Count Your Savings
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Q&A with Paula McClain
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How to Pick Life Insurance
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WORKING@DUKE NEWS YOU CAN USE APRIL/MAY 2016
Editor’s Note LEANORA MINAI
Chocolate soufflé, anyone?
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uke’s burgeoning food scene is making me hungry. A wood-fired oven in the renovated Marketplace churns out pizzas. A new pub in the West Union pours local beer. And when the rest of West Union reopens this fall, 13 eateries will serve Southern to Asian cuisine. Perhaps the most cutting-edge addition for foodies (like me) is a new Chef’s Kitchen in the West Union. The space will feature 16 induction cooktop work stations and eight ovens with perimeter seating for 50. Closed-circuit television will broadcast culinary action through the building. “We’re going to do everything from chef demos to cooking classes where students, faculty and staff can learn cooking techniques,” said Rick Johnson, associate vice president of student affairs for Housing, Dining and Residence Life. When cooking classes are not in session, the kitchen will serve as a pop-up restaurant, and departments can rent the space for team-building. To kick off the kitchen opening this fall, a nationally known chef and local chefs will provide demos. Classes in technique, skills and cuisine will be available to students and employees. “We’re going to look for things that people enjoy eating and want to make at home,” Johnson said. Johnson envisions a class that includes chocolate soufflé, a dessert cooks may want to prepare but feel intimidated. “We would take that fear away in the cooking class, and you get to eat chocolate soufflé at the end of class,” he said. I understand panic can set in when cooking a dish for the first time. Last winter for a holiday party, I grilled my first whole beef tenderloin. I stood at the grill, rotating the 4-pound tenderloin every minute with a meat thermometer nearby. I was nervous about the method and timing, but I am thankful for friends who cleared their plates. If you like food, don’t miss our cover story on page 4, “Duke’s Foodie Culture.” See you in Duke’s kitchen!
Contents Cover: Duke’s Foodie Culture
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From new West Union eateries and upgrades at the East Campus Marketplace to farm-fresh produce at the campus farmers market, the culture of food at Duke is changing to satiate curious appetites.
Counting the Ways to Save
With Financial Fitness Week coming up in May, Duke employees share steps they’re taking to ensure they’ll lead a financially comfortable life in retirement, and retirement experts weigh in.
Q&A with Paula McClain
As The Graduate School celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, Dean Paula McClain reflects on how the school is an integral part of the academic and cultural framework at Duke.
11 Biking to work is a hot trend 12 Building Duke Softball’s new home on East Campus 13 Do you have the right life insurance? 14 Save on a car purchase with employee discounts Cover photo: Duke Dining employee Valacey Bey serves up a pizza, freshly made in a wood-fired oven in the Marketplace on East Campus.
Me getting ready to slice the whole beef tenderloin.
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2014 Gold, 2013 Silver, 2009, 2007 Bronze, Print Internal Audience Publications and 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing
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Briefly
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Grab fresh produce at Duke Farmers Market
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Celebrate Duke Appreciation with free movie
Employees and their families are invited to a free movie, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” May 20 on the East Campus Lawn as part of Duke Appreciation. Duke will celebrate its 36,000 staff and faculty by offering free events and special discounts throughout May, and employees marking career milestones of 10, 15, 20, and 25 years or more of service will be recognized during an invitation-only event. “The fact that Duke has a globally recognized, stellar reputation is because the university and health system reflect the hard work and talents of our staff and faculty,” said Denise Evans, assistant vice president for Staff and Family Programs and Staff and Labor Relations. “Duke Appreciation is a way for us to recognize everyone for their positive efforts and say ‘thank you.’” For more information about the movie and other activities, please visit hr.duke.edu/appreciation.
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Duke names campus quad after Julian Abele
To recognize the contributions of Julian Abele, the African-American architect of Duke University’s original campus, the university has named the main quadrangle encompassing the original academic and residential buildings Abele Quad. Abele, who in the 1920s was the chief designer of the Philadelphia architectural firm of Horace Trumbauer, played a central role in the creation of Duke’s East and West campuses and continued to contribute to the design of the growing campus until the 1950s. In addition to the designation Abele Quad, a plaque explaining the architect’s role in Duke and American history will be placed in Duke Chapel, the most celebrated of his designs. His name and Julian Abele Trumbauer’s will be added to the cornerstone of the Chapel. “Julian Abele brought the idea of Duke University to life,” said President Richard H. Brodhead. “It is an astonishing fact that, in the deepest days of racial segregation, a black architect designed the beauty of this campus. Now, everyone who lives, works, studies and visits the heart of Duke’s campus will be reminded of Abele’s role in its creation.” For more information, visit spotlight.duke.edu/abele.
