Duke supports the recognition of retiring staff members who have invested a significant portion of their careers here. The following guidelines are offered to assist departments in planning appropriately for such recognition.

Recognition of a staff member's career service upon retirement is generally ceremonially marked with the staff member's immediate work group. Multiple staff retiring from the unit near the same date might be recognized at a single event.

Eligibility

• Eligibility for retirement parties is generally limited to (a) staff who are at least 45 years of age and have worked at Duke for a minimum of 15 years, or (b) staff who are at least 62 years of age and have worked at Duke for a minimum of 5 years.

Awards/Gifts

• All gifts/awards must be approved, in advance of purchase by a Dean, Director or Department Head in accordance with university accounting and procurement procedures.
• Gifts or awards for retirements are not taxable to the recipient if the value is less than $400. (See related documents for Employee Recognition and General Accounting Procedures.) A retiring staff member cannot receive cash in lieu of a party or gift.
• As a general rule, all expenses for the retirement party and any gifts purchased using department funds should be about $10 multiplied by the number of years the staff member has worked at Duke. The expenses for the retirement party and any gifts should not exceed $20 multiplied by the number of years.
• For staff members who retire with less than 15 years of service or depart from Duke to pursue other opportunities, a farewell party may be held upon the discretion of the departmental director. In such cases, total expenses should not exceed $300.
• Reasonable expenses associated with retirement parties can be charged to departmental funds, but should not be charged to sponsored funds.