DEF 14A 1 ddef14a.htm CREF DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT CREF Definitive Proxy Statement

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Filed by the Registrant x   Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ¨

Check the appropriate box:

 

¨  Preliminary Proxy Statement

 

¨  Confidential, For Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

 

x  Definitive Proxy Statement

 

¨  Definitive Additional Materials

 

¨  Soliciting Material Under Rule 14a-12

 

 

College Retirement Equities Fund

 

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

 

 

  

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

 

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

 

x  No fee required.

 

¨  Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11.

 

  (1)  Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

 

  

 
  (2)  Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

 

  

 
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¨  Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

 

¨  Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

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LOGO

College Retirement Equities Fund

730 Third Avenue

New York, New York 10017-3206

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING — July 15, 2008

The College Retirement Equities Fund (“CREF”) will hold its annual meeting of participants on July 15, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202. The meeting agenda is:

 

  1. To elect ten individuals to serve as Trustees for one year and until their successors shall take office;

 

  2. To ratify the Board of Trustees’ selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to serve as CREF’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008; and

 

  3. To address any other business that may properly come before the meeting.

The Board of Trustees has set May 31, 2008, as the record date for determining the number of votes entitled to be cast. You may vote at the meeting only if you had CREF voting rights as of May 31, 2008.

By order of the Board of Trustees,

LOGO

William J. Mostyn III

Secretary

Please vote as soon as possible before the annual meeting, even if you plan to attend the meeting. You can vote quickly and easily by toll-free telephone call, over the Internet or by mail. Just follow the simple instructions that appear on your enclosed proxy card. Since we can’t hold the meeting unless a quorum is reached, please help CREF avoid the expense of a follow-up mailing by voting today!

If you plan to attend the meeting, please call (877) 535-3910, ext. 2440, to obtain an admission pass. In accordance with CREF’s security procedures, a pass and appropriate picture identification will be required to enter the CREF annual meeting. Please note that no laptop computers, recording equipment or cameras will be permitted and please read the instructions on the pass for additional information.

June 12, 2008

 


COLLEGE RETIREMENT EQUITIES FUND

Proxy Statement for Annual Meeting

to be Held on July 15, 2008

The Board of Trustees of the College Retirement Equities Fund (“CREF”) has sent you this proxy statement to ask for your vote on matters affecting CREF. The accompanying proxy will be voted at the annual meeting of CREF participants being held on July 15, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver, Colorado 80202. This proxy statement was mailed to participants starting on or about June 12, 2008.

The participants of CREF are being asked to vote on the following:

 

  1. The election of ten individuals to serve as Trustees for one year and until their successors shall take office;

 

  2. The ratification of the Board of Trustees’ selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to serve as CREF’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008; and

 

  3. Any other business that may properly come before the meeting.

At this time, the Board of Trustees does not know of any other matters being presented at the meeting or any adjournments thereof.

How Do I Vote?

You can vote in any one of four ways:

 

  (1) By marking, signing, and mailing the enclosed proxy card in the envelope provided;

 

  (2) By logging onto the Internet site shown on your proxy card and following the on-screen instructions (or by going to our website at www.tiaa-cref.org);

 

  (3) By calling the toll-free telephone number shown on your proxy card and following the recorded instructions; or

 

  (4) By voting in person at the annual meeting.

If you vote by Internet or telephone, please do not mail your proxy card.

Can I Cancel or Change My Vote?

You can cancel or change your vote at any time up until 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Time on July 15, 2008. You can do this by simply voting again — by executing and returning a later-dated proxy card, voting through the Internet or by a toll-free telephone call, or voting in person at the meeting or writing CREF’s Secretary at 730 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017-3206. Cancelled or changed votes must be received by the noon deadline.

How Does a Proxy Work?

When you vote by proxy, you are instructing the agents named on the proxy card how to vote on your behalf at the meeting. If you sign and return the proxy card but do not specifically instruct the agents otherwise, they will vote FOR the election of all the nominees for Trustee and FOR ratification of the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to serve as CREF’s independent registered public accounting firm. At this time, we don’t know of any other

 

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matters being presented at the meeting. If other matters are brought before the meeting, the proxy agents will vote the proxies using their own best judgment, as allowed by the proxy. All proxies solicited by the Board of Trustees that are properly executed and received by the Secretary prior to the meeting, and are not revoked, will be voted at the meeting.

Who May Vote; How Many Votes Do I Get?

Each person having voting rights on May 31, 2008 may vote at the meeting with respect to each item on the proxy ballot. On May 23, 2008, there were 1,673,462,989.30 total votes eligible to be cast, broken down as follows:

 

Stock Account – 1,325,237,402.13 votes   Social Choice Account – 41,591,322.39 votes
Money Market Account – 44,727,484.79 votes   Global Equities Account – 87,480,127.13 votes
Bond Market Account – 34,838,031.71 votes   Growth Account – 47,283,050.73 votes
Inflation-Linked Bond Account – 36,019,148.49 votes   Equity Index Account – 56,286,421.93 votes

The number of votes you have is equal to the dollar value of your accumulation in each CREF account on May 31, 2008. If you are receiving annuity payments, the number of votes you have is equal to the dollar amount held on May 31, 2008 in the annuity fund of each CREF account to meet CREF’s annuity obligations to you. We will count fractional votes.

How Many Votes Are Needed for a Quorum or to Pass a Vote?

We will have a quorum for the meeting if 10 percent of the votes entitled to be cast are present. Abstentions are counted in determining whether a quorum has been reached. The outcome of the election of Trustee votes and ratification of the selection of an independent registered public accounting firm will be decided by a majority of the eligible votes present in person or represented by proxy. No votes are cast by brokers.

If a quorum is not present at the meeting, or if a quorum is present at the meeting but sufficient votes to approve one or more of the proposed items are not received, or if other matters arise requiring participant attention, the persons named as proxy agents may propose one or more adjournments of the meeting to permit further solicitation of additional votes.

 

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I. ELECTION OF TRUSTEES

One purpose of the annual meeting is to elect a Board of Trustees of CREF (the “Board”). CREF’s Trustees are elected to serve for one year and until their successors shall take office. Pursuant to the provisions of the bylaws of CREF and resolutions of the Board, the number of Trustees has been fixed at ten. The CREF bylaws also give the Board authority to appoint new Trustees to fill vacancies between annual meetings.

At this annual meeting, you are being asked to elect to the Board the ten current Trustees, including Mr. Forrester who has not been previously elected by participants. Information about each of these nominees is set forth below. It is intended that the enclosed proxy will be voted FOR the election of these ten nominees unless otherwise indicated in the proxy.

