The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
President Kaler addressed UMRA's 2018 Annual Meeting
As we all know, President Eric Kaler announced in July that he will retire from his post on July 1, 2019, one year before his term is scheduled to end. He will remain in the role of president emeritus for one year after he steps down to continue his work on the U’s $4 billion Driven campaign. “I look forward then to a sabbatical before assuming my faculty position in our spectacular Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science,” he said in a statement announcing his decision. Kaler received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the department in 1982.
UMRA was very fortunate to have President Kaler as the keynote speaker for our 2018 Annual Meeting in the Campus Club West Wing on May 22. In his remarks, the president outlined major challenges facing the University, beginning with the difficulties presented by the Minnesota Legislature’s inability to address key priorities of the University. Although $79 million in funding for the U was included in the bonding bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Dayton (on May 30), “We asked for $200 million,” Kaler noted. The funding issues combined with a new era in the Regents’ approach to University leadership present unique concerns, he said.
The president outlined the University’s efforts to respond to sexual misconduct issues, citing an unprecedented request by faculty to implement campus-wide training programs to help them address these issues. And he noted that in his role with the NCAA he helped craft guidelines to reduce the frequency of the “one and done” phenomenon of basketball players putting in one year as a college athlete merely to qualify for the NBA draft.
Kaler also provided updates on the University’s strategic plan and ambitious $4 billion capital campaign. In combination with the wonderful buffet and elegant West Wing surroundings, many felt UMRA’s 2018 Annual Meeting was one to remember.
—Jerry Rinehart, UMRA president, 2018–19
May Luncheon At a Glance
Tue, May 22 2018, 4pm
West Wing, Campus Club, Fourth Floor, Coffman Memorial Union
MAY
AFTERNOON RECEPTION
AND ANNUAL MEETING
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
4–6 p.m.
Featured Speaker
Dr. Eric Kaler, president
University of Minnesota
Location
West Wing
Campus Club, Fourth Floor
Coffman Memorial Union
Menu
Buffet featuring festive and hearty appetizers, fresh fruit platter, coffee and tea plus a cash bar.
Reservations ARE required.
Deadline: Thursday, May 17
Prepayment of $30 per person.
Annual prepayers, please make reservations.
Reserve and Pay Online
Or, send your check payable to UMRA to:
UMRA Reservations
c/o Judy Leahy Grimes
1937 Palace Ave., St. Paul MN
55105-1728
Or, contact Judy before the deadline at
651-698-4387
[email protected]
Please honor the reservation deadline; to cancel, please call by Thursday, May 17.
Parking
$6 maximum in University ramps with UMRA’s discount coupon. No reservations for this event.
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.