From the President Archives
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Greetings, I hope you are safe and well.
Our October UMRA Forum with Dr. Josie Johnson, recipient of a Professional Development Grant for Retirees (PDGR) award, was both inspiring and enlightening. The conversation addressed social injustice and systemic racism and our need to be engaged in the conversation. I urge all to read her book, Hope in the Struggle: A Memoir.
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Greetings. I hope you are safe and well and have some level of enjoyment in this challenging time. UMRA met throughout the summer, ending with a leadership retreat the end of August that focused on improving the vibrancy and growth of the organization. Programming for the coming year was at the heart of the retreat.
UMRA’s new officers, board committee chairs, and other leaders are now in place. The names and phone numbers of UMRA personnel for 2020–21 can be found on the UMRA website.
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Greetings in the new year for UMRA. Actually, UMRA never stopped meeting during the summer months. What did change is that all our meetings are now Zoom based. And that will continue at least through the end of 2020. There will be a reassessment in the late fall. A survey of our membership was undertaken in May. The respondents strongly favored not meeting in person again until COVID-19 cases and deaths are trending downward and there is a vaccine or curative medication available.
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With apologies to Gabriel García Márquez, we are operating in a time that is rife with peril and risk for our herd of senior retirees. We have cancelled UMRA’s in-person May meeting. However, through the magic of electronics and the generosity of our guest speaker, Minnesota Commissioner of Management and Budget Myron Frans, we will be hosting a webinar presentation via Zoom on Tuesday, May 19, starting at 12 noon. University President Joan Gabel will introduce Commissioner Frans.
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What a difference a month makes. Instead of preparing for spring and the planting of gardens, we are confronted with a global pandemic that threatens our health and well-being. As seniors we are among the most vulnerable people endangered by the pandemic. On top of that, the economy is seriously stalled, and our investments are negatively affected.
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Welcome to spring at the University. High school teams are back on campus and the Twins are in Florida. We will be wearing shorts in no time.
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Bill Donohue is on a well-deserved vacation and asked me to communicate with you this month regarding a few items of interest.
Our holiday event on December 17 at the Campus Club was attended by more than 70 participants and, judging from the conversations and feedback, was enjoyed by all. The 7Days A Capella student ensemble from the School of Music was outstanding and added to the festivities. The holiday event will be held again in December 2020.
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Happy New Year! Our Retiree Association has just finished up a great 2019. We heard from President Joan Gabel at our November forum before the largest crowd in our history, met regents Mary Davenport and Janie Mayeron in a wonderful conversational setting (thanks to the University of Minnesota Foundation and Lynn Praska), and, for the first time ever, got together for a Holiday Party in December. Results of the UMRA Quiz (forecasting the future) will be available soon.
There is much to look forward to in the new year with a great lineup of forum speakers and workshops.
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Great News! At the October meeting of the UMRA Board, the University of Minnesota Foundation informed us that total contributions by UMRA members to the University’s current fund drive now exceed $26.9 million. Even more impressive, 80 percent of UMRA members have donated to the “Driven” campaign. Congratulations!
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The 2019–20 academic year is off to a good start.
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Welcome to the 2019–20 academic year at the University of Minnesota.
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Several years ago, UMRA presidents and leaders set the stage for reasserting our role within the University as both advocates and constructive supporters.
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During its March meeting, the UMRA Board of Directors recommended a change in our by-laws that is intended to help us retain and leverage the experience and institutional memory of
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As many of you know, in recent years we’ve often had to cut off registrations for our monthly luncheons because of the limited capacity of Conference Room ABC in the Campus Club.
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As UMRA moves into 2019, I thought I should offer a “State of the Association” report. (Spoiler alert—I think we’re doing pretty darn well.)
Our total membership is approaching 600, having nicely recovered from the drop-off we experienced after the Office of Human Resources stopped providing us with contact information for new University retirees (our primary mode for recruiting members). UMRA reached a new agreement with OHR last spring and we now have more new members—105—than ever before.
Our longest-standing member, Francis Paulu, joined UMRA in 1978!
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