Review your contributions. Review your retirement account balances and make changes to your contribution rate. • Set up a retirement consultation. Meet with one of Duke’s five retirement vendors. • Attend a free seminar. Register for a retirement planning seminar with the Duke Credit Union [dukefcu.org] or learn about investment options at a Duke Human Resources seminar. Visit hr.duke.edu/retirement for more information.
Visit hr.duke.edu/retirement for more information
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Savings in the Stacks $75,000 Consolidated commercial binding and changed workflow
$23,000 Reduced public computing since most students have laptops
$40,000 Reduced staff and free public printing
$31,000 Shifted more non-Librarian recruiting functions to Duke HR
$25,000 Jointly funding position with UNC Libraries
Recession spurs library to reinvent itself A s the number of staff across Duke’s libraries shrank by 30 positions during the economic downturn, Duke University Libraries seized an opportunity to deliver new and more efficient services in an increasingly digital age. Deborah Jakubs, university librarian and vice provost for library affairs, said that vacancies created by Duke’s voluntary early retirement incentive offered the “freedom to reassess and combine positions or responsibilities into new positions” to support the growing demand for digital services and expanded partnerships. “President Richard Brodhead once noted that the Libraries are charged not only with preserving the legacy of the past, but also for reaching as far as possible into the future to anticipate what will be needed,” Jakubs said. “The spectrum of our responsibilities is growing broader.” From customer service to digital acquisitions, statistics illustrate the transformation of Duke University Libraries during the past several years. For example, walking up to the Perkins reference desk for assistance has given way to e-mail, instant messaging, and text messaging. For the first time,
virtual requests for assistance in Perkins last year (13,946) exceeded the number of inperson requests (12,921). And the number of questions received through instant messaging has grown from 299 when it was introduced seven years ago Duke University Libraries was among the first in the country to to 8,400 last year. circulate e-readers. Acquisitions also reflect the growing trend toward digital access. binding and staff time and resources to Of about 80,000 journals purchased by catalogue them. “By moving to shelf-ready books, the library, fewer are now acquired in we can shift staff from cataloging to print. For instance, 79 percent of all creating metadata for our growing public policy journals received last year digital collections,” Jakubs said. are electronic, compared to 8 percent Despite the transformation, the four years ago. physical space of a library still plays an “Our goal is to make it easier for important role at Duke, and services people to access the information and are expanding, Jakubs said. data they need,” Jakubs said. “We’ve “More students are coming to the created services that some may not library and staying longer,” she said. even be aware they can get. For “We are adapting services to provide example, through the Library Service support for student and faculty Center, we scan on demand and e-mail research, such as assistance with data print journal articles so faculty and and GIS tools and resources. Our students don’t need to physically primary resources and special come and find them.” collections continue to draw classes, Duke University Libraries also students, and visiting scholars.” have more than 300,000 e-books available and have been ordering more — By Paul S. Grantham “shelf-ready” books, which go quickly Assistant vice president, Office of to the stacks, reducing costs for Communication Services
Duke staffer finds way to save $100,000 in power costs W
“Our researchers need a combination hether they’re analyzing stock market of raw compute power and high memory volatility or exploring the human capacity to run increasingly large and genome, researchers across Duke turn complex workloads,” Pormann said. “With to John Pormann to help them access highbetter processing performance, they can performance computing resources to crunch tackle more complex problems or run more massive datasets. analyses in less time than before.” Pormann, director of Duke’s Scalable For instance, researchers can see greater Computing Center, is using new energydetail in engineering simulations, include efficient hardware to expand Duke’s more data in bioinformatics calculations and computing power, while controlling energy study the interactions of more cells in each consumption and cutting costs. The changes computational biology simulation, he said. could result in $100,000 in savings per year They also can do more for less. and avoid the need for expensive renovations “Researchers use grant money to to Duke’s data center. fund purchases, and it’s our job to select Pormann manages the Duke Shared hardware that will deliver the greatest Cluster Resource (DSCR), which helps performance for their investment,” John Pormann, director of Duke’s Scalable Computing Center, is using new researchers across a range of fields, from energy-efficient hardware to save in power costs. Pormann said. “In some cases, each new chemistry, physics and engineering to server enables researchers to do the work of biology, sociology and economics. eight or more previous-generation servers. They are getting much greater Growing demand has put increased pressure on the computing performance for their money.” cluster, housed in a 1950s-era building on West Campus. The next step is to automate the process of powering off unused servers. “The building was definitely not designed to serve as a data center,” “An idle machine still uses more than 100 watts,” Pormann said. “Our Pormann said. “With more than 700 servers in operation, we were systems should be capable of powering machines down automatically so nearing the limits of power and cooling. We’d like to stay where we are, someone doesn’t have to push buttons 24/7. The cluster runs at an average but it’s imperative as we expand our computing power that we keep our utilization of 70 percent, so powering off the unused machines could save power and cooling resources constant.” another $20,000 per year.” With state-of-the-art servers and processors, Pormann found a way to expand the cluster by providing better processing performance and — By Cara Bonnett Managing Editor, News & Information larger memory capacity to save about $100,000 a year in power costs. Office of Information Technology
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Sustainable uke YO U R
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F O R
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Duke Campus Farm grows relationships Students, faculty and staff work together to maintain the Duke Campus Farm, which will grow a variety of produce to be sold to Duke’s food vendor, Bon Appetit. The food will then be used in Duke eateries.
Don’t Miss!
both locations. Duke’s food vendor, Bon Appétit, will buy hat was once an empty acre of grass-covered earth all produce from the farm. has been dug, tilled, planted and now resembles “If we can help create a way for people at Duke to something else – farmland. learn how to farm, there’s no greater reward than that,” said A former undergraduate class project has bloomed Nate Peterson, director of operations for Bon Appétit. “Not into a sustainable learning opportunity for Duke students, only are we able to purchase local food from a Duke-owned faculty and staff: the first Duke Campus Farm. The goal is farm, but then that food is being bought by Duke consumers to create a full-scale educational farming facility that grows and that money is going back into Duke. It doesn’t get and sells produce that ends up on plates of students and more local than that.” employees at campus eateries without heavy use of Ben Riseling, web pesticides or fertilizers. operations manager for “Our goal for this first Duke’s Office of News year is simply to use our & Communications, one acre as best we can to participated in the first grow local vegetables,” said farm work day in Emily Sloss, a 2010 Duke November. Having grown graduate who’s working up on farms in upstate part-time as the farm’s New York and Kentucky, project manager. Riseling didn’t hesitate to “Everything we grow will volunteer after reading get into Duke dining halls about the work day in as a fresh, local alternative Sustainable Duke’s weekly to what people are newsletter. otherwise eating.” “I thought it was an Student and employee Ben Riseling, left, a web operations manager at Duke, hauls dirt as part of the inaugural Duke Campus Farm work day. absolutely appropriate volunteers return to the definition of what Duke’s farm this month to plant sustainability commitment means,” Riseling said. new crops and harvest others, like kale, chard, radishes and “The fact that there’s a local place where students and beets. In addition to growing and selling produce locally, employees can grow their own food that will be served the farm builds community around students, faculty and on campus is huge.” staff. Any member of the Duke community can volunteer If the Duke Campus Farm meets certain goals – like with the farm. logging at least 500 total work hours with volunteers – the “As a student, I never interacted with employees farm could expand beyond one acre. Up to nine more outside of their jobs, so it’s great to be out there doing this acres are available at the farm site. together,” Sloss said. “Our hope is to see it grow into a great educational The idea for a campus farm arose from a class taught opportunity for students, faculty and staff,” Sloss said. “A by Nicholas School of the Environment’s visiting assistant year ago, this wasn’t considered a possibility and now we’re professor Charlotte Clark. To fund the initial work on the planting vegetables into the ground.” farm, Sloss secured grants, including one through the Office of the Executive Vice President. — By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Once produce is harvested, it will go straight from the Communication Services Duke Campus Farm to the East Campus Marketplace and West Campus Great Hall to be used in dishes served at
Become a sustainability leader in your workplace with "Leading for Environmental Sustainability," a workshop offered through Sustainable Duke.
