Benefits

Depending on the plan(s) in which you participate and the funds in which you currently invest, these enhancements may not affect you. We are providing this information so all eligible participants are aware of what is changing, as well as to meet regulatory requirements.

The blackout period for the Calvert transition to the TIAA-CREF platform has ended. As of April 15, you may access your balance and make transactions.  Participants invested in Calvert funds may access their accounts at TIAA-CREF via http://www.tiaa-cref.org/columbia or by calling TIAA-CREF at 800-842-2252. 

You will no longer have access to your Calvert account via the Calvert website. However, if you would like historical information concerning your account, please call the Calvert Service Center directly at 800-368-2745.

The replacement of the TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Funds - Retirement Share Class with the TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Funds - Institutional Share Class, has been completed.  These new, lower-cost options will help put more money toward your retirement savings goals. Note that each new fund has a different ticker symbol, as you will see on your next quarterly statement.

It is important that you review your current investments. On this site, you can read the Summary of Retirement Plan Services and Costs notice sent to you in 2012. It outlines the investment management fees associated with the funds offered by TIAA-CREF, Calvert and Vanguard, among other information. To read the summary, visit: http://hr.columbia.edu/benefits/spds#ret.

To learn more about what these changes mean for you, read the initial letter about the Retirement Plan enhancements and the two reference documents:

• We've provided a link to download a list of the investment options available to you on the TIAA-CREF administration platform as of April 2, 2013, along with the new TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Funds. You will see the list contains all the same Calvert funds that were previously available.  The list of investment options is available at: http://hr.columbia.edu/RetPlanTIAA-InvestmentMenu2013.pdf.
• We've also provided a link to a legally required notice about the blackout period during the administration changeover from Calvert to TIAA-CREF, as well as some additional information concerning this transition. The notice is available at: http://hr.columbia.edu/RetPlanBlackoutNotice2013.pdf.

Important: New Hires must enroll for benefits within 31 days of your start date. If you do not make selections during this period, you and any eligible dependents will not receive Medical, Prescription, Dental, Optional Long-Term Disability Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Transit/Parking Reimbursement, Optional Term Life Insurance, Dependent Term Life Insurance, or Long-Term Care Insurance coverage from Columbia University for the remainder of the calendar year.  Columbia Benefits hosts a set of Frequently Asked Questions for all benefits-eligible faculty and staff, including a glossary of benefits terms.

Contact the Benefits Service Center: 212-851-7000 | hrbenefits@columbia.edu | Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.