Holding back tears with a smile, Diana Miler spoke thoughtfully about retiring from her 15-year job with the University of Iowa.

“It’s a great place to work, it really is,” she said. “It’s quite a community … a family.”

Miler, who has worked as an office coordinator in the Pomerantz Career Center for more than a decade, is one of many UI employees who marked their last day at the university on Wednesday after taking part in a state Board of Regents-approved early retirement package.

“I want to spend time with my husband and grandkids,” Miler said. “I want to enjoy life for a while.”

The university’s original Early Retirement Incentive Program took place in 2009 and the regents voted to allow continuation of the program this year with a few changes. UI employees who applied for the 2010 incentive program were required to be 55 years of age, instead of 57, to have worked at the university for 10 years, rather than 15, and to retire no later than July 31.

Ninety-six employees will leave or have left the UI this year under the program; 340 retired in its first round last year.

The 2010 changes are expected to add $2 million in savings to the $14 million saved in the 2009 program.

The benefits are persuasive to those retiring as well.

“I planned upon working for a few more years,” said Linda Lyle, a retiring business manager, also in the Pomerantz Center. “But when they gave the incentive to pay our health benefits, that was big for me and made it possible for me to do this.”

Under the incentive program, the university will pay health and dental insurance costs for all employees retiring under the program for the next five years, in addition to paying any employee retirement contributions to TIAA-CREF for the next three years.

Beyond the benefits, the incentive program has left many retirees excited about what lies ahead.

“It’s a new chapter,” outgoing health and sport studies department head Beth Pelton said. Pelton decided several years ago to retire in 2010, and she took advantage of the early retirement program when it was announced earlier this year.

“You’ll find we still have a zest for life,” said Pelton, who hopes to become involved with a private business in providing expertise in health and fitness.

While they look forward to retirement, retirees and their coworkers had bittersweet sentiments.

“It’s going to be missing old friends when they’re not here,” said David Fitzgerald, who has worked with both Miler and Lyle at the Pomerantz Career Center. While not retiring himself, Fitzgerald said it would be tough not to see them.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to do some different things, but I’ll still miss them,” he said.

Regina Hatcher, who worked at the reception desk next to Miler for the past eight years, agreed.

“It’s a marvelous opportunity for her, and I’ll miss her tremendously.”

The end of the day was filled with laughter, hugs, and a few tears for both Miler and Lyle.

“When you see people on a daily basis, it becomes part of your life, and it’s kind of hard to walk away from that because it is so much a part of your life,” Miler said.

Exiting the building from her final day of working with the Pomerantz Career Center, Lyle reflected.

“This is the hard part,” she said, with a sigh of realization. “I mean, I’ll be back next month to do some temp work, but Diana won’t … That will be hard.”