HELLO, my name is Lynn Slifer
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
When did you join UMRA? September 2020, as I was planning for retirement.
What was your very first job? Working as the “hot chocolate” lady as a student worker at Valparaiso University, preparing beverages for folks after daily prayers.
What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? I was the associate vice president for central development programs at the U of M Foundation, managing three teams and teaching a class for early career development officers.
Do you have a favorite place on campus? Because I spent 17 years of my career at the College of Education and Human Development, I have a fondness for the Knoll area, Burton Hall, and the Institute of Child Development.
What is something you currently enjoy doing with your time? I have been in a poetry writing group for the last three years and I am also in a poetry reading group with the U of M Women’s Club. And I still have a mystery novel I started writing and have yet to finish. The other things I enjoy doing are making handmade cards, reading, babysitting for my granddaughters, drinking wine, and travel. (I don’t lack interests in retirement!)
What is a fun fact about you we might not know? My parents owned a commercial winery outside St. Louis for about 20 years (this was their retirement plan), and I learned to love wine and good food from them.
You joined the leadership council of the University Retirees Volunteer Center in 2024. What is it about volunteering that appeals to you? While I have not yet volunteered personally for URVC projects, I think the work this group does has incredible impact. The folks who recruited me convinced me that my skill set would be useful to the group, so I said yes! I plan to volunteer for one of the URVC projects in the coming months.
Editor’s note: To learn more about volunteer opportunities available through URVC—including greeting students and their families on campus for Future Gopher Admit Days on March 22 and April 11—visit the URVC website or contact the URVC Office at [email protected] (preferred) or at 612-625-8016.
News
For the 2026 grant year, the UMRA PDGR Committee received eight new applications. The PDGR Committee selected six for funding. See the awardees and grant abstracts on the 2026 PDGR Abstracts page.
UMRA’s 2026 grants for retirees will help to support scholarly and creative projects focused on art, architecture, creativity in children, public humanities, understanding human aggression, and volunteerism.
The University Regents’ meeting on February 13 began with heartfelt remarks from Regent Joel Bergstrom regarding the damage inflicted on Minnesota by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violence.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center offers a variety of opportunities to be of help. “We all want to help stressed communities during this difficult time in Minnesota,” says Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers, URVC’s liaison to Neighborhood House, which is providing emergency groceries and other necessities to St. Paul families worried about their safety.
Meet UMRA member and stalwart treasurer Kristy Frost-Griep, a Renaissance woman who learned the value of hard work and the importance of customer service as a young teen, working in the family business.
Planning is already well underway for UMRA to host this year’s annual meeting of the Big Ten Retirees Association in late July on the U of M Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis.