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
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.
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