2026 BTRA Conference planning update
Plans are well underway for UMRA to host the 2026 Big Ten Retirees Association (BTRA) conference this summer. The meeting will be held July 21-24 at the Graduate hotel on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis along with other venues on the schedule, including the Campus Club in Minneapolis and a bus tour of the campus.
My previous article provided some background and purpose for this annual meeting of the BTRA representatives. In this note I’d like to share a few, limited volunteer opportunities that may interest you:
- Create and print name tags with school logos and U of M colors.
- Staff registration table to welcome our guests. July 21 late afternoon and July 22 morning, two volunteers per day.
- Take notes during roundtable discussions July 22 and 23, three to five volunteers per day.
- Provide transportation for the companion program, driving to the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis and the Bell Museum in St. Paul on July 22 and 23.
Help with coffee breaks at the Graduate hotel on July 22, 23, and 24, morning and afternoon.
Some of these roles are filling fast. We may have additional opportunities later. If you would like to be considered for any of them, please email Eric Hockert.Our planning group has been working diligently for more than a year and includes Diane Young, Sally Kohlstedt, Kristy Frost-Griep, Russell Luepker, Kathy Jensen, and Aileen Lyle.
—Eric Hockert, BTRA Board chair and 2026 BTRA Conference Planning Group chair, [email protected]
News
The Campus Club’s Dale Shephard Room provided a perfect venue for nearly 30 UMRA members and guests to interact with University of Minnesota Vice President Chris Gade for UMRA’s first Campus Conversation. His presentation focused on the new vision and strategy for University Marketing Communications.
Meet UMRA member and photojournalist David Hansen. He devoted nearly 50 years working for the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station to promote University of Minnesota research discoveries, in pictures. “I loved my University work. Every day,” he said.
Professor Emeritus John Romano is the newest member of the University Retirees Volunteer Center Leadership Council. Throughout his University experience, he has been a leader among those providing mental health support for students on campus.
I grew up surrounded by positive people. My parents both lived to be 98, and I never heard either of them complain as they grew older. In that spirit, I’d like to share with you some thoughts on the advantages of getting older, as I experience it.
The Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education (AROHE) invites you to join retirees from across the country at the biennial 2026 AROHE Conference taking place October 6–8 in Gainesville, Florida.