In addition to the information listed below, each of the CREF Trustees currently serving also serves on the Boards of Trustees of TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds and TIAA-CREF Life Funds and on the management committee of TIAA Separate Account VA-1.

The Board, which is composed entirely of Trustees who are not “interested persons” of CREF or of TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC, CREF’s investment advisor (as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”)) unanimously recommends that the participants of CREF vote for the election of each of the Trustees.

 

3


I. ELECTION OF TRUSTEES  continued

 

INFORMATION CONCERNING NOMINEES

 

LOGO   Forrest Berkley, 54, retired partner since 2006, was a partner from 1990 to 2005 and Head of Global Product Management from 2003 to 2005 of GMO (formerly, Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co.), an investment management firm, and a member of its asset allocation portfolio management team from 2003 to 2005 from which he retired on January 1, 2006. He is a director and member of the Investment Committee of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and a member of the Investment Committee of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine Community Foundation and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Boston Athenaeum; and a director of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Mr. Berkley received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.B.A. and a law degree from Harvard University. He has served as a CREF Trustee since September 2006.

 

LOGO   Nancy A. Eckl, 45, was Vice President of American Beacon Advisors, Inc., an investment management firm, and of the American Beacon Funds (open-end mutual funds) from 1990 to 2006. Ms. Eckl also served as Vice President of certain other funds advised by American Beacon Advisors. Ms. Eckl is an independent director of The Lazard Funds, Inc. and Lazard Retirement Series, Inc. (both open-end mutual funds), Lazard Global Total Return and Income Fund, Inc. and Lazard World Dividend and Income Fund, Inc. (both New York Stock Exchange listed closed-end funds), and an independent member of the board of managers of Lazard Alternative Strategies Fund, L.L.C. (a closed-end investment company). Ms. Eckl has a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas. Ms. Eckl has served as a CREF Trustee since 2007.

 

LOGO   Eugene Flood, Jr., 52, has been President, Chief Executive Officer (since 2000) and a Director of Smith Breeden Associates, Inc. an investment advisor, since 1994. Prior to joining Smith Breeden as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2000, he was a Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley Asset Management. Dr. Flood serves on the Visiting Committee for the Economics Department and the Dean’s Advisory Committee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, the Board of Visitors of the Fuqua School of Business of Duke University, Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Board of Directors of the Society of Quantitative Analysts. In addition, Dr. Flood has worked as a consultant for a variety of private sector companies and government agencies. Dr. Flood has a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Flood has served as a CREF Trustee since 2005.

 

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INFORMATION CONCERNING NOMINEES  continued

 

LOGO   Michael A. Forrester, 42, is Chief Operating Officer and a Board member of Copper Rock Capital Partners since 2007. Prior to joining Copper Rock Capital Partners, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of DDJ Capital Management from 2003 to 2006, and was an Executive Vice President from 2000 to 2002, Senior Vice President from 1995 to 2000, and Vice President from 1992-1995 of Fidelity Investments. Mr. Forrester has a B.A. degree from Washington and Lee University. Mr. Forrester has served as a CREF Trustee since 2007.

 

LOGO   Howell E. Jackson, 54, has been on the faculty of the Harvard Law School since 1989, and has been James S. Reid, Jr. Professor of Law since 2004 and served as Vice Dean for Budget from 2003 to 2006. Professor Jackson has a B.A. degree from Brown University and a joint J.D./M.B.A. from Harvard University. Professor Jackson has served as a CREF Trustee since 2005.

 

LOGO   Nancy L. Jacob, 65, is Managing Principal (since 2006) of NLJ Advisors Inc., an investment advisor. She was Managing Principal of Windermere Investment Associates from 1997 to 2006. She was previously Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CTC Consulting, Inc. (1994-1997), and Executive Vice President, U.S. Trust of the Pacific Northwest from 1993-1996. She is Director and Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Okabena Company, a financial services firm. Dr. Jacob received a B.A. from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Jacob has served as a CREF Trustee since 1979, and as chairman of the Board since 2005.

 

LOGO   Bridget A. Macaskill, 59, is the Principal of BAM Consulting LLC, an independent financial services consulting firm, which she founded in 2003. Ms. Macaskill is also an Independent Consultant for Merrill Lynch (since 2003) appointed under the terms of the Global Research Settlement. Ms. Macaskill was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. from 2000 to 2001. She joined Oppenheimer Funds, Inc. in 1983 and served in various capacities at that firm, being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 1989, President in 1991, Chief Executive Officer in 1995, and Chairman in 2000. Ms. Macaskill serves on the boards of directors of Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Prudential plc, and on the boards of a number of not-for-profit organizations. She received a B.S. with honors from the University of Edinburgh. Ms. Macaskill has served as a CREF Trustee since 2003.

 

5


INFORMATION CONCERNING NOMINEES  continued

 

LOGO   James M. Poterba, 50, is the Mitsui Professor of Economics (since 1996) and the Head of the Economics Department (since 2006 and until August 31, 2008) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has taught since 1983. From 1994 to 2000 and 2001 to 2006 he was Associate Head of the Economics Department at MIT. He has been the Director of the Public Economics Research Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research since 1991. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society and has served as a director of the American Finance Association and as a member of the Executive Committee of the American Economic Association. He has been elected President and CEO of the National Bureau of Economic Research effective July 1, 2008. He is a director of the Jeffrey Company and Jeflion Company, which are unregistered investment companies. He holds an A.B. from Harvard College and an M.Phil. and a D.Phil. from Oxford University. Dr. Poterba has served as a CREF Trustee since 2006.

 

LOGO   Maceo K. Sloan, 58, has been the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sloan Financial Group, Inc. since 1991; Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of NCM Capital Management Group, Inc., since 1991; and Chairman and CEO, NCM Capital Advisers Inc. since 2003. Mr. Sloan is a director of SCANA Corporation and M&F Bancorp, Inc. Mr. Sloan received a B.A. from Morehouse College, an M.B.A. from Georgia State University, and a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law. Mr. Sloan has served as a CREF Trustee since 1991.

 

LOGO   Laura T. Starks, 58, has been Chairman of the Department of Finance, the Charles E. and Sarah M. Seay Regents Chair of Finance, and Director of the AIM Investment Center in the McCombs School of Business since 2000 at the University of Texas at Austin where she has taught since 1987. She was previously the Associate Dean for Research, the Associate Director for Research for the Center for International Business Education and Research, and the Director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Texas at Austin. She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Finance Association, the Western Finance Association, and the Financial Management Association and is a Fellow of the Financial Management Association. Dr. Starks served on the board of directors of USAA Mutual Fund, Inc.; USAA Tax Exempt Fund, Inc.; USAA Investment Trust; and the USAA State Tax-Free Trust from 2000 to May 2006. She has a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Starks has served as a CREF Trustee since 2006.