The Duke Farmers Market returns April 29 with about a dozen farmers and vendors offering locally sourced fruits, vegetables, breads and more. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday through Sept. 30, the market will set up on the green space between the Bryan Research and Nanaline H. Duke buildings on West Campus. LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program that sponsors the event, will hold weekly raffles and offer handouts at each market that highlight a different North Carolina-grown item with recipe ideas. Lunch options are also available at the market, including vegan and glutenfree choices. Cassandra Callas, health education specialist with LIVE FOR LIFE, said the most popular aspect of the Duke Farmers Market is that it makes shopping for healthy foods easy. “The location is convenient so faculty and staff can engage in sustainable food and meet local farmers without traveling far from their offices,” Callas said. “It’s a quick stop during a lunch break to find inspiration for healthy and delicious food.” Visit hr.duke.edu/farmersmarket.
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File reimbursement receipts by April 15
Faculty and staff have until April 15 to file Health Care and Dependent Care reimbursement account receipts for expenses incurred in 2015. Submitted receipts can only be for services provided Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2015 to receive reimbursement. Employees can upload receipts by logging into their personal online account with WageWorks, which administers Duke’s reimbursement accounts. Employees can also use the free EZ Receipts mobile app to take pictures of receipts and submit reimbursement claims to WageWorks. After April 15, any unused funds up to $500 from an employee’s 2015 Health Care Reimbursement Account will carry over into his or her 2016 Health Care Reimbursement Account. Visit hr.duke.edu/reimbursement for more information.
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Learn how to save during Financial Fitness Week Duke Financial Fitness Week is May 23 to 26, when employees are encouraged to attend free financial planning sessions to learn about Duke’s retirement plans, preparing a budget, handling investments and more. On May 23, Duke will officially kick off Financial Fitness Week with “Cyber Monday,” a series of online webinars. The weeklong lineup includes retirement workshops aimed at employees in varying age generations, to include workshops specifically for millennials, mid-career employees, employees nearing retirement and women.
Duke’s investment carriers, Fidelity, TIAA-CREF, VALIC and Vanguard, will also be available at a Searle Center information fair on May 24 to answer questions and schedule one-on-one appointments. “During Financial Fitness Week, we will offer workshops and webinars that cover all generations of savers,” said Percy Hill III, a Duke Benefits financial analyst. “There will be events for all employees regardless of where they are in their career at Duke, from those just getting started to those about to retire.” Beginning in April, register for free Duke retirement workshops and webinars at hr.duke.edu/financialfitness.
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Unique culinary experiences satiate curious appetites
Staff at the newly renovated Marketplace on East Campus prepare lunch dishes of pasta and fresh vegetables.
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picy aromas of chicken jambalaya and Indian curry filled the Bryan Center on a recent afternoon, as students and employees like Jim Hodges anxiously waited for samples of eclectic fare. The line winded through a nook next to the Louise Jones Brown Gallery, where environmentally-friendly plates with dollops of jalapeno hummus paired with pita, curry cauliflower and broccoli with golden raisins, and cups of vegetable soup made the rounds. The variety of locally sourced, vegetarian and vegan foods served during the tasting event will soon fill dishes at the West Union, which will include 13 new eateries when it reopens June 1 after an almost three-year renovation. “A lot of times when you think of food on a campus, you think of fast food, but Duke Dining is really making it easy to find healthy choices with something that’s fresh and wholesome,” said Hodges, associate director of Conference & Event Services, who sampled hummus and roasted vegetables at the tasting event. From new West Union eateries and upgrades at the East Campus Marketplace to farm-fresh produce at the campus farmers market, the culture of food at Duke is changing. Even before renovated facilities opened, The Daily Meal, a popular online source for food news and trends, ranked Duke fifth
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last year among “Best Colleges for Food in America.” Like colleges across the country, students and employees at Duke are looking for unique culinary experiences and ways to satiate their curious appetites at a time when roughly half of Americans consider themselves “foodies.” “Foodie culture is everywhere, but especially on college campuses, where students are more informed than ever in terms of thinking about where their food comes from,” said Dan Myers, senior eat/dine editor for The Daily Meal who picked Duke as No. 5 on his list of “75 Best Colleges for Food in America.” Myers noted that Duke performed well on his list not only because of its quality of food, but because the university is part of a broader trend of colleges shifting toward greater variety, which includes more ethnic foods and catering to different dietary options, like vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. “Duke Dining aspires to be one of the top university dining programs in the nation,” said Rick Johnson, associate vice president of student affairs for Housing, Dining and Residence Life. “That means providing spaces that support community, great food and excellent customer service for an authentic experience in all sorts of ways.”
