HELLO, my name is Joan Garfield
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but my family moved every three years, so I grew up in Chicago, Omaha, and St. Louis.
When did you join UMRA? In 2021.
What was your very first job? When I was a junior in high school, living in New Jersey, I was hired to file tests in the Psychology Assessment Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. It lasted three weeks, and I was thrilled to receive a paycheck each week. I was offered the job because my father was the director of the Clinical Psychology Program there and was frustrated that the tests were disorganized and hard to find. He created the job for me.
What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? Professor of educational psychology in the College of Education and Human Development.
You devoted your career to statistics education. What inspired you to combine the two? I was driven to find ways to make statistics accessible to students, and to make learning statistics a positive and empowering experience. I wanted to change the way statistics is often taught, which leads students to feel frustrated and discouraged. I used my background in mathematics education (the area in which I received an MA) as well as my doctoral studies in statistics and educational psychology to help forge a new research area and graduate program. It was a great experience, and I loved my professional work. I now enjoy following my former students and watch with pride how they are carrying on this work around the world.
If you could learn a new skill, what would you like it to be? I would really love to be fluent in Spanish. I have been trying, but my progress is slow. I wish I could converse with Spanish-speaking people in Mexico and Spain, where my husband and I like to travel.
Do you have a favorite place on the U of M campus? I love walking across the old train bridge, behind the Education Sciences Building, that connects the East and West Bank.
What is a fun fact about you we might not know? I am a passionate cook, and self-published a cookbook/memoir about my life in the kitchen.
What is something you currently enjoy doing with your time? I love to be physically active. I run almost every day, take yoga classes, swim, and hike. In the winter I like to snowshoe and cross-country ski. I think I am more fit now at age 72 than when I was working full time in my younger years. That is the gift of retirement; more time to do things other than work!
News
Declining government funding, inflation, loss of purchasing power, low birthrates, and lack of trust in the nation’s institutions have combined to create a confidence crisis in higher education not seen for decades. Minnesota is no exception.
Since its inception 40 years ago, the University Retirees Volunteer Center has focused on identifying where help is needed within the University community and has provided opportunities for thousands of retirees to use their skills, experience, and interests to help address those needs.
Meet UMRA member Nancy Carpenter. She grew up in the American heartland; nevertheless, she was surprised by the frigid, snow-covered landscape when she visited Minnesota for the first tine to interview for a job teaching chemistry at UMN Morris.
UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees are intended to support projects related to University of Minnesota retirees' research, instructional or work history, or new scholarly interests that contribute to the academic reputation of the University.
After working decades in communications for the U’s Center for Transportation Studies, Pam Snople perks up whenever she sees transportation news. It’s usually the salacious stuff that makes the headlines. But, behind the scenes, vehicle automation research keeps rolling along — including key work by UMN researchers.
Renée Good was killed in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, during Operation Metro Surge. One month later, a community memorial to mourn her death and celebrate her life was held. Susan Ranney attended the ceremony and wrote an evocative essay on the service, which was published recently in UMRA’s Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays.
Professor Emeritus Alan Kagan has played many roles in his nearly 30 years of service with the University Retirees Volunteer Center. From assisting with phone calls to becoming office manager and eventually serving on and chairing the Volunteer Center’s board, Kagan helped build the organization into the robust operation it is today.
We’re already getting organized to identify and recruit members to step into leadership roles in 2027. As a well-informed and engaged UMRA member, you are invited to play a role in the process.
I’ve been an UMRA member for more than a decade and each year I’m impressed anew by the energy and dedication of the volunteers who do the work of the organization. I invite you to join in their efforts. But if that’s not possible, there’s something else you can do to help support UMRA: Renew your membership.
You don’t have to go far, and you don’t have to drink coffee. It’s the conversation that matters. It’s a new, experimental effort being organized by the wizards of UMRA; a meet-up of members who live in the same zip code.
UMRA will be collecting hats, mittens, and scarves at our November 17 Luncheon Forum to help keep Minnesota kids warm this winter.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the University of Minnesota is making updates to medical plans, the pharmacy vendor, and the Wellbeing Program incentive that apply to retirees and dependents enrolled in these plans.
The University of Minnesota has had a presence at the Great Minnesota Get-Together for 167 years. And on September 3, 2026, UMRA made its Minnesota State Fair debut to talk with fairgoers (on Seniors Day) about retirement and to promote opportunities to volunteer through our University Retirees Volunteer Center.
Like all of us, UMRA member Barbara Heinemann has been reflecting on 9/11 and life in the 25 years since then, with mixed feelings.
December 31 is the application deadline for UMRA’s 2027 Professional Development Grants for Retirees competition. Retirees from all five University of Minnesota campuses are eligible to apply. We invited Brad Hokanson, professor emeritus, UMN Department of Design Innovation, to tell us about the work supported by his 2026 grant to promote teaching creativity in high schools.
Meet UMRA member and volunteer extraordinaire Kay Louis. She devoted her career as an Extension educator — “bringing the University to the people” — to developing and providing programming for adults and youth.
The UMRA membership year runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. If you haven’t yet renewed your membership for 2027, it’s definitely time to do so!
UMRA has a Facebook group that is open to UMN retirees and others with close ties to the University, for posting messages about anything University- or retiree-related. Learn more.
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: