Anniversary Awards
Welcome to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Anniversary Awards Program! We are delighted to celebrate and honor the dedication and achievements of our employees. This program recognizes those who have reached meaningful milestones with us.
Shari Mickey-Boggs,
Senior Associate Chancellor
for Human Resources
On behalf of your University of Illinois community, I am thrilled to congratulate you on this incredible anniversary milestone. Your dedication and hard work have truly made a difference, and I want to personally thank you for everything you have done and continue to do to make the University of Illinois the best it can be.
With warmest regards,
Shari Mickey-Boggs
About the Program
Overview
Our focus is to honor the hard work, dedication, and achievements of our employees. Our vision is to foster a culture of appreciation and recognition, where every milestone is celebrated. Each year, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign honors its dedicated employees who reach milestone anniversaries. Civil Service and Academic Professional staff are celebrated starting at their 5-year mark while faculty members are recognized beginning at their 10-year milestone.
Digital Certificates
During your anniversary month, you will receive a digital certificate to commemorate this special occasion.
Gifts
You will receive a code to your Illinois email, giving you access to a store where you can pick an item specific to your milestone, which will be shipped directly to your home.
Anniversary and Retirement Celebration Breakfast
For those celebrating 10 or more years, you will be invited to a special breakfast celebration in February following your anniversary year.
Anniversary and Retirement Celebration Breakfast
Program Eligibility
All employees with A, B, C, or D Employee Classifications who are in active status at the beginning of their anniversary month are eligible to receive an Anniversary Award.
Leave time is counted towards an anniversary milestone. Employees on a leave of absence during their anniversary month will still receive their digital certificate and online store gift code upon their return to work and by request.
Milestone Awards and Recognition
FAQs
What time is eligible for Anniversary Award recognition?
- Academic Professionals
- Civil Service
- Faculty with appointments greater than 0%
- Post-doctoral research associates
- Visiting status appointments
What time is considered ineligible for Anniversary Award recognition?
- Academic hourly
- Emeritus status
- Extra help
- Graduate students
- Internships
- Post-doctoral fellows
- Residents
- Retire/rehire
- Student employment
- Unpaid appointments
How is my anniversary time calculated?
Anniversary Award time is calculated by counting the number of years you worked for the University of Illinois. Eligible time includes employment within any of our A, B, C, D, PA, or PB employee classifications.
I was previously employed at the Urbana Campus, but I left and returned. How is my anniversary time calculated?
Time spent away from the University of Illinois is considered a “break in service.” Upon return, the month in which an individual is rehired at the Urbana campus becomes their new anniversary month. For partial years of service, any calendar year in which more than 90 days were worked will be counted as a year towards their anniversary milestone.
Why is there a difference between my University of Illinois Service/State time and my Anniversary Award time?
Anniversary Award time is calculated differently than University of Illinois/State Service time. It is a very common occurrence to have a difference. The difference is often due to time that could count towards State Service time (e.g., student position), but would not count toward Anniversary Award time.
Why is there a difference between my Retirement Service time and my Anniversary Awards time?
Anniversary Awards time is calculated differently than Retirement time. It is a very common occurrence to have a difference. SURS service time is calculated much more precisely for retirement purposes. SURS may also include service time from other state agencies where you have worked.
Whom do I contact with questions about my University of Illinois service time?
You should contact your Department HR Representative or IHR Data Operations for questions about your University of Illinois/State Service time.
You should contact IHR Employee Engagement and Recognition for questions about your Anniversary Award time.
Whom do I contact with questions about my SURS service time?
You should contact SURS directly at 1.800.ASK.SURS or https://surs.org/contact/
How do I get my gift/redeem my store code?
To receive your anniversary gift, click the link in your congratulatory email to access the University of Illinois Anniversary Awards Store. Once there, find the milestone you are celebrating and enter your unique code. Please note that your code is single-use, so make sure to complete the checkout process once you have entered it. You have until February 28 of the year following your milestone anniversary year to redeem your code. However, we encourage you to order during your anniversary month, because inventory is subject to change based on availability over time. Be aware that the online store closes on or near the last day of the month to process and ship orders, and it will reopen as soon as possible at the beginning of the following month.
What should I do if I initiated the gift order process on the online store but did not finish the process in one session? My code no longer works.
Your unique code is valid for one-time use. Once the gift order process is initiated, it must be completed during the same session or else your code will no longer be valid. For assistance, please contact the vendor, Club Colors, at Help@ClubColors.com or call 800-249-2582 for assistance. Illinois Human Resources does not have access to reissuing or resetting codes.
Whom do I contact if I have a question about my gift code, order, or shipping/delivery status?
Please contact our vendor, Club Colors, at Help@ClubColors.com or call 800-249-2582 for assistance. Illinois Human Resources does not have visibility into individual orders.
Note
The best practice is to place your order using your illinois.edu email address if possible. This makes it easier for our vendor to identify and service our employees.
Are you an HR Contact? Access your unit’s Anniversary Award Report now.
Questions? Contact IHR Employee Engagement and Recognition at ihr-engagement@illinois.edu.