University retirees associated with the Law School, Medical School, Carlson School, College of Liberal Arts, and Libraries have been awarded 2019–20 grants from the Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program. The five awards total nearly $25,000 and will provide support for a variety of interests and projects.

UMRA member Jonathan Ravdin, M.D., for example, will use his grant to advance research on death and funeral transition (cremation, embalmment, caskets, burial, and religious services) in Minnesota, and the cumulative impact of these transition choices upon climate change. It is Ravdin’s third consecutive PDGR award.

Attorney Kathryn Sedo, also an UMRA member and repeat PDGR grant recipient, will use her award to attend three American Bar Association meetings to stay current in tax law and procedure.

First-time PDGR award recipient and new UMRA member Randy Croce is producing a video documentary on the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Movement and will use his award to support that effort. 

Go to umra.umn.edu/Serving U>Grants for Retirees for details about all the awards.

The relatively low number of proposals this year was disappointing. Members of the grants committee think we have not convinced enough retirees that this program can work for them and for the University. The awards can be used to carry out a variety of projects, as noted above. In addition, the program provides resources to engage undergraduate students in a research project.

Perhaps the complexity of using the online application system made some retirees reluctant to apply. In fact, the participation rate has been low for two years now, which coincides with the introduction of the online application system. The grants committee will be looking into this issue in detail.

— Dick Poppele, PDGR Committee chair