Big Ten 2024 conference highlights
Delegates to the Big Ten Retirees Association (BTRA) 2024 annual conference met at The Ohio State University in July to learn about Ohio State, share ideas, and develop closer ties among the 28 attendees from 12 of the 14 Big Ten schools. Current and past UMRA presidents Julie Sweitzer and Eric Hockert represented UMRA, enjoyed the camaraderie, offered insights from Minnesota for successful engagement between our university and our members, and gathered best practices from the other retiree associations.
Of particular interest to the other schools were our University Retirees Volunteer Center; Silver Gopher Service Corps; Cabinets of Curiosity tours; extensive number of UMRA leaders, including our liaison to the Board of Regents; our membership in the U of M Age-Friendly University Council; outreach to all campuses in the U of M System; and active participation in U of M governance with our representation on the U’s Senate committees.
The roundtable discussions of best practices were highlights of the conference. The topics included leadership development, member recruitment and retention, member communication and engagement, and special programs outside the campus community. We have shared many ideas about recruitment and engagement with UMRA’s Membership and Communication Committee for its consideration.
Next year’s BTRA meeting will be held August 5–7 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Minnesota will host the 2026 BTRA meeting, and we hope there will be representatives attending from all 18 schools in the Big Ten Conference—including Washington, Oregon, UCLA, and the University of Southern California, who became the newest members of the Big Ten on August 2. The new schools have been invited to join BTRA, along with Rutgers and Maryland (who joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014), but at this point only Maryland has become an active BTRA member.
A planning committee chaired by Eric Hockert is well on its way to making the 2026 event a success. Our committee includes a strong group of six individuals with many good ideas and plans, but if you have some thoughts to contribute, please feel free to contact either of us.
—Julie Sweitzer, UMRA president, and Eric Hockert, UMRA past president (2023–24)
News
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The UMRA-sponsored Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays is seeking a new editor-in-chief who can promote the e-publication, solicit authors, and ensure JOIE’s continued success.
Volunteer work is usually evaluated according to “replacement rate” figures based on hourly wages. But the data on hours contributed and people served are just the notes on the page; the music is in the human spirit behind and beyond them.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center Leadership Council has elected two new members, including UMRA member Scott Elton (pictured), and re-elected four members for second, three-year terms.
UMRA is excited to announce the launch of a new member portal in late April. This web-based, member management software system is hosted by a company called WildApricot and will replace the current member portal at retirees.umn.edu, where you currently renew your membership and sign up for events.
The new portal simplifies and more efficiently manages many essential tasks for UMRA, including enrolling new members, updating member records, registering event attendees, and processing payments.
I have developed a special interest in my seventh great grandfather, Michael Pierce… Putting together the pieces of Michael’s life has been an interesting journey, even if at times complicated and confusing. I have learned to evaluate sources that tell different stories and cannot agree on what one might think are basic facts like when and where someone was born. I have learned to accept and live with these and other ambiguities.
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:
At a contentious meeting March 14, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved a resolution restricting University units from issuing statements “of public concern or public interest.” Several dozen faculty and students present vehemently protested the resolution.
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2025–26 will be conducted via an online poll from May 12 to 18, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 20. Sally Gregory Kohlstedt leads the slate of nominees as president-elect. She came to the University of Minnesota in 1989 as a professor and associate dean, and retired in 2018.
Meet UMRA member Vicki Gaylord. In her 32-year career at the Institute of Community Integration, a U of M Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, she made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people around the world.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center is seeking candidates to serve on the URVC Leadership Council. The council meets six times per year to identify opportunities for volunteer projects and develop strategies for growing and supporting volunteer participation.
Deanne Magnusson was raised in a family in which education and volunteerism were encouraged. She earned three degrees at the U of M, and enjoyed a career working in education with leaders and schools in Minnesota and across the world. These experiences, and her volunteer work today with URVC, continue to transform her as an educator and as a person.