Member Benefits and Resources

Annual Meeting

The annual meeting and election of officers and directors for the NIU Annuitants Association takes place each year in June.

The Annuitant Newsletter

Members of the NIU Annuitants Association receive the NIU Annuitant two to three times a year. This publication brings you:

  • News of actions taken on your behalf.
  • Current legislative news.
  • Items of special interest.
  • News of retirees who live in the DeKalb-Sycamore area, as well as those in other states.

This mailing is funded by the Office of University Advancement.

Recent Newsletters

Campus Events and Activities

Athletic Events

Fees for athletic events are the same as for active faculty and staff members. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the Convocation Center. Call 815-753-PACK (7225) or email huskietickets@niu.edu.

Cultural Events

Concerts and theatre events, as well as open seminars and art exhibits, are publicized by individual departments. Check the NIU Calendar of Events. Some events are free, some have reduced admission for senior citizens, and some require the same fee as for active faculty and staff members.

Employee Assistance Program

Counseling services are available to annuitants through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). A wide range of concerns may be addressed, including:

  • Family relationships.
  • Depression.
  • Financial problems.
  • Substance abuse.
  • Adjusting to retirement.
  • Cessation of smoking.

In addition, the office sponsors a variety of support groups that deal with healthy lifestyles, cancer survival, loss of a loved one and other concerns. The EAP also sponsors an annual Wellness Fair open to all NIU faculty, staff, students and retirees. For more information, call 815-753-9191.

Email: Outlook Retiree Accounts

Outlook Retiree Accounts only cover email accounts. It does not include the O365 Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Learn more about Outlook Retiree Accounts.

Upcoming Improvements to Email Authentication

The Division of Information Technology will be implementing improvements to email authentication on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. These improvements are being made because your cyber security is important and O365 modern authentication protects your account from hackers. Basic authentication doesn’t require multi-factor authentication which leaves you and the university vulnerable. Because of that, it gives hackers an easy way to exploit an account once they have the password. Additionally, Microsoft has indicated that this will be the only authentication method for O365 in the near future.

The advantage of this authentication method is that even in the worst case of compromised credentials, modern authentication will help in reducing the impact using multi-factor authentication.

This improvement will be applicable to all staff, students and retirees. Once this improvement goes live, only the supported clients will function with our O365 service. View a detailed list of these supported clients. If you are using any clients which are not on the supported list, you would have to make the transition to one of these clients to be able to access your NIU email.

Identification Cards

An identification card is issued at the time of retirement. This card is sometimes necessary to receive retiree services and privileges.

Insurance and Employee Benefits

The annuitant continues to participate in the state-paid health, dental and life insurance programs. Even if the annuitant is not eligible for Medicare, the state will continue health insurance coverage with the same benefits provided employees.

If an annuitant is eligible for free Part A of Medicare (hospital coverage), the state requires the individual to enroll. If eligible for Part A, the annuitant must enroll in Part B (medical coverage) or the individual will be required to pay all expenses coved under Part B. Dependent health, dental and life coverage may be continued by deductions from the annuity check. The premium rate for dependents of annuitants with full Medicare coverage is significantly less than the non-Medicare rate.

NIU Benefits Services, located in Human Resource Services, provides counseling on annuity options, health insurance, life insurance, tax-sheltered annuities and benefits for surviving spouses. The office also assists annuitants with problem claims and the filing of initial claims.

NIU Annuitants Association Sponsored Activities

The NIUAA endeavors to offer numerous informational, cultural, recreational and social activities and events throughout the year, including:

  • An annual meeting and dinner held in June.
  • An annual holiday party held in late November or early December.
  • Coffee hours held both on and off campus.
  • Trips to nearby and distant events.

Details about future events appear in The Annuitant (the NIUAA newsletter), are announced in emails sent to members, and may be accessed from the NIUAA homepage.

NIU Foundation

The NIU Foundation is a private not-for-profit organization. Its primary purpose is to solicit and administer all private funds that directly benefit and promote the mission and priorities of NIU. The Foundation works closely with faculty, staff, annuitants, students, alumni and friends to support and advance the welfare of NIU though events, programs and services. Two such activities are publishing the NIU Annuitant newsletter and supporting an annual dinner for member of the NIU Annuitants Association. For more information, call 815-753-0283.

Parking Permits

Parking Services has a permit for NIU retirees at a rate of $10. It allows you to utilize any color parking lot, except for the Visitor Lot ($5 fee).

You must have a OneCard identification card in order to receive a parking permit. Your OneCard must say "Retiree" or "Professor Emeritus." If your OneCard does not say that, you will need to obtain a new OneCard. OneCard Services may need to verify your retirement with Human Resource Services when you go to obtain a new card.

NIU OneCard Services is located in the Founders Memorial Library, room 104.

Publications

Northern Staff News is mailed free to annuitants upon request.

Faculty also are eligible for membership in the Faculty Club. Upon payment of reduced dues ($5), retirees receive notices of monthly meetings and social events.

State Universities Annuitants Association Website

The State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA) website is available to SUAA members only. If you have not been receiving emails from SUAA, you should contact SUAA or annuitantsassoc@niu.edu to check your membership status and information.

To log in to the SUAA website, enter your username and password:

  • Your username is the email address you used to subscribe to SUAA information. Be sure to enter upper and lowercase letters correctly.
  • If you don't have a password, follow the instructions to create one.

After logging in, take a few minutes to explore the site. For example, the News menu includes Annual Meeting Speaker Videos. One of the clips, Income Tax on Pensions, is a presentation by Joe Grush, former president of the NIUAA board.

Tuition Waivers

NIU retirees can take courses at NIU tuition-free, for credit or audit. Registration is done in the usual way and requires a retiree identification card. Registration and other fees must be paid by the person enrolling, and admission is always on a space-available basis. Contact Human Resource Services for details at 815-753-6000.

Under state law, all seniors with incomes of a specified level may take courses at any state university or community college in Illinois tuition-free on a space-available basis, or by paying registration fees as required.

Various noncredit activities are offered by Continuing and Professional Education. You can get on their mailing list. They can also develop and deliver courses at an off-campus location if there is sufficient interest. For further information, call 815-753-2000.

Volunteer Opportunities

The NIU Annuitants Association, along with other chapters of the State Universities Annuitants Association, encourages its members to participate in local volunteer programs. Volunteer opportunities are available via the following resources:

Contact Us

Chris Doe
University Liaison
Altgeld Hall, Room 235
DeKalb, IL 60115
AnnuitantsAssoc@niu.edu
815-753-1508

For general questions regarding the State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA), call 217-523-4040, email suaa@suaa.org or visit their website.

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