February 2016 Luncheon Speaker
Tue, February 23 2016, 11:30am
Campus Club ABC
UMRA welcomes, as our February luncheon speaker, senior Vice President for academic affairs and Provost Karen Hanson. Since Dr. Hanson took her position on the Twin Cities campus in 2012, UMRA leaders have been interested in her perspectives on how the University and its retirees can be mutually supportive of one another.
Coming to her position here was a homecoming for her. She received her bachelor of arts, summa cum laude, in philosophy and mathematics from the University of Minnesota in 1970. Following graduation, she went on to earn both her master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy from Harvard University, completing the doctorate in 1980.
Prior to returning to Minnesota, Dr. Hanson served as provost at the Bloomington campus of Indiana University and executive vice president of that university from July 2007 to January 2012. In February of 2012 she came back to Minnesota as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.
Provost Hanson’s research interests are in the philosophy of mind, ethics and aesthetics, and American philosophy. She has published many articles and essays in these areas and is the author of the book The Self Imagined: Philosophical Reflections on the Social Character of Psyche and a co-editor of the book Romantic Revolutions: Criticism and Theory.
Active in the work of her profession, she was twice elected to the executive committee of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association (APA) and to the APA National Board of Officers. She served as chair of the APA Board, 2004—05. From 1993 to 1997, she served as the APA delegate to the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and as a member of the ACLS Executive Committee.
Dr. Hanson has been an associate editor of the Journal of Social Philosophy, a member of the editorial board of American Philosophical Quarterly, and a trustee for the American Society for Aesthetics. Her current editorial board memberships include Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews and Cognito. She is an officer of the John Dewey Foundation board and member of the Peirce Edition Project advisory board.
During her tenure here, Dr. Hanson has played a central role in the development of the Strategic Plan for the University. That plan has received the attention and response from UMRA’s Past President John Adams. Adams’s response to Provost Hanson has concentrated on ways that retirees could aid the University in achieving many of the goals of the plan. He will introduce Provost Hanson at the February luncheon.
— Hal Miller, Past President and Program Committee member
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.