Jody McLeod, Duke Dining’s executive chef, prepares a recipe of shrimp to use for personal taste testing to assess for the Marketplace menu.
focus on food, right down to a sustainable green wall of herbs inside the dining space of the building. Rosemary and basil, among other plants, occasionally find their way into dishes prepared in the dining hall. An array of international dishes is in the works for the Marketplace – all part of a national trend that has some colleges expanding food options with exotic offerings. “Vietnamese or Turkish – I want to be adventurous and inclusive because that’s the nature of food now,” McLeod said. “Our customers may not be able to go out to eat in Durham all the time, so I want them to have that great experience here on campus.” The new Marketplace also boasts more seating – a mezzanine level with floor to ceiling windows provides plenty of natural light – and a variety of exhibition-style cooking platforms welcome diners with dumplings, rotisserie chicken and artisan pizzas from wood-fired ovens. The Marketplace’s leafy options are a favorite for Helen Gordon, unless she gets distracted by other choices, like a stir-fry bar or freshly cut meat.
Lobster at Thanksgiving Among those working on food offerings at Duke is Jody McLeod, Duke Dining’s executive chef who once served in that same role for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. McLeod, who started at Duke in November 2015, hopes to teach students and employees tips and tricks he’s working on for himself: how to eat healthier. Over this past winter, McLeod put a personal touch on 800 recipes, ranging from merlot gravy and blue cheese butter sauces to vegetarian dishes like teriyaki chickpea loaded eggplant. Where he could, he made small changes to enhance nutritional value. To mimic flavor of a high-fat cheese, for example, he used lemon juice, nutmeg and aged cheese to reduce sodium content, reduce fat and avoid processed foods. The creations are for the East Campus Marketplace, which recently reopened after its first renovation in 20 years with a greater Lead Duke Dining food service worker Wallace Burrows greets students after they arrive for lunch in the Marketplace on East Campus.
During renovations to the Marketplace, a new mezzanine level was added to the main dining area.
“I’ll often walk over thinking I want a salad, but I get there and they may have roast beef and I change my mind,” said Gordon, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. “The staff is so friendly and helpful, too. It’s not like any dining experience I’ve had on any other college campus.” Gordon, a faculty-in-residence in East Campus’ Randolph Residence Hall, eats at the Marketplace three times a week. Originally, she planned her trips as a way to have more interaction with students but was wowed by the food the more she ate there. She was especially surprised at one option when she dined before Thanksgiving break. “I never would have expected that at a Thanksgiving meal they would be serving lobster,” she said. >> continued on page 6
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An artist rendering shows the proposed look for the “Chef’s Kitchen” in the newly renovated West Union. The space will act as a culinary education centerpiece for Duke community members.
A culinary show space
An artist rendering highlights one of the 13 eateries that will be available in the renovated West Union.
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On West Campus, a renovation project on the 112,000-square foot West Union will match with McLeod’s efforts to create an innovative and cuttingedge campus dining space. West Union will feature a culinary show space known as the “Chef ’s Kitchen,” where students, faculty and staff will be able to get hands-on food education during weekly events. Equipped with 16 cooking stations, Duke community members can join chefs from Duke Dining and local eateries, who will walk through the creation of dishes. The space will also be used for academic classes. “It’ll almost look like a TV studio with mirrors, speakers, cameras and screens to mimic the kind of experience you’d see on any professional cooking show,” said Robert Coffey, director of Duke Dining. When the West Union is complete in June, it will also feature an openatrium with 13 restaurants serving food from paella and Indian cuisine to vegan-friendly dishes. A new fine dining room, The Commons, has rooftop seating and scenic views of campus and its surrounding forest. The Commons kitchen will prepare USDA choice ribeye steaks on a 800-degree charbroiler. The changes come from discussions with student government representatives and groups such as the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee, which worked closely with Coffey and other Duke Dining staff to determine the needs of diners on campus.
A top college farmers market Campus foodies are thriving outside, too. Since 2000, the Duke Farmers Market has stood as one of the first progressive food opportunities on campus and has been named among the country’s best college farmers markets. “We know more employees are focusing on their well-being, so it’s important to provide a way to find good, fresh food steps from where we all work,” said Cassandra Callas, health education specialist with LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program that organizes the market. “Shoppers can enjoy seasonally grown food while supporting our local community, too.” Duke has worked to expand its reach with local farmers through the weekly market, which opens April 29. Farmers come to campus each Friday from nearby towns like Hillsborough, Rougemont and right in Durham to offer fruits, vegetables, breads and more. The Duke Campus Farm, located seven miles from campus, also offers carrots, leafy greens and beets for sale at the market.
Durham restaurant Geer Street Garden is overseeing Devil’s Krafthouse in West Union, which serves food and local beer.