Each nominee was first recommended by the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board. This Committee consists of Trustees who are also themselves nominees and, like all the other members of the Board, are not “interested persons” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act. Mr. Forrester was recommended to the Nominating and Governance Committee by a retained third-party search firm.

Each of the nominees has consented to serve if elected. If any nominee is unavailable to serve when the meeting is held, the proxy agents may cast your votes for a substitute chosen by the current Board.

 

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Current CREF Trustees, Nominees and Executive Officers

The following table includes certain information about CREF’s current Trustees, nominees and executive officers, including positions currently held with CREF, length of office and time served and principal occupations in the last five years. The table also includes the number of portfolios in the fund complex overseen by each Trustee and certain directorships held by each of them. The first table includes information about CREF’s disinterested Trustees and nominees and the second table includes information about CREF’s officers. There are currently no interested Trustees serving on the Board.

DISINTERESTED TRUSTEES AND NOMINEES

 

Name, Address and

Age

  Position(s)
Held with
CREF
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee
  Other Directorships
Held by Trustees
Forrest Berkley          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

Date of Birth

(“DOB”): April 1954

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2006.

  Retired Partner (since 2006). Partner (1990 – 2005) and Head of Global Product Management (2003 – 2005), GMO (formerly, Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co.) (investment management); and member of asset allocation portfolio management team, GMO (2003 – 2005).  

61

  Director and member of the Investment Committee, the Maine Coast Heritage Trust; Investment Committee member, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine Community Foundation and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Boston Athenaeum; and Director, Appalachian Mountain Club.
Nancy A. Eckl          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: October 1962

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2007.

  Former Vice President
(1990 –2006), American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and Vice President of certain funds advised by American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
 

61

  Independent Director, The Lazard Funds Inc., Lazard Retirement Series, Inc., Lazard Global Total Return and Income Fund, Inc., Lazard World Dividend and Income Fund, Inc., and Member of the Board of Managers, Lazard Alternative Strategies Fund, LLC.

 

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DISINTERESTED TRUSTEES AND NOMINEES  continued

 

Name, Address and

Age

  Position(s)
Held with
CREF
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee
  Other Directorships
Held by Trustees
Eugene Flood, Jr.          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: October 1955

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2005.

  President and Chief Executive Officer (since 2000) and a Director (since 1994) of Smith Breeden Associates, Inc. (investment advisor).  

61

  None
Michael A. Forrester          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: November 1967

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2007.

  Chief Operating Officer, Copper Rock Capital Partners (since September 2007). Formerly, Chief Operating Officer, DDJ Capital Management
(2003 – 2006); and Executive Vice President (2000 – 2002); Senior Vice President
(1995 – 2000); and Vice President (1992 – 1995)
Fidelity Investments.
 

61

  Director Copper Rock Capital Partners.
Howell E. Jackson          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: January 1954

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2005.

  James S. Reid, Jr. Professor of Law (since 2004), and on the faculty (since 1989) of Harvard Law School.  

61

  None
Nancy L. Jacob          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: January 1943

 

Chairman

of the Board, Trustee

 

One-year term.

Trustee since 1979.

  Managing Principal (since October 2006) of NLJ Advisors, Inc. (investment advisor). Formerly, Managing Principal, Windermere Investment Associates
(1997 – 2006).
 

61

  Director and Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Okabena Company (financial services).
Bridget A. Macaskill          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: August 1948

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2003.

  Principal and Founder, BAM Consulting, LLC (financial services consulting), Independent Consultant for Merrill Lynch (since 2003).  

61

  Director, Prudential plc, Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), International Advisory Board and British-American Business Council.

 

8


DISINTERESTED TRUSTEES AND NOMINEES  continued

 

Name, Address and

Age

  Position(s)
Held with
CREF
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served
 

Principal Occupation(s)

During Past 5 Years

  Number of
Portfolios in
Fund Complex
Overseen by
Trustee
  Other Directorships
Held by Trustees
James M. Poterba          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: July 1958

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2006.

  Head (since 2006 and until August 31, 2008) and Associate Head (1994 – 2000 and 2001 – 2006), Economics Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Mitsui Professor of Economics, MIT (since 1996); President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research (effective July 2008).  

61

  The Jeffrey Company and Jeflion Company (unregistered investment companies).
Maceo K. Sloan          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: October 1949

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 1991.

  Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sloan Financial Group, Inc. (since 1991); Chairman, CEO and CIO, NCM Capital Management Group, Inc. (since 1991); and Chairman and CEO, NCM Capital Advisers Inc. (since 2003).  

61

  Director, SCANA Corporation (energy holding company) and M&F Bancorp, Inc.
Laura T. Starks          

c/o Corporate Secretary

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: February 1950

  Trustee  

One-year term.

Trustee since 2006.

  Chairman, Department of Finance, the Charles E. and Sarah M. Seay Regents Chair in Finance (since 2002), and Director, AIM Investment Center, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin (since 2000); Professor, University of Texas at Austin (since 1987); and Fellow, Financial Management Association (since 2002). Formerly, Associate Dean for Research (2001 – 2002); and Associate Director for Research, the Center for International Business Education and Research, University of Texas at Austin (2002 – 2003).  

61

  None

 

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OFFICERS

 

Name, Address and Age   

Position(s)

Held with

CREF

 

Term of Office

and Length of

Time Served

  Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Mary (Maliz) E. Beams       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: March 1956

   Executive Vice President   One-year term. Executive Vice President since 2007.   Executive Vice President of Individual Client Services of TIAA (since July 2007), and of TIAA Institutional Mutual Funds, CREF, TIAA-CREF Life Funds and TIAA Separate Account VA-1 (collectively, the “TIAA-CREF Fund Complex”) (since September 2007); President, Chief Executive Officer, TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC (“Services”) (since July 2007); and Senior Managing Director and Head of Wealth Management Group, TIAA (since 2004). Formerly Partner, Spyglass Investments (2002 – 2003). Partner and Managing Director, President of Global Business Development for the Mutual Fund Group and Head of International Mutual Fund and Offshore Businesses of Zurich Scudder Investments; and Head of U.S. Scudder Direct Retail Business and Chief Executive Officer of Scudder Brokerage (1997 – 2003).
Richard S. Biegen       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: May 1962

   Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer   One-year term. Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer since February 2008.   Chief Compliance Officer of the TIAA-CREF Funds Complex; Vice President, Senior Compliance Officer of Asset Management Compliance of TIAA and Chief Compliance Officer of Advisors and TIAA-CREF Investment Management LLC (“Investment Management”) (since February 2008). Formerly, Managing Director/Director of Global Compliance, AIG Investments (2000 – 2008); Senior Vice President/Group Head, Regulatory Oversight Group, Scudder Kemper Investments, Inc.
(1998 – 2000); Chief Compliance Officer/Vice President, Legal Department, Salomon Brothers Asset Management, Inc. (1997 – 1998); Assistant General Counsel/Director, Securities Law Compliance, The Prudential Insurance Company of America (1994 – 1997); and Enforcement Staff Attorney, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (1988 – 1994).

 

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Name, Address and Age   

Position(s)

Held with

CREF

 

Term of Office

and Length of

Time Served

  Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Gary Chinery       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: November 1949

  

Vice President and

Treasurer

  One-year term. Vice President and Treasurer since 2004.   Vice President and Treasurer of TIAA, CREF and TIAA Separate Account VA-1 (since 2004), Vice President (since 2004) and Treasurer
(2004 – 2/2007) of TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds and TIAA-CREF Life Funds. Formerly, Second Vice President and Associate Treasurer
(1998 – 2003) of Teachers Advisors, Inc. (“Advisors”), Investment Management), TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC (“Services”), Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc. (“TPIS”), TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. (“Tuition Financing”), TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Company (“TIAA-CREF Life”) and TCT Holdings, Inc.
Scott C. Evans       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: May 1959

  

Executive Vice President

and Head of Asset Management

  One-year term. Executive Vice President since 1997 and Head of Asset Management since 2006.   Executive Vice President (since 1997) and Head of Asset Management (since 2006) of CREF, TIAA and TIAA Separate Account VA-1. President and Principal Executive Officer of TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds and TIAA-CREF Life Funds (since 2/2007). Director of TPIS (since 2006) and Advisors (since 2004). President and Chief Executive Officer of Investment Management and Advisors, and Manager of Investment Management (since 2004). Formerly, Manager of TIAA Realty Capital Management, LLC (2004 – 2006), Chief Investment Officer of TIAA (2004 – 2006) and CREF, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds, and TIAA-CREF Life Funds (collectively, the “TIAA-CREF Fund Complex”) (2003 – 2006); and Executive Vice President and Head of Asset Management of the TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds and TIAA-CREF Life Funds (2006 – 2007).
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: October 1951

  

President and Chief

Executive Officer

  One-year term. President and Chief Executive Officer since 2008.   President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA (since April 2008), and President and Chief Executive Officer of CREF and TIAA Separate Account VA-1 (since April 2008). Formerly, Chairman, Swiss Re America Holding Corporation and Head of Financial Services and Member of the Executive Committee, Swiss Re (2006 – 2008); Vice Chairman and Member of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve System
(1997 – 2006); and Associate and Partner, McKinsey & Company (1984 – 1997).

 

11


Name, Address and Age   

Position(s)

Held with

CREF

 

Term of Office

and Length of

Time Served

  Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
I. Steven Goldstein       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: September 1952

   Executive Vice President   One-year term. Executive Vice President since 2003.   Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, of TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (since 2003). Formerly, Director, TIAA-CREF Life (2003 – 2006); Advisor for McKinsey & Company (2003); Vice President, Corporate Communications for Dow Jones & Co. and The Wall Street Journal
(2001 – 2002); and Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Insurance Information Institute (1993 – 2001).
George W. Madison       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: October 1953

  

Executive Vice President

and General Counsel

  One-year term. Executive Vice President and General Counsel since 2003.   Executive Vice President and General Counsel of TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (since 2003). Formerly, Executive Vice President, Corporate Secretary, and General Counsel of Comerica Incorporated (1997 – 2003).
Erwin W. Martens       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: March 1956

   Executive Vice President   One-year term. Executive Vice President since 2003.   Executive Vice President, Risk Management of TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (since 2003). Director of Advisors, TPIS, and Manager of Investment Management. Formerly, Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer, Putnam Investments (1999 – 2003); and Head and Deputy Head of Global Market Risk Management Lehman Brothers (1997 – 1999).
William J. Mostyn III       

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: January 1948

  

Vice President and

Corporate Secretary

  One-year term. Vice President and Corporate Secretary since May 2008.   Vice President and Corporate Secretary of TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (since May 2008). Formerly, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Bank of America
(2005 – 2008); and Deputy General Counsel, Secretary and Corporate Governance Officer, the Gillette Company (2000 – 2005).
Dermot J. O’Brien       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: March 1966

   Executive Vice President   One-year term. Executive Vice President since 2003.   Executive Vice President, Human Resources, of TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (since 2003). Formerly Director, TIAA-CREF Life
(2003 – 2006); First Vice President and Head of Human Resources, International Private Client Division, Merrill Lynch & Co. (1999 – 2003); and Vice President and Head of Human Resources, Japan Morgan Stanley (1998 – 1999).

 

12


Name, Address and Age   

Position(s)

Held with

CREF

 

Term of Office

and Length of

Time Served

  Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Georganne C. Proctor       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: October 1956

  

Executive Vice President

and Chief Financial Officer

  One-year term. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2006.   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of TIAA, CREF and TIAA Separate Account VA-1 (since 2006). Manager and Executive Vice President of Investment Management, Director and Executive Vice President of TPIS and Advisors (since 2006). Formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Life Funds, TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds and TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds (2006 – 2/2007); Executive Vice President, Finance, Golden West Financial Corporation (2002 – 2006); and Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director, Bechtel Group, Inc. (1999 – 2002).
Cara L. Schnaper       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: February 1954

   Executive Vice President   One-year term. Executive Vice President since February 2008.   Executive Vice President, Technology and Operations of TIAA, and Executive Vice President of the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (since February 2008). Formerly, Principal, Market Resolve, LLC (2006 – February 2008); and Head, Middle Office, Investment Banking (2000 – 2002), Head Technology and Operations, Equities (1999 – 2000) and Chief Operating Officer Technology and Operations, Emerging Markets, Foreign Exchange and Commodities (1997 – 1999), JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Bertram L. Scott       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: March 1951

   Executive Vice President   One-year term. Executive Vice President since 2001.   Executive Vice President, Strategy Integration and Policy of TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (since 2006). Director and President of TIAA-CREF Enterprises, Inc. (since 2000) Formerly, Executive Vice President, Product Management of TIAA and TIAA-CREF Fund Complex (2000 – 2005); and President and Chief Executive Officer, Horizon Mercy (1996 – 2000).
Edward D. Van Dolsen       

TIAA-CREF

730 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017-3206

DOB: April 1958

   Executive Vice President   One-year term. Executive Vice President since 2006.   Executive Vice President, Institutional Client Services (since 2006). Director of Tuition Financing and Manager of Services. Formerly Senior Vice President, Pension Products (2003 – 2006), Vice President, Support Services (1998 – 2003), of TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex. President and CEO, TIAA-CREF Redwood, LLC.

