International Institute welcomes retiree volunteers
Jane Graupman’s September UMRA Forum presentation on the International Institute of Minnesota concluded with an enthusiastic call for volunteers. The Institute, as Executive Director Graupman described, provides critical support services for immigrants and refugees. Importantly, Graupman stated that retirees have long played a significant role assisting in these areas.
In following up with her comment, “We love retirees …” leaders of the University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) met with the Institute’s immigration services director, Corleen Smith, and identified an important area of need to serve as the initial focus for UMRA and URVC volunteers: helping refugees and asylum seekers complete the complicated paperwork required for visa applications and becoming U.S. citizens.
Because this opportunity involves an initial group session for volunteers to review questions and suggestions regarding how best to work with clients on the paperwork, this activity lends itself to our volunteers working together—a goal many have mentioned regarding their interest in volunteering. Full descriptions of the work, the times for the group sessions, client assistance times, and the preferred backgrounds and qualifications for volunteers are being developed. Check urvc.umn.edu for updates.
—Jerry Rinehart, URVC Management Committee chair, and Deanne Magnusson, URVC vice-chair and project director
News
Since retiring from the College of Biological Sciences faculty, UMRA member Kathryn Hanna has pursued her longtime interest in the arts and antiques and is currently the co-president of the Fan Association of North America, a nonprofit organization of hand fan collectors.
October 1 marks the start of the 2025 competition for financial support from UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees program. Retirees from all five campuses within the U of M System are eligible to apply whether or not they are members of UMRA.
The Regents’ Special Committee on Academic Health is seeking feedback from the University community on a draft of the Health Sciences Strategic Plan drawn up by the deans of the University’s six health sciences schools and colleges.
So, you have set up a new email account; set up your recovery emails and phone numbers for this new account (!!); moved your emails, contacts, and documents from Google Drive to the new account; notified all your friends and business associates. Now what??
Did you check all of your online accounts? Any that use the old UMN account will need changes -- you may need to change the login, or the contact info, or both -- to the new email address. This article lists other details to consider.
On December 7, many of us will lose our UMN email addresses and any files associated with these accounts. There are three basic things we need to do to prepare.
UMRA member Susan Kubitschek attended the University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill and, after working at the U for 40 years, retired as assistant dean and director of Collegiate Life in the College of Science and Engineering.
Delegates to the Big Ten Retirees Association 2024 annual conference met at The Ohio State University in July to learn about Ohio State, share ideas, and develop closer ties among the 28 attendees from 12 of the 14 Big Ten schools. Minnesota will host the conference in 2026.
“UMRA members are engaged ‘University citizens’ with decades of experience at every level of this great institution, and we want to have a mutually useful and effective relationship with the Board of Regents,” says John Finnegan, UMRA’s new liaison to the regents.
UMRA member Mike Austin is taking full advantage of his retirement to volunteer in a variety of activities, travel, and learn a new language. He says, “I have the time, I have the ability, and I get bored sitting around.”
Funding of up to $5,000 per grant is available to support U of M retirees’ research, instructional history, new scholarship, or creative interests.
Members of UMRA’s 2024–25 Board of Directors were elected in May. Directors are elected to three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms.
The UMRA membership year runs from July 1 to June 30, and now there is a new and easy way to see whether you have already renewed for 2025. Look to the right of your name in the address field on page 12 of the September 2024 print newsletter you received, and you will see a four-digit year. If it says “2025,” it means you have renewed.