Service Year Recognition
Service Year Recognition
Each year UIC celebrates employees who have reached 5-year milestones in their careers. This annual tradition is a part of Employee Recognition Month held each November.
Celebrating Service Year Milestones
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Lapel Pins and Gifts
All employees celebrating a milestone year will receive a service year gift and lapel pin.
Employees will be presented with their lapel pin by their department. UIC HR encourages departments to provide this recognition to recipients in a timely and meaningful way.
Service year gifts will be distributed by the Bookstore. See below for additional details.
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Recognition Award Ceremony
Employees celebrating 25, 30, 35, 45, 50 and 55 years are recognized at our annual university-wide Employee Recognition Award Ceremony held each November. Click here for information on this event.
Milestones of 5, 10, 15, and 20 years and up are celebrated at the Department level.
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Printed Certificates
Employee celebrating a milestone year may request a printed service year certificate.
Certificates requests must be made on online between November 1st- December 31st during the year of the anniversary.
Certificates will be sent via campus mail in the first months of the following year.
Service Year Gifts
Introduced last year! Service year gifts will be distributed by the Bookstore. See below for details.
5 Years
Employees celebrating a 5 year milestone may collect their keychain at either bookstore during the month of November.
- Main Bookstore located in Student Center East.
- Medical Bookstore located in Student Center West
Service Year gifts can be collected during normal bookstore business hours found here. Employees will need to bring their I-Card and share their UIN with bookstore staff.
10 Years
Employees celebrating a 10 Year milestone may collect their water bottle at one of the bookstores during the month of November.
- Main Bookstore located in Student Center East.
- Medical Bookstore located in Student Center West
Service Year gifts can be collected during normal bookstore business hours found here. Employees will need to bring their I-Card and share their UIN with bookstore staff.
15 Years
Employees celebrating a 15 Year milestone may collect their backpack at one of the bookstores during the month of November.
- Main Bookstore located in Student Center East.
- Medical Bookstore located in Student Center West
Service Year gifts can be collected during normal bookstore business hours found here. Employees will need to bring their I-Card and share their UIN with bookstore staff.
20 Years
Employees celebrating a 20 year milestone may collect their pen at one of the bookstores during the month of November.
- Main Bookstore located in Student Center East.
- Medical Bookstore located in Student Center West
Service Year gifts can be collected during normal bookstore business hours found here. Employees will need to bring their I-Card and share their UIN with bookstore staff.
25, 30, 35, 40 & 50 Years
During the month of November, employees celebrating a milestone of 25 years and above will have the opportunity to choose their gift online from a curated group of items. Click here to view the gifts for 2025. The link to select a gift will be sent to Service Year Honorees via email at the beginning of November.
Gifts will be mailed to the employee’s home address.
Service Year Recognition Q&A:
Where can I find the Service Year Recognition policy?
Policy 701 may be found here.
What time is eligible for Service Year Recognition?
- Civil Service
- Salaried Academic Professionals
- Faculty with appointments greater than 0%
- Visiting status appointments
- Post-Doctoral research associates
What time is considered ineligible for Service Year Recognition?
- Student employment
- Graduate students
- Term-by-term faculty who are not appointed for a full academic year
- Emeritus status
- Retire/rehire
- Extra help
- Academic hourly
- Unpaid appointments
- Internships
- Post-doctoral fellows
- Residents
- Service time transferred from other state agencies or institutions
- Employee in lay off status
What is the Service Year Verification Process:
Each calendar year, UIC Human Resources identifies employees who may be eligible for service year recognition based on years of service with UIC. After the employees are identified, UIC HR distributes names to Department HR Representatives to assist with verifying years of service. After the employees are verified as eligible, UIC HR distributes the service year gifts and pins to Department HR representatives.
I was previously employed at UIC. I left and returned, how are my service years calculated?
Time spent away from UIC is considered a “break in service.” Service Years are calculated by taking the current calendar year and subtracting the year of your initial hire. Any ineligible time (including a break in service) is subtracted from this total.
Why does State Universities Retirement System (SURS) show a different number of service years?
For Service Recognition Awards, UIC calculates the current calendar year less the calendar year of hire to achieve an approximate number of service years. 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.
Why doesn’t my service year time from Urbana/Springfield count?
We value your commitment to the University of Illinois System Service; however, Service Year Recognition is a UIC specific recognition.
Who do I contact with questions about my UIC service time?
You should contact your Department HR Representative; a list of contacts be found here.
Who 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/