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Learn more about the Duke Campus Farm and volunteering at
sites.google.com/site/dukecampusfarm
The free training covers: • Sustainability efforts at Duke • Personal changes to reduce environmental footprints at work • Starting and leading a "green team" • Performing an environmental audit of a workplace The workshop is 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. April 28. For more information or to register, visit
hr.duke.edu/ sustainabletraining
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WORKING@ DUKE
dialogue@Duke
HOW TO REACH US Editor: Leanora Minai (919) 681-4533
“What are you doing to save for retirement?”
leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534
“
I have a Fidelity retirement fund through Duke, and I save toward that quite aggressively. My wife and I also try to focus on cost savings for everyday things to pay off debt faster. We clip coupons, and we save at stores when we go shopping so then we can put more money into our savings or retirement accounts.”
paul.grantham@duke.edu Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado
Bernard Smith Assistant director of residence halls operations, Residence Life and Housing Services 3 years at Duke
Photography: Bryan Roth and Marsha Green of the Office of Communication Services and Duke University Photography.
“
My husband just retired from a federal government job, but his retirement plan is very different from what I have, so I’m still trying to save. What I’ve been doing each year is add one more percent of my salary into my fund until I reach a maximum. I just want to save up enough to be able to pay my bills and enjoy myself.”
Working@Duke is published monthly by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and suggestions for future story topics.
Theresa Shouse Business manager, Department of Sociology 30 years at Duke
Please write us at
Got a story idea? Write
working@duke.edu or
working@duke.edu
Working@Duke, Box 90496,
“
705 Broad St., Durham, NC 27708
I’ve got a 403(b) set up that I contribute to through two different retirement companies. I put in 15 percent of my pay right now. I’ve also got money in CDs, money markets and an IRA. When I leave Duke, I want to be able to leave and do what I want to do. I’m making sure of that.”
Call us at (919) 684-4345. Send faxes to (919) 681-7926.
or Call
681-4533
Charity Tuten Benefits specialist, Human Resources 6 years at Duke
— By Bryan Roth Writer, Office of Communication Services
PERQS
Upcoming Classes at the Piedmont Wildlife Center
E M P LOY E E D I S CO U N TS
Learn about wildlife, survival at Piedmont Wildlife Center
April 24 Primitive Cooking May 8 Ways of the Herbs May 22 Wild Edible Plant Walk May 28 Language of the Birds
For a schedule of Piedmont Wildlife Center classes, visit piedmontwildlifecenter. wordpress.com
View the full list of PERQS discounts at
hr.duke.edu/discounts
Join the Facebook fan page for Working@Duke at facebook.com/workingatduke
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”
ook, it’s smoking!” exclaimed Barbara Due as she pulled a handmade bow drill back and forth to twirl a wooden spindle and start a fire through friction. She leaned closer to investigate. “The spindle is smoking at the wrong end,” she told her husband, Steve, and laughed. “I think we need to try again.” Due, business manager for the Center for Human Genetics, and her husband learned the art of making fire without a match at a two-hour class offered at the Piedmont Wildlife Center in February. The not-for-profit organization, situated between Durham and Chapel Hill, fosters healthy connections among people, wildlife and nature through camps and classes for children and adults. Through PERQS, Duke’s employee discount program, faculty and staff pay $10 per adult class (normally $15) and may bring additional guests for $5 (normally $10). The wildlife center’s Weekend Nature Program for adults offers two-hour classes on natural history and outdoor survival skills
D U K E T O D AY
such as primitive cooking and plant identification. The Dues have used the PERQS discount at the center nearly every week during the fall and winter for classes about animal tracking, edible wild plants and wildflowers. “Steve and I love to be out in nature, and these classes have been really helpful in getting us to see things that we’ve never noticed before and teaching us new skills,” Barbara said. Although the Dues didn’t succeed in starting a fire during the workshop, they took their newly created bow drill home and tried again the following evening at home. “We got the right end to smoke at home, but since we didn’t have a tinder bundle made we stopped there,” she said. “We plan to collect materials for a tinder bundle from the woods sometime soon and do the whole thing for real.” Over the past year, the Dues have gotten to know fellow Duke employee Ingrid Lalik, a web administrator for
Steve and Barbara Due learn the art of making fire without a match.
the Duke Clinical Research Institute, at the classes. When Lalik discovered the PERQS discount at Piedmont Wildlife Center last fall, she was so excited she called the center’s office and signed up for every weekend class offered. “I love being outdoors, and it is a real confidence booster to learn basic life skills that people don’t normally learn in today’s environment,” Lalik said. “Now, when I walk the track around East Campus, I’ll see something like a decimated pine cone and realize I am looking at the leftovers of a squirrel’s meal.” — By Marsha A. Green Senior Writer, Office of Communication Services
For daily news and information, visit duke.edu/today