“We started putting together focus groups with a diverse group of students and employees to drive conversations about bringing truly authentic cuisine to campus,” Coffey said. “Food is such a passionate subject, and we wanted to find options that would excite people.” Among the new eateries at West Union is Devil’s Krafthouse, which is operated by the owner of Durham’s Geer Street Garden and The Boot. It opened in February as the first new eatery in the renovated West Union. Doubling as restaurant and bar, Duke community members can select locally-produced beers, enjoy pub food and watch sporting events on big-screen TVs. Damion Moore, co-owner of Dame’s Chicken & Waffles in downtown Durham, noted that changes in food culture at Duke can be seen as part of larger cultural impacts throughout the city. In recent years, Durham has been recognized for its food scene by the New York Times, Zagat, Bon Appetit and was named the South’s “Tastiest Town” by Southern Living magazine. “The change in Duke’s food is a reflection of Durham itself,” said Moore, who opened a satellite restaurant on Central Campus last fall. “Durham has become a place where restaurateurs are encouraged to try new things, and what keeps us relevant and on the cutting edge will help entrepreneurs thrive at Duke, too.”
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Get hungry at dining.duke.edu
Shoppers peruse fresh corn and other produce at the Duke Farmers Market, which runs each spring and summer on West Campus.
“It’s a good feeling when you can step outside from your daily routine and be able to talk to farmers as they’re bringing in their own products,” said Brian Livingstone, a neurodiagnostic information systems technologist in the Health System and regular Duke Farmers Market shopper. “It’s a place where you find the kind of raw ingredients you’d want to take home to your own kitchen.” Piece by piece, Duke is creating a list full of unique foods and learning opportunities that satisfy its community’s hunger for ways to think about, create and enjoy food. “The market is one of the personalized experiences we have that makes Duke stand out,” Livingstone said. “It shows there is a lot of desire in food and what it means.” n By Bryan Roth
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Counting the Ways to Employees share how financial decisions today can impact retirement years
Reduce expenses. Eliminate one latte per week and save $130 a year, according to VALIC, a Duke investment carrier.
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he good news: 68 percent of U.S. millennials are saving or investing for retirement. The bad news: their retirement savings strategies are not well formed. On the other end of the age demographic, 60 percent of retirees stopped working sooner than planned and are living longer, bringing opportunities for active living. However, relatively few retirees and workers age 50 and over feel they have enough money to last through a longer retirement. “Because of the impact of money compounding over time, starting early gives you your best chance at meeting retirement-saving goals,” said Sylvester Hackney, associate director for Duke Benefits. “It’s also important to make sure you have a diverse investment portfolio, increase your contribution each year and periodically meet with one of the investment advisers to review whether you’re on track.” With Financial Fitness Week coming up in May, Duke employees share steps they’re taking to ensure they’ll lead a financially comfortable life in retirement, and retirement experts weigh in.
“It’s wise for anybody starting out, as soon as they can afford it, to start putting money away, and it doesn’t matter if it’s $10 a month or $50 a month, whatever you can afford. As you get to making more money, try to go up and save a little more. The way I look at it is every little bit’s going to help you. Don’t think you’ve got the rest of your life, you’ve got 40 years before you retire, because it will fly by.” Todd Wood, 51 • Operating Room resource materials supervisor, Duke Regional Hospital • 23 years at Duke
Housing 25-35% Charitable gifts 10-15% Transportation 10-15% Food 5-15% Savings 5-10% Utilities 5-10% Medical/Health 5-10% Personal 5-10% Recreation 5-10% Debt 5-10% Clothing 2-7% Jacquelyn Tubbs, left, meets with Salm Evans, a retirement planning consultant with Vanguard. “I came in with a notepad and pencil and thought, ‘Let’s just get serious. Get the advice and then you can make better-informed decisions.’ When I left that meeting, I kept thinking to myself, I could have done this three years ago. I really started thinking about how much money I would have gained if I got this information three years ago. It definitely made me much more comfortable about seeking more advice.” Jacquelyn Tubbs, 35 • Staff veterinarian, Division of Laboratory Animal Resources • 4 years at Duke
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Create a Solid Budget.These are recommended percentages of a monthly budget based on take-home (net) income, provided by Duke investment carrier TIAA-CREF and financial author Dave Ramsey. TIAACREF recommends that at least 20 percent of an employee’s monthly take-home income should go toward savings and paying down debt. This includes saving for retirement.
