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From the President
I hope you are safe and well and have considered the COVID-19 vaccine if it has been offered to you. Check with your health system, health provider, or the Minnesota Department of Health to see if you qualify and where the administration sites are located. Read more >>
Six masks
Photo by Craig Swan -
Welcome! Join us.
- Attend monthly programs and workshops
- Enjoy social activities and make new friends
- Stay informed on retirement issues and opportunitiesSee Member Benefits to join, renew, or find resources for retirees.
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Photo Club is on Shutterfly
The UMRA Photo Club posts its theme pictures online. Go to umraphotoclub.shutterfly.com. You’re in for a treat!
Practicing social distancing. Photo by Ewa Prochniewicz
February 2021 ♦ Two Online Forums ♦ Online Workshop ♦ Free
UMRA Forum
February 23, 2021 - 12:00pm
The University is facing a projected $166 million budget shortfall. How will it fare during this crisis? What further challenges lie ahead? Myron Frans, the U's senior VP for finance and operations, will offer answers to these and other questions for UMRA’s February 2021 Forum.
March 9, 2021 - 9:00am
BioMADE, a new institute dedicated to boosting nonmedical bioindustrial manufacturing in the United States, will be the focus of attention for UMRA A.M. in March with guest speaker Andrea Backes, chief of operations.
Living Well Workshop
March 2, 2021 - 11:00am
RESCHEDULED. A weakening voice can impact one’s ability to thrive in later years. The good news is, there are things we can do to build and maintain our vocal strength, as we will learn in this workshop with Peter Watson, PhD, from the U of M Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.
March 16, 2021 - 11:00am
Are you getting ready to downsize? Unsure what to do with all the files from your office? Planning to spring clean during the pandemic? Our March 16 workshop presenter, Erik Moore, head archivist for the University of Minnesota, will help us to assess the potential value of what we’ve stored away.
NEWS
The16th novel by Minnesota author Louise Erdrich, discussed by UMRA Book Club I at its February meeting, is a stellar depiction of reservation life and the consequences of relocation in the mid 1950s. Read more >>
Meet 2020 MacArthur Fellow and cognitive neuroscientist Damien Fair, PhD. He joined the University of Minnesota faculty last summer as Redleaf Endowed Director of the Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain. Read more >>
The Nominating Committee is seeking candidates to serve as members and officers of the UMRA Board of Directors. We invite you to run for a position yourself or to nominate someone else. Read more >>
UMRA has created a new Facebook group open to all University of Minnesota retirees. Please join us! Read more >>
The Retirement Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs, with guidance from the Office of Investments and Banking and the Office of Human Resources, is considering the addition of a “retirement tier” to the University’s retirement plans. Read more >>
Kristine M. Bettin is the new editor-in-chief of UMRA’s online journal, JOIE. She was appointed by a unanimous vote of the UMRA Board. Read more >>
Meet Frank Busta, retired professor and director of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense at the U of M. His first job in the food industry was as a box stacker at Green Giant. Read more >>
The Regents have approved agreements for the Twin Cities campus to serve as the primary site of the new Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE), making the University site one of 16 institutes within the new federally funded Manufacturing USA network. Read more >>
UMRA’s own Greg Hestness gave a thoughtful and riveting reflection on the past and future of the Minneapolis Police Department for the UMRA A.M. webinar via Zoom on February 9. Read more >>
The Minnesota Legislature will soon choose four regents to serve on the 12-member University of Minnesota Board of Regents. It is an election that will set the path of one of Minnesota’s most important institutions. Read more >>
UMRA has a new book club and it is welcoming new readers. Read more >>
Meet Benoît "Bruno" Courrèges, a policeman in a small village in the South of France. He has a gun but never carries it; he has the power to arrest but never uses it—until one day, when everything changes. Read more >>
It’s never too late to start building more activity into your life, and activity can be tailored to your age and physical condition. Read more >>
Over the last four years, with my spouse as co-investigator, I have benefitted greatly from having Undergraduate Research Scholarship students on our team for two projects supported by UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees program. Read more >>
The Professional Development Grants for Retirees program received only one application for 2021. Trying to create positive spin, I shall consider this an opportunity for us to replenish our program fund. Read more >>
Meet UMRA member Dorothy Marden. She runs for fun and got her first TV, together with her husband, just last year. Really!
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We saw during 2020 how relevant scientific research endeavors are and we may merely wonder at the inestimable value of having volunteers willing to be research participants. Extraordinary opportunities are available through the University Retirees Volunteer Center. Read more >>
Due to the modest response to the Road Scholar “Art & History of Paris” tour the UMRA Travel Committee announced in November, Road Scholar has decided to add three more dates for participating. Read more >>
The Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation, or CHAI, a new center emanating from the Center on Aging, resides in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and UMRA is a supporting organization. Read more >>
UMRA is expanding on its partnership with the University of Minnesota Alumni Association by offering our webcasts to Gold Mind, UMAA’s expanding library of video presentations curated from 20 University colleges and units. Read more >>
The UMRA Book Club discussed One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez at its January meeting. It was a difficult read for some.
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Looking for answers to your tax questions and access to free tax preparation services? Many possible tax credits are available but only if taxes are properly filed. Read more >>