 

13


Trustee Equity Ownership

The following table includes information relating to equity securities beneficially owned by all current CREF Trustees and nominees in CREF and in all registered investment companies in the same family of investment companies (the “TIAA-CREF Fund Complex”) as of May 23, 2008. The TIAA-CREF Fund Complex includes CREF, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Life Funds and TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds (including the TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Funds). The amounts reported below include amounts contributed to CREF accounts for the benefit of the non-employee Trustees pursuant to CREF’s long-term compensation plan for non-employee Trustees.

DISINTERESTED TRUSTEES AND NOMINEES

 

Name of Trustee   

Dollar Range of

Securities in CREF

  

Aggregate Dollar Range of
Securities in All Registered
Investment Companies Overseen

by Trustee in the TIAA-CREF Fund
Complex

Forrest Berkley   

Money Market Account — $1 - $10,000

Bond Market Account — Over $100,000

Growth Account — Over $100,000

   Over $100,000
Nancy A. Eckl   

Stock Account — $10,001- $50,000

Global Equities Account — $10,001 - $50,000

   $50,001 - $100,000
Eugene Flood, Jr.    None    Over $100,000
Michael A. Forrester    Money Market Account — $50,001 - $100,000    $50,001 - $100,000
Howell E. Jackson   

Stock Account — Over $100,000

Social Choice Account — $10,001 - $50,000

Bond Market Account — $50,001 - $100,000

Global Equities Account — Over $100,000

Equity Index Account — $10,001- $50,000

   Over $100,000
Nancy L. Jacob   

Stock Account — Over $100,000

Money Market Account —Over $100,000

   Over $100,000
Bridget A. Macaskill    None    Over $100,000
James M. Poterba   

Stock Account— Over $100,000

Global Equities Account — Over $100,000

Equity Index Account — $50,001 - $100,000

   Over $100,000
Maceo K. Sloan   

Stock Account — Over $100,000

Social Choice Account — $10,001 - $50,000

Global Equity Account — $10,001 - $50,000

Growth Account — $10,001 - $50,000

Equity Index Account — $10,001 - $50,000

   Over $100,000
Laura T. Starks   

Stock Account — Over $100,000

Money Market Account — Over $100,000

   Over $100,000

As of May 1, 2008, to the knowledge of CREF’s management, the trustees and officers owned as a group less than 1% of the shares of any CREF Account.

 

14


Trustee Compensation

The following table discloses the aggregate compensation received from CREF and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex by each non-officer Trustee for the year ended December 31, 2007. CREF’s officers receive no compensation from any fund in the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex. For purposes of the table, the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex consists of: CREF, TIAA Separate Account VA-1, TIAA-CREF Life Funds, TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds (including the TIAA-CREF Lifecycle Funds) and TIAA-CREF Mutual Funds (which were merged into a corresponding series of the TIAA-CREF Institutional Mutual Funds as of April 20, 2007), each a registered investment company.

DISINTERESTED TRUSTEES

 

Name    Aggregate
Compensation
From CREF
   Long-Term
Performance
Compensation
Contribution
As Part of CREF
Expenses
   Total Compensation
From TIAA-CREF
Fund Complex
Forrest Berkley*    $158,649.00    $68,982.61    $247,500.00
Nancy A. Eckl    $83,910.31    $51,668.20    $147,500.00
Eugene Flood, Jr.    $188,533.37    $68,982.61    $280,000.00
Michael A. Forrester    $50,695.61    $34,578.37    $92,500.00
Howell E. Jackson    $194,258.75    $68,982.61    $286,250.00
Nancy L. Jacob    $259,949.88    $68,982.61    $357,500.00
Bridget A. Macaskill    $108,017.86    $68,982.61    $192,500.00
James M. Poterba*    $156,315.39    $68,982.61    $245,000.00
Maceo K. Sloan*    $234,594.48    $68,982.61    $330,000.00
Laura T. Starks    $163,219.47    $68,982.61    $252,500.00
* This compensation, or a portion of it, was not actually paid based on the prior election of the Trustee to defer receipt of payment in accordance with the provisions of a deferred compensation plan for non-officer Trustees described below. Excluding this year’s deferrals, Mr. Berkley deferred $61,117.03, Dr. Poterba deferred $14,914.60 and Mr. Sloan deferred $21,930.70. in compensation earned across the fund complex for prior years’ service, including interest through December 31, 2007.

CREF has a long-term compensation plan for non-officer Trustees. Currently, under this unfunded plan, annual contributions equal to $75,000 for each Trustee are allocated to notional CREF and Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”) annuity accounts chosen by the Trustee. Benefits will be paid after the Trustee leaves the Board in a lump sum or in annual installments over 5, 10, 15 or 20 years, as requested by the individual Trustee. The Board may waive the mandatory retirement policy for the Trustees, which would delay the commencement of benefit payments until the Trustee eventually retires from the Board. Pursuant to a separate deferred compensation plan, non-officer Trustees also have the option to defer payments of their basic retainer, additional retainers and/or meeting fees and allocate those amounts to notional CREF and TIAA accounts chosen by the individual Trustee. Benefits under that plan are also paid in a lump sum or annual installments over 5, 10, 15 or 20 years, as requested by the Trustee, after the Trustee leaves the Board. The compensation table above does not reflect any payments under the long-term compensation plan.

 

15


Non-officer Trustees are compensated at the following rates: an annual retainer of $50,000; a Board and committee meeting fee of $2,500; $1,000 per conference call meeting to review investment performance of the Accounts and other funds in the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex; an annual long-term compensation contribution of $75,000 (further described above); a Board chair fee of $25,000; a committee chair fee of $10,000 ($15,000 for the chairs of the Audit and Compliance Committee and Operations Committee); and an Operations Committee and Audit and Compliance Committee member fee of $5,000. The Trustees also receive $2,500 per meeting for attending any shareholder meetings. Trustees may receive additional compensation, to the extent authorized by the Board, for service on a non-standing committee of the Board. In general, Trustee compensation reflects service to all of the investment companies within the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex and is prorated to those companies based upon assets under management. The level of compensation is evaluated regularly and is based on a study of compensation at comparable companies, the time and responsibilities required of the Trustees, and the need to retain and attract well-qualified Board members.

Committees

Every year the Board appoints Trustees to certain standing committees which assist the Board in its oversight of various aspects of CREF’s operations. These are:

 

(1) An Audit and Compliance Committee which assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities for financial and operational reporting, internal control and certain compliance and ethics matters. In August 2006, the Board renamed the Audit Committee the Audit and Compliance Committee. The Audit and Compliance Committee is charged with, among other things, approving the appointment, compensation, retention (or termination) and oversight of the work of CREF’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit and Compliance Committee has adopted a formal written charter which may be found at www.tiaa-cref.org/about/governance/corporate/topics/board_committees/board_committees_cref.html. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, the Audit and Compliance Committee held six meetings. The current members of the Audit and Compliance Committee are Mr. Sloan (chair), Mr. Berkley, Mr. Forrester, Ms. Macaskill and Dr. Poterba. Mr. Sloan has been designated the “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

(2) An Operations Committee, which assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to operational matters of CREF. The Operations Committee was established in 2006 as a new standing committee of the Board and is charged with, among other things, assisting the Board in overseeing contracts with third-party service providers, and certain legal, compliance, finance, sales and marketing matters. The Operations Committee has adopted a formal written charter which may be found at www.tiaa-cref.org/about/governance/corporate/topics/board_committees/board_committees_cref.html. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, the Operations Committee held nine meetings. The current members of the Operations Committee are Professor Jackson (chair), Ms. Eckl, Dr. Flood, Dr. Jacob and Dr. Starks.

 

(3) An Investment Committee, which assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities for the management of CREF investments. The Investment Committee has adopted a formal written charter which may be found at www.tiaa-cref.org/about/governance/corporate/topics/board_committees/board_committees_cref.html. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, the Investment Committee held six meetings. The current members of the Investment Committee are Dr. Flood (chair), Mr. Berkley, Ms. Eckl, Dr. Jacob, Ms. Macaskill, Dr. Poterba and Mr. Sloan.

 

16


(4) A Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee, which assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities for corporate social responsibility and corporate governance issues, including the voting of proxies of portfolio companies of the CREF accounts and the initiation of appropriate shareholder resolutions. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, the Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee held nine meetings. The current members of the Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee are Dr. Poterba (chair), Mr. Forrester, Professor Jackson and Dr. Starks. The Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee has adopted a formal written charter which may be found at www.tiaa-cref.org/about/governance/corporate/topics/board_committees/board_committees_cref.html.

 

(5) An Executive Committee, which generally is vested with Board powers between Board meetings on matters not specifically addressed by the Board. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, the Executive Committee did not hold any meetings. The current members of the Executive Committee are Dr. Jacob (chair), Dr. Flood, Professor Jackson, Dr. Poterba and Mr. Sloan.

 

(6) A Nominating and Governance Committee, which nominates certain CREF officers and the members of the standing committees of the Board, recommends candidates for election as Trustees and assists the Board with other governance matters for CREF. During fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, the Nominating and Governance Committee held fourteen meetings. The charter for the CREF Nominating and Governance Committee may be found at www.tiaa-cref.org/about/governance/corporate/topics/board_committees/board_committees_cref.html. The current members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Dr. Jacob (chair), Dr. Flood, Mr. Sloan and Dr. Starks.

Board Meetings

There were eight meetings of the Board during 2007. All current Trustees who served during 2007 attended at least 75 percent of the meetings of the Board and Board committees of which they were members.

 

17


Trustee Nomination Process

The CREF Board of Trustees has a Nominating and Governance Committee which is responsible for nominating candidates for its Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee considers recommendations from a variety of sources, including participating institutions and educational organizations. Participants may submit recommendations for candidates to the Nominating and Governance Committee by forwarding the names and backgrounds of nominees to the Corporate Secretary of CREF or by accessing www.tiaa-cref.org/crefnominees and keying in suggestions for nominees.

The Committee may, from time to time, retain third-party search firms to identify nominee candidates whose competencies meet criteria the Board deems important to CREF. In addition, the Committee may invite recommendations from the members of the CREF Board of Overseers, current Trustees and others.

The Committee reviews the information submitted on the backgrounds and qualifications of those persons recommended. In considering current Trustees for renomination to the Board, the Committee will evaluate each Trustee’s Board and Committee participation, contributions to the management of CREF and attendance at Board and Committee meetings. In preparing a slate of Trustee candidates, the Nominating and Governance Committee seeks to ensure broad, diverse representation of academic, business and professional experience.

The Committee submits final nominations to the CREF Board of Trustees after consultation with the CREF Board of Overseers to the extent consistent with the 1940 Act and rules thereunder.

Recommendations From Participants Regarding Nominations

Participants can recommend future nominees by keying in candidate recommendations at the following website: http://www.tiaa-cref.org/crefnominees or by writing to the Office of the Corporate Secretary of CREF, 730 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017-3206.

Trustee Qualifications

The Board has determined that it should be comprised of individuals who can contribute sound business judgment to Board deliberations and decisions, based on their relevant business, management, professional, academic or governmental service experience. Candidates for the Board should have reached a senior level in their chosen field, be of uncompromised integrity, and be able to fulfill their responsibilities as Trustees without conflict with CREF. The Board should reflect diversity of gender, race, age and experience and at least one Trustee should qualify as an audit committee financial expert for service on the Audit and Compliance Committee. Each Trustee should be prepared to devote substantial time and effort to CREF Board duties and should limit the number of their other board memberships in order to provide such service to CREF. Candidates for the Board should be individuals with an understanding of and affinity for academia, and a demonstrated ability to work in a constructive manner with other Board members and management.

When seeking to fill a specific opening on the Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee will consider the specific needs of the Board at the time to assure an overall balance and range of specialized knowledge, skills, expertise and diversity to provide the foundation for a successful Board.

A candidate for service as an independent Trustee must not be an “interested person,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, of CREF or Investment Management, and must otherwise meet the independence requirements of

 

18


the New York Stock Exchange or applicable rules. Each candidate must provide such information requested by CREF as may be reasonably necessary to enable the Board to assess the candidate’s eligibility.

Participant Communications With Trustees

Letters or e-mails from participants addressed to the Board or individual Trustees may be sent to the CREF Trustees c/o Office of the Corporate Secretary, at 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-3206. These communications will be forwarded to the Board’s chairman in accordance with established policies concerning participant communications that have been approved by a majority of independent Trustees.

Trustee Attendance at Annual Meetings

CREF Trustees are expected to attend the annual meeting of CREF participants. If a Trustee is unavailable to attend the meeting, a reason must be provided. Each of the nine Trustees then in office attended the 2007 annual meeting.

II. RATIFICATION OF THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

THE BOARD HAS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE SELECTION OF PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP AS CREF’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM, AND RECOMMENDS THAT THE PARTICIPANTS OF CREF RATIFY THE SELECTION THEREOF.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) served as the independent registered public accounting firm (“Independent Auditor”) to CREF for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, and the Board, all of whom are independent Trustees, has chosen to continue with the services of PwC for fiscal year 2008. PwC was initially selected following a competitive bidding process that had been initiated in November 2004 by TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex.

