Meeting with Presidential Search Advisory Committee chair was candid and cordial
UMRA members participated in a special session about the U of M presidential search with Regent Mary Davenport, chair of the Board of Regents Presidential Search Advisory Committee, on October 20. Regent Davenport outlined a search process that begins with extensive community input, including visits to each of the five campuses in the U of M System.
A search firm will help the search committee identify two to four lead candidates by the end of January 2024, Davenport said. The board will formalize finalists from that list, and the finalists will participate in interviews on each campus. Davenport expects the regents will name the new president by the end of February or early March 2024.
UMRA members quizzed Regent Davenport about whether the job was too big for one person (not yet, she said), and whether the plan for an open process will stand (she said that’s what they are informing all candidates.) Members asserted the importance of a president being able to communicate the value of the University to the Minnesota Legislature and to all Minnesotans; a college education is a public benefit. An academic background would be of value in a candidate, as well as an understanding of the complexity of the University.
Regent Davenport emphasized that this is a great job and a great state, and the position should attract strong leaders who are willing to be known as candidates.
The Board of Regents is encouraging UMRA members who were not able to attend the special session to submit their thoughts to the Presidential Search website, or join one of the open listening sessions on October 23 and 24.
The candid and cordial session with Regent Davenport at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minneapolis was a great example of how UMRA and University retirees generally can share their knowledge and experience in a meaningful way with current University leadership.
—Julie Sweitzer, UMRA president-elect and Program Committee chair
Help guide the Regents’ search for a new University president
Fri, Oct 20 2023, 9am
301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis 55455
Do you want to help guide the Regents' search for a new University president?
The Board of Regents has invited UMRA members to a session with Regent Mary Davenport, who chairs the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. Board of Regents Chair Janie Mayeron will also share her thoughts on leading the Regents.
The event will be from 9 to 10 a.m. on Friday, October 20, in Room 180 at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs on the West Bank of the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis.
You will be able to share your thoughts on what makes a great U of M president.
Information on parking facilities and more is available from University Parking and Transportation Services.
If you plan to attend, please email me to let me know.
—Julie Sweitzer, UMRA president-elect and Program Committee chair
Upcoming Events
Join us near Lake Minnetonka to hike along the Dakota Three Rivers Regional Trail. Access is just a few steps from KaiMay and Joseph Terry home. This will be an easy 3 mile hike on a paved trail and for a wonderful bonus, our hosts will serve a light lunch after the hike.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
The Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education (AROHE) is hosting a “Trip Preview Webinar” at 12 noon on September 11 to discuss the new partnership between AROHE and Road Scholar, and share highlights of upcoming trips.
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.
Jon Hallberg, MD, is the creative director of the U of M Medical School’s Center for the Art of Medicine and medical director of the M Physicians Mill City Clinic in Minneapolis. For UMRA’s September 17 Living Well Workshop he will talk about his lifelong effort to embody the art of medicine in all that he does.
There is no getting around it. Fall 2024 will include a national election, and to prepare us for the season, we’ll kick off UMRA’s fall forums with a fascinating presentation by UMRA member and former University of Minnesota senior associate general counsel Mark Bohnhorst.
Judy Helgen will lead the discussion of Half-Life of a Secret by Emily Strasser, the story of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, when the UMRA Book Club meets at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 20, via Zoom.
UMRA Hiking Club regulars Linda and Bruce Anderson will introduce us to a new location for an UMRA Hike: Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve in Savage, Minnesota. If you haven't hiked this park yet, you are in for a treat. The hike will be about 4 miles, with an option to do an additional loop, bringing the total to a 6-mile hike.
Tour all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums with Will Craig, and discover central Scotland with Craig and Janet Swan when UMRA’s Armchair Traveler program meets on Wednesday, September 25, via Zoom.
October is the season for Nobel Prize announcements, so it is fitting that UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club will be reading books by two Nobel Prize-winning authors this fall: Main Street by Sinclair Lewis and Vintage Munro by Alice Munro.
Topics relevant to managing investments in retirement. By David Foster, CFP©, CRPC©, CRPS©
Our October 7 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
This trip begins in Madrid and ends in Barcelona with stops 3 cities in between. International round trip airfare from NYC is included in the quoted price. See the attached a copy of the e-brochure with highlights and complete itinerary. Register by May 1.
UMRA’s workshop on Tuesday, October 15, via Zoom will be a presentation by staff from the University’s Office of Human Resources (OHR) on the University’s retiree health plans for the coming year, and an update on OHR’s request for proposal for the Medicare-enrolled plans in 2026.
We are thrilled that Rebecca Cunningham, MD, the new president of the University of Minnesota, has agreed to share her vision and priorities with us at our luncheon forum on Wednesday October 16, at Midland Hills. We’re honored that she chose UMRA as one of her early audiences, and we hope to have a big turnout to show her that retirees matter.
Your UMRA Travel Committee has added a new Road Scholar tour in 2024 for members, "On the Road: Absolute Southwest - A Canyon Lands Adventure." The journey begins on Monday, October 28, 2024 to Friday, November 8, 2024. Register by May 1.
The Retiree Association at Winona State is inviting UMRA members to join them a trip to Costa Rica in 2024. The final date to register is October 2, 2023. You're encouraged to register some time in August as spaces will fill up.
Estate Planning Attorney Matt Guttman discusses trusts and other estate planning issues.
The Kerlan is one of the world’s leading collections of rare books, manuscripts, and original art of children’s literature. It contains the work of more the 1,700 authors and illustrators from the 19th and 20th centuries to today, and it is the founding and largest collection within the University’s Children’s Literature and Research Collections.
Presented by Andy Whitman, PhD, Licensed Attorney, Tax Preparer & Volunteer Financial Planner at Prepare + Prosper.
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