The average U.S. household with debt carries $15,762 in credit card debt and $130,922 in total debt. Charge only what you can afford to pay off on a monthly basis; limit the number of cards you get, and negotiate terms and rates.
o Save for Retirement Enroll in a retirement account and set up a free information session with one of Duke’s investment carriers, Fidelity, TIAA-CREF, VALIC or Vanguard, at bit.ly/ dukeretirementvendors
Cackie Joyner meets with her daughter, Mimi, who is a registered nurse at Duke Hospital. “I’m real impressed because my daughter just started as a nurse three years ago at Duke. The first thing she did was put money aside in the 403(b) plan at Duke. I’m like, ‘good for you. You should put your retirement first, because I didn’t start saving until I was 40.’ I’m really proud of her.” Cackie Joyner, 66 • Education and training coordinator, Occupational & Environmental Safety Office • 26 years at Duke
Antonio Luster with his wife, Mica, who is a patient account associate at Duke. “My wife is also a Duke employee. If we hang in there together, we both should be OK in retirement. In addition to the gardenvariety household budget discussions, a retirement conversation is sparked whenever our financial statements come in the mail. We probably have an in-depth discussion about retirement at least once a quarter or more, just to kind of think about the next 10 years or 20 years. We both love to picture the day when we will be able to walk off into the sunset and enjoy retirement.” Antonio Luster, 40 • Bus driver, Duke Parking & Transportation • 7 years at Duke “Right now, my wife and I are trying to be really aggressive in paying off debts. I think credit cards are just an easy snare. They’re a good fallback if you don’t have a savings built up, but be really disciplined on what purchases you can place on it and then try to pay it off as quickly as possible. My wife has been asking me to get a Fitbit with her. So we started pricing it out, but what I really need to do is take that $100 and apply it toward credit card debt. That’s not what my gut wants to do, but five years from now, if I’m still in that debt, I’m going to still be angry at myself.” Jeremy Elmore, 28 • Assistant manager for Conference and Event Services, University Center Activities & Events • 3 years at Duke
Make saving for an emergency fund a monthly priority. Set aside three to six months of living expenses to create an ideal emergency fund, says investment carrier Fidelity.
Financial Fitness Week
Learn retirement-saving skills such as crafting a budget, decreasing debt and forming investment strategies. Duke Human Resources is hosting webinars and in-person workshops during Financial Fitness Week May 23-26. Visit hr.duke. edu/financialfitness for more information.
Information from NerdWallet, the Insured Retirement Institute, The Center for Generational Kinetics, and the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies was used in this report. By April Dudash
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Paula D. McClain
dean of The Graduate School, vice provost for graduate education, and professor of political science and public policy Duke is home to about 3,200 Ph.D. and research master’s degree students, who take classes and conduct research in more than 70 Duke departments and programs, ranging from history to neurobiology. As graduate student enrollment continues to grow, Dean Paula McClain and her team work to keep the students’ experience intimate. The Graduate School’s responsibilities include overseeing admissions, financial aid and academic issues, as well as approving faculty members to teach on the graduate level, reviewing proposals for new degree programs, and providing professional development opportunities and student support resources. As the school celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, McClain reflects on how The Graduate School continues to be an integral part of the academic and cultural framework at Duke. How has The Graduate School changed in its 90 years? Duke President Few established The Graduate School in 1926. His view was that the undergraduate college would be the heart of the university, but Duke’s reputation in education was going to be made on its Graduate School, and the students it produced and the faculty it’s able to attract. And that’s exactly what’s happened. We talk a lot about undergraduates interacting with faculty on research projects and things like that, but there’s an intermediary level, and that’s the graduate student, whether it’s in a discussion section or a lab. How is the school furthering its commitment to diversity and inclusion? For the past two years, we’ve had diversity workshops where everybody in The Graduate School has participated. The last one we did in the fall was about Muslim students at Duke with the Duke Center for Muslim Life. We also formed a President’s Council for Graduate Student Groups, which will serve as a liaison between students and the administration and will meet with me several times each semester.
What do you bring to these diversity conversations? What I bring are my life experiences as a black female and my commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for our students. At my age and at my level, some of the things I encountered as a young assistant professor are not going to happen to me now on campus, but I do know what it’s like to be a woman of color as an assistant professor. Earlier in my career, before I came to Duke, I faced challenges from students as to whether or not they saw me as competent or whether or not I should actually be there. Diversity and inclusion are important to me, but it shouldn’t just be people of color who lead the effort on diversity and inclusion. This should be a value of the university so lots of people from different backgrounds push it forward. How will the school fit into the new strategic plan for the university? This is the first time graduate and professional students will have a major emphasis since the past two university strategic plans. I’m very pleased. Part of what’s happened is people realize now there are more graduate and professional students on campus than undergraduates, and the reality is Ph.D. students are at Duke a lot longer than undergraduates. It’s not in concrete form yet, but we need to provide opportunities for graduate students similar to what we do for undergraduate students, such as interdisciplinary programs or internships. Interview by April Dudash
Who is Paula McClain? Durham resident since 2000, when she arrived at Duke from the University of Virginia Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (elected in 2014) and president of the Midwest Political Science Association She and husband Paul Jacobson have two daughters and two grandsons
Learn more about The Graduate School at gradschool.duke.edu 10
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Biking to Work a Hot Trend Nearly 1 million Americans travel to work by bike regularly
Lamont Burt rides his bike to work at Duke’s Library Service Center on Anson Street as often as he can.