In making its selection, the Board discussed with PwC issues involving relationships among PwC, TIAA and the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex, and their affiliates, that could reasonably be thought to bear on PwC’s independence, and concluded that PwC was independent. PwC confirmed its independence to the Board. As part of this process, the Board considered that, while PwC would also serve as the Independent Auditor for TIAA and Teachers Advisors, Inc., the investment advisor to the funds other than CREF that are in the TIAA-CREF Fund Complex, this would not compromise PwC’s independence. The Board considered that this arrangement would produce a more cost-effective audit and received an agreement from PwC that the Board would be informed if any non-privileged material issues arose in the course of the audit of TIAA and its subsidiaries. Additionally, the Board took into consideration that the TIAA-CREF Funds and TIAA’s audits would be overseen by different PwC audit partners.

As CREF’s independent registered public accounting firm, PwC will perform independent audits of CREF’s financial statements.

Representatives of PwC will attend the meeting and be available at the meeting to respond to questions, but it is not expected that they will make any statement at the meeting.

 

19


Audit Fees

PwC’s fees for professional services rendered for the audit of CREF’s annual financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006 were approximately $1,315,000 and $1,300,000 respectively.

Audit-Related Fees

Audit-related fees are fees related to assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of financial statements, but not reported under audit fees. PwC’s fees for audit-related services rendered to CREF for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006 were approximately $0 and $25,000, respectively. Audit-related fees for fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 were for services related to procedures relating to regulatory filings.

Tax Fees

CREF did not pay any fees to PwC for professional services related to tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006.

All Other Fees

There were no fees paid to PwC for any other products or services rendered to CREF for the years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006.

Preapproval Policy

The Audit and Compliance Committee has adopted a Preapproval Policy for External Audit Firm Services (“Policy”). The Policy describes the types of services that may be provided by the Independent Auditor to CREF without impairing the Independent Auditor’s independence. Under the Policy, the Audit and Compliance Committee is required to preapprove certain services to be performed by CREF’s Independent Auditor in an effort to ensure that such services do not impair the Independent Auditor’s independence.

The Policy requires the Audit and Compliance Committee to: (i) appoint the Independent Auditor to perform the financial statement audit for CREF including approving the terms of the engagement and (ii) preapprove the audit, audit-related and tax services to be provided by the Independent Auditor and the fees to be charged for provision of such services from year to year.

All services provided by the Independent Auditor to CREF and certain non-audit services provided by the Independent Auditor to CREF’s advisor or affiliates for 2007 were preapproved by the Audit and Compliance Committee pursuant to the Policy.

Auditor Fees for Related Entities

The aggregate non-audit fees billed by PwC for services rendered to CREF and its advisor and affiliates of the advisor performing on-going services to CREF for the years ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006 were approximately $1,198,700 and $970,200, respectively.

 

20


III. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Investment Advisory and Distribution Arrangements

TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (“Investment Management”) manages the assets in each CREF account. It is a subsidiary of TIAA and provides its services to CREF at cost. Investment Management is registered as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, although it is not considered an investment advisor under the 1940 Act because of the at-cost nature of this arrangement.

CREF’s certificates are distributed by TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC (“Services”), another subsidiary of TIAA that provides its services to CREF at cost. Services is registered as a broker/dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. The TIAA Board of Overseers, a New York not-for-profit membership corporation, owns all of the stock of TIAA. The address for Investment Management and Services is 730 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017-3206.

IV. OTHER MATTERS

Means of Soliciting Proxies

This proxy solicitation will be conducted mainly by the mailing of this proxy statement and accompanying proxy card on or about June 12, 2008. Supplementary solicitations may be made by mail, telephone, and the Internet, but it may also be by any other method of electronic communication, or by personal interview. CREF bears all expenses connected with soliciting proxies; the expenses are included in the administrative expenses that are paid for from the net assets of each account.

Proposals of Persons with Voting Rights

CREF expects that its 2009 annual meeting will be held in July 2009, but the exact date, time, and location of such meeting have yet to be determined. As of the date of the printing of this proxy statement, proposals submitted by or on behalf of participants to be included in the CREF proxy materials for the 2009 annual meeting must be received by CREF no later than February 13, 2009. The submission of a proposal does not guarantee its inclusion in CREF’s proxy statement or presentation at the meeting. Unless CREF is notified by April 27, 2009 of other matters that may be properly brought before the 2009 annual meeting by or on behalf of participants, the persons named in the proxy will have the discretion to vote on those matters as they see fit.

Beneficial Ownership

To the knowledge of CREF, no participant owned of record or beneficially 5 percent or more of the outstanding shares of CREF on December 31, 2007.

Annual Reports

If you would like to see the most recent CREF semi-annual and annual reports, you can visit the TIAA-CREF website at www.tiaa-cref.org, or use our online request form to order print versions electronically. Or you can call (877) 518-9161 or write to CREF at 730 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10017-3206. These reports are furnished to participants without charge.

 

21


 

 

 

LOGO

 

CREF-State-2008

A10790

06/08


College Retirement Equities

By signing this form, I authorize Eugene Flood, Jr., William J. Mostyn, III, and Maceo K. Sloan, singly or together, with power of substitution in each, to represent me and cast my vote at CREF’s annual meeting, and any adjournment or postponement thereof. They will vote as I instruct. If no directions are given, or if the instructions are contradictory, the proxies will vote (i) FOR the election of all listed nominees; (i) in accordance with the trustee’s recommendations on the other subjects listed on this card; and (iii) at their discretion on any matters that may properly come before the annual meting or if a nominee is not available for election. The CREF annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 15, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. (MT) at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202.

Unless you have voted by Internet or telephone, please sign and date this ballot on the reverse side and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope to Computershare, P.O. Box 9043, Smithtown, NY 11787-9833. Computershare has been engaged to tabulate ballots returned by mail to preserve the confidentiality of your ballot.

 

      

To vote via the Internet – go – to http://www.proxy-direct.com

To vote by telephone – dial – 1 866 241-6192

            
   
                
      

Future Nominees:

To recommend future nominees please go to
http://www.tiaa.cref.org/crefnominees and type in suggestions for nominees. Alternatively you can send your recommendation to the Secretary of CREF, 730 Third Ave, New York, NY 10017-3206


LOGO

FINANCIAL SERVICES

FOR THE GREATER GOOD

 

The Board of Trustees recommends a vote FOR item 1.                          

1.

