Dear Retiring and Retired Faculty,

We are happy to be issuing Retiree Update 3 of the 2022-2023 academic year. 

We were pleased to see many of you at the recent presentation on Aging and Cognitive Health by SCU Gerontologist Patti Simone and her colleague from Florida State University, Dawn Carr.  We are grateful to Patti and Dawn for agreeing to have the presentation recorded. See the recording HERE.

Retired and retiring faculty are invited to join the SCU Alumni Association, with President Julie Sullivan and Fr. Jack Treacy, S.J., on a cruise from August 20-27, 2023 to see Alaska’s glaciers and wildlife, departing from Seattle. For details see scu.edu/alumni/learn/travel/

The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction 
Summer, Date TBD

Phyllis Brown, Professor of English, will lead a discussion, with SCU colleagues in early modern studies, on a new book by University of Georgia professor Jamie Kreiner, The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction. The book examines the ideas and practices of Christian monastics between 300 and 900 CE who endeavored to strengthen mental concentration and avoid distraction. The New Yorker’s review of the book can be found here.  

Please be aware that retired faculty can request a free parking permit by filling out this form and submitting it at the Transportation Services office. Permit form must be submitted yearly. A parking permit is necessary for all on-campus lots, including (as of April 2023) the Guadalupe lot.  

https://www.scu.edu/provost/faculty-affairs/compensation-support/retirement/privileges/ 

If you are planning to shift your health insurance to Medicare after retirement, you may find the following helpful:

• Because faculty contracts end on August 31 (July 31 for Law School), most faculty begin retirement on September 1 (August 1 for Law School) of their retirement year.  Most faculty shift from the University health system to Medicare upon retirement.
• You can enroll online at Medicare.gov, indicating the date you wish your Medicare coverage to begin.
• You will complete a form called “CMS 40B.” 

• In addition to your form CMS 40B, Human Resources will need to complete a form called “CMS L564” (“Request for Employment Information”) to verify that you have been covered by health insurance in the past 8 months. Contact the Benefits team at scu-benefits@scu.edu or call 408-554-4392 to request this. Note:  It may take at least  2 business days for HR to complete the form since information may need to be requested from a legacy system.
• HR also offers Medicare workshops to assist faculty who are planning to retire. Watch for announcements in the HR Newsletter or in the Health and Wellness Workshop Calendar
• HR recommends that you begin the Medicare enrollment process at least two months prior to your retirement date (contract end date) in order to ensure that there is no gap between the health insurance coverage provided to SCU employees and the health insurance coverage provided by Medicare.

Google has historically provided unlimited data storage for educational institutions. This policy, however, will end soon. New storage limits are coming for SCU’s Google Workspace for Drive, Gmail, and Photos. For background on this change and details on deleting unnecessary emails and files, see Google Workspace storage changes

Previous Retiree Updates have been archived -- click HERE.

We welcome your suggestions for events, interest groups, discussions, and updates on your retirement activities. Contact Ruth Davis or Diane Jonte-Pace, Retiree Liaisons to Faculty Development.

Thank you, 

Ruth Davis, Computer Science and Engineering, Retiree Liaison for Faculty Development

Diane Jonte-Pace, Religious Studies, Professor Emerita, Retiree Liaison for Faculty Development