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long with thousands of others across the country, Lamont Burt is part of one of the biggest trends in commuting. This spring, Burt marks his first anniversary of biking to work, making a six-mile round trip each day from his Durham home on Elizabeth Street to work at Duke’s Library Service Center on Anson Street. While he hasn’t biked every day since he started in March 2015 – he likes temperatures to be above freezing – he embraces the commute as a way to stay healthy and minimize his impact on the environment through non-motorized travel. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Burt is one of more than 900,000 bike commuters in the United States. The most recent numbers show that nearly 905,000 bikers commuted to work regularly in 2014, up 62 percent from 2000. “If you don’t have to drive far, there are all types of ways you can get to work without a car,” said Burt, a library assistant at the service center. “It was great when gas prices were high, but even now it’s just so easy. It’s fun to enjoy the ride and some fresh air.” With National Bike Month in May and Bike to Work Week running May 16 to 20, it’s a great time to be a bike commuter. On campus, the number of registered bike commuters has increased by more than 700 in the past five years to almost 1,100 to start 2016. In recent years, the League of American Bicyclists has recognized Duke and Durham as a Bicycle Friendly University and Community. Last year, Duke received a “Golden Modes” award from GoSmart as “Employer Commute Champion” for providing employees top-tier commuter benefits and facilities.
go online
Learn about bike commuting at parking.duke.edu/bike
“As Durham and other local cities continue to grow, we’ll only see more traffic congestion and more time spent waiting in our cars,” said Alison Carpenter, manager of Duke’s transportation demand management program. “Slowly, we’ve seen greater interest from faculty, staff and students who want a more convenient way to get to and from campus.” Faculty and staff who commute by bike can sign up for the Bicycle Commuter Benefits program, which offers prizes and discounts at local businesses. Registered bike commuters at Duke also receive: • Two free daily parking passes per month for a preferred lot • Access to Triangle Transit’s Emergency Ride Home program • Use of eight shower locations before 9 a.m. n By Bryan Roth
Wear Your Helmet Each year, an average of 20 bicyclists are killed while bicycling in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Even though bike riders 16 and up aren’t required to wear a helmet by law in North Carolina, Louise Goldstein, a clinical care coordinator at Duke HomeCare & Hospice has seen first-hand what happens without one. “I’ve seen people with brain damage, spinal cord injuries and that needed halo neck braces because of bicycle accidents,” said Goldstein, who rides recreationally and always wears a helmet. “If you don’t wear a helmet, you’re begging for trouble.”
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A new softball field will be constructed on East Campus next to the field hockey field for Duke’s 27th – and newest – varsity sports team coached by Marissa Young, at right.
Building Duke Softball’s New Home Stadium construction begins this spring on East Campus
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uke’s softball team is two years away from its first NCAA game, but work begins this spring on dugouts, batting cages and bleachers that will make up the Blue Devils’ ballpark. In May, Duke Facilities Management will oversee the start of construction on a new softball facility for Duke’s 27th and newest - varsity sport. Games in the stadium begin in the spring of 2018 by the northwestern corner of Duke’s property at the Broad Street-West Markham Avenue intersection. The project on East Campus will include a new field and 500 seats for fans, as well as team meeting and study spaces, LED lighting, press boxes, batting cages and offices. The size and scope of the project are influenced by a variety of NCAA requirements for softball stadiums. “It’s going to be a different feel from any other stadiums in the conference,” said
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Marissa Young, the first head softball coach in Duke’s history. “People will be able to roam from neighborhoods, freshmen can walk over, and parking will be easy.” Handling the project is architectural and engineering firm EwingCole, which has been involved in stadiums for the New York Giants and Jets, Philadelphia Phillies and universities like Monmouth, George Mason and Drexel. The field will sit about 50 feet north from the edge of the field hockey field, Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, creating a women’s sports complex. The walking trail that surrounds East Campus will remain intact during and after construction of the new field, and fans can watch games from the grassy hill surrounding the space. Construction will require removal of some trees, but trees removed will be replaced by new plantings. Steve Carrow, project manager for Facilities Management who is overseeing
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the construction, noted that the location was selected because the field fit into other athletic venues on East Campus and offered the proper amount of space to meet all NCAA and city of Durham requirements. “Our goal is for the feel to still be like an open park,” Carrow said. A new entrance will be created in the western portion of the campus stone wall to allow for pedestrian access from the corner of East Campus near Broad Street and West Markham Avenue, providing an easy path to the stadium. “From the start, we’ll be in competition to host the ACC tournament because of the investment in such a spectacular stadium,” Young said. “I’m looking forward to having the Duke community be a part of it all.” n By Bryan Roth
Stay up to date on Duke softball’s happenings at bit.ly/dukesoftball
What Life Insurance Plan is Right for You? How age and life circumstance impact insurance needs
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ife insurance can be a morbid topic to discuss, but it’s an important conversation. Big events, such as getting married or having a child, can prompt how much life insurance an employee buys to ensure loved ones are financially secure in the event of death. As part of its benefits package, Duke automatically offers $10,000 in Basic Life Insurance at no cost to eligible employees, as well as a Survivor Benefit that provides one month’s pay for each complete year of full-time service, up to a maximum of six months, to the eligible employee’s spouse or estate after the employee’s death. Staff and faculty also have the option of purchasing additional life insurance through Duke. “We recommend that all of our employees, no matter where they are in their career, have some level of additional life insurance,” said Saundra Daniels, voluntary benefits plan manager for Duke Benefits. Keep these considerations in mind when planning for life insurance coverage:
Early career
Mid-career
The best time to buy life insurance is when an employee is in their 20s or 30s. These employees may need more insurance because they have more financial obligations, such as getting married, starting a family, or paying down debt. Younger individuals are statistically less likely to die, which makes premiums less expensive. Supplemental Life Insurance is the most popular option because rates are generally competitive. Eligible employees can choose to cover themselves, their spouse and/or their children. The monthly cost of employee coverage adjusts January 1 of each year to reflect the employee’s age and annual salary.