  Election of Trustee Nominees:

¨  To vote FOR all Nominees    ¨  To vote AGAINST all Nominees    ¨  To vote to ABSTAIN for all Nominees        or to vote separately by Nominee below

    FOR   AGAINST   ABSTAIN       FOR   AGAINST   ABSTAIN       FOR   AGAINST   ABSTAIN

01

  Forrest Berkley   ¨   ¨   ¨   02   Nancy A. Eckl   ¨   ¨   ¨   03   Eugene Flood, Jr.   ¨   ¨   ¨

04

  Michael A. Forrester   ¨   ¨   ¨   05   Howell E. Jackson   ¨   ¨   ¨   06   Nancy L. Jacob   ¨   ¨   ¨

07

  Bridget A. Macaskill   ¨   ¨   ¨   08   James M. Poterba   ¨   ¨   ¨   09   Maceo K. Sloan   ¨   ¨   ¨

10

  Laura T. Starks   ¨   ¨   ¨        
               
The Board of Trustees recommends a vote FOR item 2.                
          FOR   AGAINST   ABSTAIN      

2.

  To ratify the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as CREF’s independent registered public accounting firm.   ¨   ¨   ¨      

When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, or corporate officer, please indicate your full name and title.

Signature                                          Date                     


LOGO

TIAA_CREF/WO#:18801 TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONE VOTING SCRIPT

“TIAA_CREF”

EXPECTED MAIL DATE: 06/12/08

MEETING DATE: July 15, 2008

CONTROL NUMBER (s): 801 XXXXX 001 099

SECURITY CODE (s): XXXX XXXX

WHEN CONNECTED TO THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER 1-866-241-6192, THE PARTICIPANT WILL HEAR:

“Welcome! Please enter the number located in the shaded box on your proxy card.”

 

WHEN THE PARTICIPANT ENTERS THE NUMBER, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:
“To proceed, please enter the 8 digit code located in the non-shaded box on your proxy card”
 
 

WHEN THE PARTICIPANT ENTERS THE CODE, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“This is the automated telephone voting site for the CREF Annual Meeting”

OPTION 1: IF VOTING AS THE BOARD RECOMMENDS OR VOTING ALL PROPOSALS ONE WAY:

“To vote as the BOARD RECOMMENDS ON ALL PROPOSALS, press 1.”

“To vote FOR ALL PROPOSALS, press 2.”

“To vote AGAINST ALL PROPOSALS, press 3.”

“To ABSTAIN FROM VOTING ON ALL PROPOSALS, press 4.”

“To vote on EACH PROPOSAL SEPARATELY, press 0.”

 

 

IF THE PARTICIPANT PRESSES OPTIONS “1” THROUGH “4” LISTED ABOVE HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“To hear how you have voted, press 1.”   “To cancel your vote, press 2.”   “To save how you have voted, press 3.”

IF THE PARTICIPANT PRESSES 1, TO HEAR THE VOTES, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Your vote will be saved automatically should you decide to hang up during vote playback.”

“Your vote has been cast as follows….:

For option 1: “You have voted AS THE BOARD RECOMMENDED.”

For option 2: “You have voted FOR ALL.”

For option 3: “You have voted AGAINST ALL.”

For option 4 “You have voted TO ABSTAIN ON ALL.”

 

“To hear how you have voted, press 1.”   “To cancel your vote, press 2.”   “To save how you have voted, press 3.”

IF THE PARTICIPANT PRESSES 2, TO CANCEL THE VOTES, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Your vote has been canceled.”   “To enter another vote, press 1 now.”   “To end this call, press 0 now.”

IF THE PARTICIPANT PRESSES 3, TO SAVE THE VOTES, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Your vote has been saved.”   “To enter another vote, press 1 now.”   “To end this call press 0 now.”

If the PARTICIPANT elects to vote another proxy, he/she is returned to the above speech

“PLEASE ENTER THE NUMBER”.

IF THE PARTICIPANT ELECTS TO END THE CALL, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Thank you for voting.”

 

 

OPTION 2: IF THE PARTICIPANT OPTS TO VOTE ON EACH PROPOSAL SEPARATELY:

 

“Proposal 1.01:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.02:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”


“Proposal 1.03:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.04:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.05:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.06:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.07:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.08:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.09:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 1.10:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”
“Proposal 2.:   To vote FOR press 1.   To vote AGAINST press 9.   To ABSTAIN press 0.”

WHEN THE PARTICIPANT HAS COMPLETED VOTING ON ALL PROPOSALS, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“To hear how you have voted, press 1.” “To cancel your vote, press 2.” “To save how you have voted, press 3.”

IF THE PARTICIPANT PRESSES 1, TO HEAR THE VOTES, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Your vote will be saved automatically should you decide to hang up during vote playback.”

“Your vote has been cast as follows (vote for each proposal(s) and or holding(s) are given).”

“To hear how you have voted, press 1.” “To cancel your vote, press 2.” “To save how you have voted, press 3.”

IF THE PARTICIPANT PRESSES 2, TO CANCEL THE VOTES, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Your vote has been canceled.” “To enter another vote, press 1 now.” “To end this call, press 0 now.”

IF THE PARTICIPANT PRESSES 3, TO SAVE THE VOTES, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Your vote has been saved.” “To enter another vote, press 1 now.” “To end this call press 0 now.”

If the PARTICIPANT elects to vote another proxy, he/she is returned to the above speech

“PLEASE ENTER THE NUMBER”.

IF THE PARTICIPANT ELECTS TO END THE CALL, HE/SHE WILL HEAR:

“Thank you for voting.”

Call is terminated.


Enter your 14 digit control number from the shaded box on your notice or card:

Enter your 8 digit security code from the unshaded box on your notice or card:

 

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Proxy/Voting Instruction Card

 

  

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    Mark All   LOGO

Proposals

    Mark All   LOGO
1.01   Election of Trustee Nominee: Forrest Berkley     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.02   Election of Trustee Nominee: Nancy A. Eckl     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.03   Election of Trustee Nominee: Eugene Flood, Jr.     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.04   Election of Trustee Nominee: Michael A. Forrester     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.05   Election of Trustee Nominee: Howell E. Jackson     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.06   Election of Trustee Nominee: Nancy L. Jacob     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.07   Election of Trustee Nominee: Bridget A. Macaskill     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.08   Election of Trustee Nominee: James M. Poterba     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.09   Election of Trustee Nominee: Marceo K. Sloan     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
1.10   Election of Trustee Nominee: Laura T. Starks     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
2   To ratify the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as CREF’s independent registered public accounting firm.     O  For  O  Against  O  Abstain
If you have questions regarding the voting process, please call (631)231-7900.     LOGO    LOGO