Focus group sessions at the Campus Club
Fri, Sep 26, 2025, 2 - 3:30pm
During our careers at the U of M, many of us found that the Campus Club in Minneapolis provided a distinctive and positive environment to meet with colleagues, conduct important business, and celebrate accomplishments.
The Campus Club still wants to serve our community. And because of that, it is inviting UMRA members to participate in focus group discussions this fall to provide insight on the U of M retiree experience. The sessions are intended to generate ideas about how the Campus Club can provide a welcoming environment for informal or formal retiree gatherings, such as interest group meetings and happy hours.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has recruited several UMRA volunteers to assist Campus Club staff in the discussions. Coffee and soda will be provided, and the conversations will be held in the relaxed atmosphere of the bar, in the couch seating section.
In the process of learning more about the Campus Club and how it can serve retirees, participants in these focus groups will have the opportunity to get to know some fellow UMRA members.
The sessions will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on four Fridays: September 26, October 17, November 7, and December 5.
At these times, parking is usually not difficult in the East River Road and Weisman Art Museum parking garages. Parking vouchers will be provided by URVC to cover any charges remaining after you use your UMRA parking discount code.
Upcoming Events
52 Loaves: One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust by William Alexander will be the selection for discussion when the UMRA Book Club gathers via Zoom for its first monthly meeting of 2026.
Developing a sense of identity is a central psychological task of the lifespan. Memories and stories from our personal past, as well as cultural memories and stories in society play key roles in how we develop our identities. This presentation will discuss psychological theory and research on how memories and stories make us who we are.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
Join fellow UMRA members for a morning hike in Theodore Wirth Park to celebrate Groundhog Day on Monday, February 2.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.
"One color" is the theme for the meeting of the UMRA Photo Club on Tuesday, February 10.
Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota including my grandfather, whose unusual relationship to several churches, and religion in general, was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
UMRA’s Cabinets of Curiosity tour on Thursday, February 12, will offer an inside look into the rich resources of the University Libraries Borchert Map Library. Map Librarian Ryan Mattke will showcase the treasures and innovations of one of the largest map libraries in the U.S.
Well-known Twin Cities-based financial journalist and economics commentator Chris Farrell will be the featured guest for UMRA’s February 17 Living Well Workshop via Zoom. He will discuss why and how the current generation of older Americans is not following the traditional retirement pattern of a relaxed lifestyle.
UMRA's Book Club I will discuss Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother's Life. Author is Kao Kalia Yang. Discussion leader is Linda Lindeke.
Renee Alexander’s first job at the Great Minnesota Get-Together was as an intern in 1989. She took over the top job in 2023, following the 26-year tenure of her predecessor.
Growing Up by Russell Baker.
Family history with Michelle Casey.