Meetings with Regents Davenport and Mayeron were cordial, informative
UMRA President Bill Donohue has invited the four newly elected members of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents to meet informally with members of UMRA. The goal is for us to become acquainted with the new Regents. The first two meetings took place in early December in a large conference room provided by Lynn Praska at the University of Minnesota Foundation.
Regent Mary Davenport, an at-large regent, met with about 40 UMRA members on December 2. She is a former administrator with 30 years’ experience with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Regent Janie Mayeron, from the 5th Congressional District, met with about 20 UMRA members on a snowy day one week later. She is a retired United States magistrate judge and lawyer.
Both gatherings were hour-long conversations that had the attendees asking questions regarding such topics as the future of the University, the role of the regents in promoting a positive image and story about the University, the role of the regents in the Department of Athletics and academic freedom, and what role UMRA can play to assist the University.
Attendees were impressed with the experience and knowledge that both women bring to the Board of Regents. Both were open and candid in their discussions.
Similar meetings to get acquainted with At-Large Representative Kao Ly Ilean Her and Student At-Large Representative Mike Kenyanya are being planned for 2020.
—Donna Peterson, Board of Directors
Meet Regent Janie S. Mayeron
Mon, December 9 2019, 11:15am
McNamara Alumni Center, 5th Floor Large Conference Room
Regent Janie S. Mayeron will be our special guest on Monday, December 9, at an informal meeting to be held in the University of Minnesota Foundation large conference room on the fifth floor of the McNamara Alumni Center from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
UMRA has arranged this meeting (the second of four) for our members to get acquainted with the four individuals elected to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents in May.
Please email Bill Donohue or Donna Peterson if you plan to attend. (There is no charge and reservations are not required, but we’d like to have a sense of how many will attend.)
Representing Congressional District 5, Regent Mayeron is a retired United States magistrate judge and lawyer. As a lawyer, she specialized in civil litigation and mediation. Mayeron received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota in 1973 and a law degree from the University in 1976.
She has held numerous leadership positions in a variety of nonprofit and legal organizations, including as president of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. For her service to the public and the law, Mayeron received the University of Minnesota Alumni Service Award, the WCCO Good Neighbor Award, and the Highland Park Senior High School Hall of Fame Award.
We look forward to getting to know Regent Mayeron, and to learning her thoughts about serving as a regent and the direction of the University.
Our first meeting, with Regent Mary A. Davenport on Monday, December 2, was well attended, and generated an amiable, wide-ranging, and thoughtful discussion. Similar meetings, to get acquainted with At-Large Representative Kao Ly Ilean Her and Student At-Large Representative Mike Kenyanya, are being planned for 2020.
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.