From the President
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
2026-10: Framing our future effortsWe are off to a strong start for UMRA’s 2026–27 program year that began with a lovely cruise on Lake Minnetonka in mid-August and, later that month, UMRA’s first leadership retreat since 2020. My goals as I start my term as president are to facilitate the programs we have in place “to learn, serve, and connect,” and to advance the new ideas coming from the retreat and from you. More...
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News
Operational needs: Help make UMRA run
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details:
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Optimistic about the future of the Medical School and the health sciences; collaboration will be key
Event Date:UMRA welcomed Carol Bradford, MD, interim dean of the UMN Medical School and interim executive vice president for Health Affairs, as the guest speaker for the first Living Well Workshop of the fall. She painted an optimistic future for the health sciences, driven by the University’s Elevate Extraordinary 2030 strategic plan. More...
Changes are coming to the University’s under-65 retiree medical plans
Beginning January 1, 2027, the University of Minnesota is making updates to medical plans, the pharmacy vendor, and the Wellbeing Program incentive that apply to retirees and dependents enrolled in these plans.
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Book Notes | ‘ The Secret Book of Flora Lea’ by Patti Callahan Henry
Event Date:Overall, our group liked 'The Secret Book of Flora Lea' with its rich descriptions and happy ending. We also talked about the heart-wrenching removal of 1.5 million people from British towns and cities over three days in September 1939. More...
Strategies for managing the ups and downs of sleep
Event Date:Questions and comments on topics ranging from consistent bedtimes to the use of CPAP machines and over-the-counter sleep aids contributed to an engaging and goodhearted discussion for the UMRA Breakfast meeting on September 17. More...
UMRA makes its Minnesota State Fair debut
The University of Minnesota has had a presence at the Great Minnesota Get-Together for 167 years. And on September 3, 2026, UMRA made its Minnesota State Fair debut to talk with fairgoers (on Seniors Day) about retirement and to promote opportunities to volunteer through our University Retirees Volunteer Center.
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Remembering 9/11, and feeling grateful
Like all of us, UMRA member Barbara Heinemann has been reflecting on 9/11 and life in the 25 years since then, with mixed feelings.
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‘Thank you, UMRA, for supporting this research and educational effort!’
December 31 is the application deadline for UMRA’s 2027 Professional Development Grants for Retirees competition. Retirees from all five University of Minnesota campuses are eligible to apply. We invited Brad Hokanson, professor emeritus, UMN Department of Design Innovation, to tell us about the work supported by his 2026 grant to promote teaching creativity in high schools.
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HELLO, my name is Kay Louis
Meet UMRA member and volunteer extraordinaire Kay Louis. She devoted her career as an Extension educator — “bringing the University to the people” — to developing and providing programming for adults and youth.
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Be sure to renew your UMRA membership for 2027
The UMRA membership year runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. If you haven’t yet renewed your membership for 2027, it’s definitely time to do so!
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Join the UMRA Facebook group
UMRA has a Facebook group that is open to UMN retirees and others with close ties to the University, for posting messages about anything University- or retiree-related. Learn more.
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Minnesota Genealogical Society
Event Date:Mike, president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, provided a brief overview of the library, the society and the many volunteers who help maintain it and entertained questions about the Society. More...
Book Notes | ‘Buckeye’ by Patrick Ryan
Event Date:The book chronicles the lives of three generations of two families living in Ohio in the mid 20th-century. Midway through the book, the reader learns that the two families are connected in a most unusual way. More...
‘Minnesota Nice’ and so much more
UMRA hosted delegates from 14 of the 18 schools in the Big Ten for the 2026 Big Ten Retirees Association conference in July. It was described as “the perfect collaboration” by two delegates we invited to share a few of their key takeaways from the conference.
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Helping teenagers and adults to develop language proficiency
Developing communication skills is the focus of two programs needing volunteers this fall: the “Reader/Writer Program,” assisting students in Minneapolis Public Schools grades 7-12 to develop literacy skills; and “Partners in English,” engaging in conversation with adults for whom English is not their first language.
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