Employees in their 40s or 50s may not need as much life insurance because they may be more financially stable. Children may be out of the house, and the biggest obligations may be college tuition or paying a mortgage. At this stage, employees may want to consider Universal Life Insurance to replace their Supplemental Life Insurance. Universal Life premium rates are more expensive, but rates don’t increase as an employee ages. Another bonus is an employee can keep the same premium rate after retiring from Duke. Employees can purchase Universal Life Insurance for themselves, their spouse, children or grandchildren. Employee coverage can be purchased in $5,000 increments, starting at $10,000 to a maximum of $100,000, depending on salary. A beneficiary receives the coverage amount when a policyholder dies.
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Learn more about Duke’s life insurance offerings at hr.duke.edu/benefits/finance/life
Nearing retirement Employees in their late 50s or 60s are encouraged to examine their life insurance policies. Near-retirees may be finishing paying a mortgage or may not have one, and children may be living on their own. If employees nearing retirement haven’t altered their policies, they may be able to drastically reduce their coverage amount and save money on the monthly premium.
By April Dudash
working.duke.edu
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PERQS employee discounts
Duke’s discount program helps employees save on car purchases Donna Morris stands by her 2008 gray Mazda3 that she drives to work from Timberlake.
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onna Morris drives cars around town that fit her professional and adventurous side. When she’s driving 26 miles one way to work from Timberlake, she’s in her 2008 gray Mazda3, which gets up to about 30 miles per gallon and takes turns well. Her license plate cover reads, “Zoom-Zoom.” During her time off, she takes trips to Myrtle Beach and picks up her 11-year-old grandson in her 2016 metallic-gray Ford Escape. Since 1999, Morris, an operations manager for Duke Otolaryngology, has purchased 12 new cars and trucks using a Duke employee discount with Ford Motor Company. When she bought the 2016 Ford Escape, she saved more than $2,000 off the retail price by using the discount. “It’s probably going to be my retirement car,” said Morris, who has worked at Duke for 41 years. “If we want to go on a trip or take somebody out with us to dinner, we have plenty of room and it’s more comfortable.” The Duke PERQS employee discount program offers savings at dealerships such as Ford, Chrysler, Toyota and others. Here are the dealership programs that offer discount pricing to staff and faculty; some of the discounts also extend to family members and friends.
Volvo Duke employees pay the factory invoice price of a vehicle by having access to Volvo’s A-Plan, which is the same price paid by Volvo employees and their family members. bit.ly/dukevolvo
DaimlerChrysler The affiliate rewards program allows Duke employees to purchase or lease select new Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicles at 1 percent below the factory invoice price. bit.ly/dukechrysler
Ford Motor Company The Partner Recognition Program discount pricing is available for purchasing or leasing most Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Land Rover vehicles at participating Ford dealerships. bit.ly/dukeford
GM Employees can purchase or lease eligible new GM vehicles at less than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. The program is available through participating GM dealers. bit.ly/dukegmdealer
Mark Jacobson Toyota & Scion The Durham dealership on Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard offers belowinvoice pricing on select, in-stock new Toyotas. Employees also receive $200 off all preowned vehicles. bit.ly/duketoyota Compiled by April Dudash
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Working@Duke
go online
Check out all employee discounts at bit.ly/dukeperqs
Sustainable uke YO U R S O U RC E FO R G R E E N N E W S AT D U K E
A Focus on Green Spending Finding environmentally friendly investment opportunities
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or years, Duke has worked to find new ways to support sustainability on and off campus, from renovating steam plants or building a reclamation pond to backing methane capture at North Carolina swine farms. This year, Duke will investigate more ways to invest in environmental and socially conscious endeavors, whether through something found on the stock market or tangible programs and projects on campus. The decision to focus on sustainable, low carbon investment comes as campus groups strive for opportunities to have more transparent and meaningful investments. “As we expand our sustainability strategic plan to look at issues coming up from across campus, it made sense to engage this area as student and faculty interest has been increasing,” said Tavey Capps, director of Sustainable Duke. “A big part of our conversations is better understanding the implications of what we’ve done in the past and what we can do moving forward.” Focusing on sustainable investments in 2016 was selected as a top priority by the Campus Sustainability Committee,
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Solar panels atop Duke’s Bryan Center are one of many sustainable investments Duke has made on campus in recent years.
