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
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
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: