University of Minnesota Retirees Association

Minnesota Commissioner of Management and Budget Myron Frans offered a crisp and clear description of the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic during UMRA’s May 2020 Forum, the first in the history of our association to be convened remotely. Read more >

Congratulations to the officers and to the new and returning members elected to serve on UMRA’s board of directors for 2020–21. Read more >

Delia Owens’ novel is “… an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.” Read more >

CATSS, the Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science at the U of M, is recruiting participants ages 60 and older for a study of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more >

In the last five weeks, more than 26 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits and, says U of M economist V. V. Chari, the economic pain is surely just starting. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has come to dominate our lives, disrupting travel, trade, work, and social life. Heroic efforts are now being made across the globe to mitigate the individual and population effects of this novel corona virus. The responses of scientific communities to this pandemic have been amazing.

Even before the coronavirus changed everything, two veteran world travelers decided they may never travel for a winter vacation again. 

For the past five years, Jeanne Markell, pictured here with her husband, Michael, has had the rewarding experience of volunteering through the U of M’s 1Health Community Teacher Program.

With Dick Poppele’s retirement from UMRA leadership, the Professional Development Grants for Retirees program is transitioning to another outstanding leader, John Bantle, MD.

While many of us are feeling stuck at home, UMRA Webmaster Cathy Lee Gierke is glad to have finally arrived home after returning from a volunteer assignment halfway around the world.

Meet UMRA member Marjorie Savage who, after a lifetime of jobs in the humanities, decided to embrace life as a "citizen scientist."

In 2016, author Dani Shapiro submitted her DNA to a genetic testing service for analysis. The results shocked her.