which also picked eco-friendly procurement purchases as a priority for the year. Both efforts are part of Duke’s overall commitment to sustainability on and off campus and its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2024. Between 2009 and 2015, Duke spent nearly $200 million for major oncampus sustainable utility projects, like discontinuing the use of coal at steam plants or creating a centralized chilled water system to more efficiently cool buildings. As Duke continues to look at sustainable opportunities across its campuses, members of the Campus Sustainability Committee plan to offer recommendations on how the university might expand these efforts to a broader investment strategy in collaboration with Duke’s Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility. The efforts support the 2013 decision by President Richard H. Brodhead to create the Duke Social Choice Fund, which is meant to direct endowment contributions to socially responsible investment opportunities like renewable energy or tree conservation.
Learn 15online Working@ Dukemore at bit.ly/DukeGreenInvestments
“The environment is increasingly something more people are focusing on, so we want to understand what companies are doing to better themselves, the environment and how we can support these actions,” said Jason Elliott, program coordinator for Duke’s Carbon Offsets Initiative and a member of Duke’s sustainable investment subcommittee. For example, Elliott and other sustainable investment subcommittee members may recommend ways to financially support companies creating sustainable projects – such as solar panels or other renewable energy – or businesses that are focused on sustainability within their own company and among their employees. At Duke, the committee may recommend report cards for departments to provide information about ways to improve sustainability. “How we can influence things at Duke is just as important as sustainable investment in the traditional definition of investing,” Capps said. “They’re both pieces to the puzzle.” n By Bryan Roth
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WORKING@DUKE
dialogue@Duke
How To Reach Us Editor/Communications Director: Leanora Minai (919) 681-4533 leanora.minai@duke.edu Assistant Vice President: Paul S. Grantham (919) 681-4534 paul.grantham@duke.edu
“What’s an important financial lesson you’ve learned?”
Graphic Design & Layout: Paul Figuerado (919) 684-2107 paul.figuerado@duke.edu Senior Writer/Videographer: Bryan Roth (919) 681-9965 bryan.roth@duke.edu Writer/Videographer: April Dudash (919) 684-4639 april.dudash@duke.edu Photography: Duke University Photography and Bryan Roth and April Dudash of Communication Services.
Working@Duke is published every other month by Duke’s Office of Communication Services. We invite your feedback and story ideas. Send email to working@duke.edu or call (919) 684-4345. Visit“Working@Duke” daily on Duke Today:
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S ave for a rainy day. That’s one of the big ones. My grandparents actually were from the Depression era, so they were constantly like, ‘Hide stuff in a mattress, just in case.’ Not that you have to save every part of your paycheck, because you still have to live, too, but make sure you have enough just in case the car breaks down, something goes wrong with the house, or heaven forbid you’re in an accident or have to go to the doctor. Just make sure you have a cushion.” Emily Dysart, 31 Faculty support, Fuqua School of Business 6 years at Duke
I was not born and raised in the United States. I’m originally from Azerbaijan. My parents were doctors, and they both were World War II survivors. My dad, a war veteran, was a prisoner in Nazi camps, and my mom witnessed how her parents managed to feed the family of eight during the war. They always remembered those difficult times and shared a lot with me, my brother and their grandkids. A financial lesson that we all learned and use in our family is well-articulated in a popular saying from my part of the world: ‘Always stretch your legs according to the length of your blanket,’ which means never overspend or go over your budget.” Muzhgan Nazarova, 55 Catalog librarian for Slavic language resources, Duke University Libraries 3 years at Duke
I t’s important to start saving early. They teach you when you go to any of the classes for retirement that even if you can just save a little bit a month when you first get started, it will go a long way by the time you retire. People get out of school and at first, they’re paying student loans and getting used to paying bills for the first time, so it often can become an afterthought, but it needs to be something that you do at the beginning.” Nathan Reynolds, 32 Electronic Health Record audit manager, Office of Audit, Risk & Compliance 2 years at Duke
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