Reconnecting with a shared commitment to service
We are excited to announce that the University of Minnesota Retirees Association (UMRA) and the University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) have agreed to reconnect as a single organization to broaden and expand volunteer service opportunities for U of M retirees.
A Statement of Reaffiliation, developed by a joint UMRA-URVC Work Team after nine months of discussion and officially signed on April 10, 2022, outlines a reconnection in which URVC will become a center within UMRA, and the URVC Board of Directors will become the Volunteer Center’s Management Committee.
Our two organizations have a long and productive history. URVC began as a committee within UMRA focused on connecting retirees with volunteer needs in the University and the broader community. As volunteering became increasingly popular among U of M retirees, URVC—with support from the U’s central administration—was established in 1987 as an independent entity. Many dedicated individuals, including Alan Kagan, who has served continuously as a URVC volunteer since its inception, have contributed to URVC’s success over the years in matching the talents and energy of retirees with campus and community needs.
Working more effectively, together
In addition to our historical connections, several factors have led to bringing our organizations back together. First, we often heard that having two groups focused on University retirees was confusing. Second, the UMRA-URVC Work Team concluded in its final report that by working together we can more effectively develop connections with departments on campus and agencies in the community. Third, as part of the University community, we also wanted to signal our alignment with University initiatives to streamline service operations for efficiency and effectiveness.
Finally, we felt that bringing our two organizations back together would underscore our collaborative commitment to providing U of M retirees with opportunities for social engagement, intellectual stimulation, and service to others.
Earlier this spring, UMRA President Jan Morlock and U of M Provost Rachel Croson signed a new Memorandum of Understanding between UMRA and the University. The MOU reaffirms the central administration’s support for UMRA and acknowledges UMRA’s partnership with URVC in serving the University’s retirement community.
Details for the implementation of the UMRA-URVC reaffiliation agreement will be developed during 2022–23.
—Jan Morlock, UMRA president, and Jerry Rinehart, URVC chair
May Meeting
At A Glance
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
2022 Annual Meeting and Forum
Welcome back!
Campus Club, Fourth Floor
West Wing Dining Room
Coffman Memorial Union
10:45 a.m. |
Check in |
11:15 a.m. |
Buffet lunch |
Noon |
Annual Meeting and Forum |
Featured speaker |
Menu
Chicken in heirloom tomato sauce with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and seasonal vegetables. GF.
For vegetarian/vegan option, please request when making your reservation.
RSVP by May 13
Prepayment of $25 per person.
Reserve and pay online or contact Diane Young at young054@umn.edu.
Cancellations and refunds will be honored until May 13. We are not able to accommodate registrations on the day of the event.
Parking
For a discount of $1 per hour in University parking facilities, use the QR code on the back of your UMRA membership card when exiting. Credit cards only.
UMRA policy requires all participants to be vaccinated. Masks are optional.
Make your reservation today!
Unable to attend in person? Please register and join UMRA’s 2022 Annual Meeting and Forum via Zoom.
NEWS

On June 24, at the end of a week like no other (House Jan. 6 committee hearings, and Supreme Court decisions on gun control in New York and overturning Roe v. Wade), UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club had a deep and passionate discussion on Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild. More …

Set in the fictional hamlet of Three Pines, Québec, Still Life is the first in the highly acclaimed and now 18-book series of murder mysteries by Canadian author Louise Penny. UMRA Book Club I members especially liked the main character, the wise and beloved Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. More …

Thirty members of UMRA met with first-year Regents Kodi Verhalen and James Farnsworth via Zoom in late May for an engaging conversation about the critical issues currently facing the University and the important role that retirees can play. More …

The Retirees Association held a celebratory and well-attended annual meeting and forum on May 24, welcoming Provost Rachel Croson and CLA Dean John Coleman to our first in-person luncheon gathering at the Campus Club since February 2020. More …

Spending two hours outdoors may be “the new 10,000 steps,” and Minnesota’s state parks and trails are a wonderful resource waiting for us to enjoy and nurture them. More …