Give now to the PDGR program
UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program is an annual competition for grants to support projects related to retirees’ research, instructional history, or new scholarly and creative interests. Funding of up to $7,500 per grant is available. Retirees from all University campuses are eligible to apply.
If you have previously contributed financially to the PDGR program, thank you for your support. If you have not made a contribution or, if you would like to make another, you can do so via the PDGR crowdfunding page.
You can also make a tax-efficient gift from an IRA if you are age 70½ or older. To do so, contact Lynn Praska, senior planned giving officer, U of M Foundation, at [email protected] or 612-624-4158.
Now is a particularly good time to contribute as we have a $10,000 matching grant for the remainder of 2025.
Previous awards have covered a diverse set of topics including immigration, U.S. election systems, Native American art, childhood tantrums, statistics, social equity, science, and medicine. See previous PDGR Awards for information about past projects.
Anyone with questions or suggestions for the grant program should email John Bantle, UMRA member and PDGR Committee chair.
News
UMRA hosted delegates from 14 of the 18 schools in the Big Ten for the 2026 Big Ten Retirees Association conference in July. It was described as “the perfect collaboration” by two delegates we invited to share a few of their key takeaways from the conference.
Developing communication skills is the focus of two programs needing volunteers this fall: the “Reader/Writer Program,” assisting students in Minneapolis Public Schools grades 7-12 to develop literacy skills; and “Partners in English,” engaging in conversation with adults for whom English is not their first language.
After being unexpectedly sidelined at the outset of her retirement, Pam Snopl now enjoys doing many of the things retirees get to do, including reconnecting in person with family and friends, going to museums and weekday Minnesota Twins games, reading, and writing.
UMRA member George Swan retired in 2021 after 30+ years at University Libraries, but still returns to campus to visit one or another of the libraries at least twice a week in his current role as a student/retiree.
UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees program is an annual competition for grants to support projects related to retirees’ research, instructional history, new scholarly or creative interests.
UMRA needs everyone to renew their membership for the coming year. Thank you if you’ve already renewed! If you haven’t, please renew right away.