Events
Upcoming Events
We will meet at the Mel-O-Glaze bakery on 28th and Minnehaha Parkway and walk to Minnehaha Falls and then back again.
Some of the most valuable and rare maps in the world are held in UMN's own James Ford Bell Library, housed in Andersen Library See https://www.lib.umn.edu/collections/special/bell .
The first meeting of UMRA’s Family History Interest Group for 2023–24 will feature a presentation by Marilyn DeLong about sharing family stories and learning surprising family connections.
UMRA has a special opportunity to engage with the four newest members of the U of M Board of Regents on Wednesday, October 4, via Zoom. The purpose of the event is to share our perspectives as former University employees.
All UMRA members with an interest in photography are welcome to attend the meeting of the UMRA Photo Club on Tuesday, October 10. We welcome photographers of all abilities. Most of us are struggling amateurs. We laugh a lot and learn from sharing and talking about our pictures.
The walk along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis is always changing, with many attractions being added along both sides of the river and, now, the beautiful fall colors.
UMRA’s workshop on Open Enrollment for U of M retiree health plans for 2024 will include a briefing on the choice between Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plans, by Jeff Snegosky of BCBS of Minnesota, followed by an overview of the U of M’s retiree health insurance plans, by Katie Kolodge from the Office of Human Resources.
Mary Jane Towle will lead the discussion of The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.
To help us understand the growing movement in the U.S. to ban books, especially children’s literature, and the critical role of libraries to protect intellectual freedom, UMRA will welcome U of M Librarian Lisa Von Drasek (pictured) and Rochester Public Librarian Kimberly Edson as the guest speakers for our October luncheon forum at Midland Hills.
The Fourth Friday Book Club will meet from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on October 27 to discuss the life and narrative of Frederick Douglass.
Join us for a 5 mile moderately paced hike around Pleasant Lake located in the heart of North Oaks. It takes us past some of James J. Hill’s original farm buildings as well as beautiful homes built along the lakeshore. The trail is wide, generally flat and consists of packed dirt and crushed rock.
The documents noted for this event specify your managers and can minimize income taxes now, and estate taxes.
The material world we live in is shaped by design. While popular discussions of design typically focus on fashion and furniture, design is fundamental in art, architecture, and indeed nearly all aspects of the everyday world around us. Goldstein Museum of Design curator Jean McElvain will demonstrate and discuss some of the fascinating and often unexpected holdings before we walk through the current gallery exhibit.
Get an insider's perspective on Santa Fe and Taos alongside local artists, exploring the Georgia O'Keeffe museum, enjoying traditional music and learning about native cultures. The deadline for reserving a space is June 2, 2023.
Please join us for an invigorating hike from The Monument located at the intersection of Mississippi RIver Blvd and Summit Avenue in St. Paul to Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis and back. This hike is on paved trails, approximately 5.5 miles in length, and will be at a pace suitable to the weather.
Topics include tax changes; tax reducing moves required now and tax management in 2024 & 2025.
The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
Fostering a tradition of welcome - the International Institute of Minnesota
UMRA’s 2022–23 program year got off to a wonderful start in September with Jane Graupman’s presentation on the work of the International Institute of Minnesota to help immigrants and refugees begin their lives as new Americans in our state. Conference Room ABC in the Campus Club, Coffman Memorial Union, was filled with an upbeat mood, renewed energy for the new year, and excellent food. Everyone in attendance seemed delighted to be back together in person.
The subject of the presentation by Graupman, ’84 B.A., was as timely now as it has always been throughout our country’s history. She shared a wealth of refugee facts and figures, including:
- Almost 90 million people were forcibly displaced throughout the world in 2021 including 27 million refugees, half younger than 18.
- The federal government has proposed refugee admission to the U.S. in FY23 of 125,000.
- Minnesota has resettled nearly 40,000 refugees in the last 15 years.
Graupman, who has been with the Institute for more than 30 years and has served as executive director since 2010, then described the Institute’s efforts to help refugees find affordable housing, employment, and schools.
Read about a pilot program launched by the International Institute together with the city of St. Paul to provide refugees with a guaranteed monthly income.
She concluded by mentioning the Institute’s work to develop a medical careers pathway as part of its workforce development program, a top-performing refugee resettlement program, and anti-human trafficking services that help new Americans in the state maximize their talents and become fully contributing members of American society.
During the Q&A session, when Graupman was asked what we can do to be of help, she promptly responded, “Volunteer!” Jerry Rinehart, on behalf of UMRA and the University Retirees Volunteer Center, agreed to follow up with Graupman to seek ways we can contribute to the Institute’s work with new Americans.
—Eric Hockert, UMRA Program Committee chair and president-elect
New Americans in Minnesota
Tue, September 27 2022, 11am
Jane Graupman
Executive Director
International Institute of Minnesota
Campus Club West Wing Dining Room Coffman Memorial Union
Jane Graupman, executive director of the International Institute of Minnesota, will be the guest speaker when we meet in person for UMRA’s first luncheon forum of the 2022–23 program year on Tuesday, September 27, in the Campus Club West Wing Dining Room. Plan to arrive by 11 a.m. for a buffet lunch starting at 11:15.
There were 5.61 million immigrants in Minnesota in 2019 according to a brief history of immigration published in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. In other words, all of us should consider ourselves immigrants. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce said in a 2021 demographic analysis that for the state to experience meaningful population growth in the future it will need to come from international migration. And in July, KSTP reported the federal government had told state officials there were 857 applications from Ukrainians hoping to relocate to Minnesota. People from other countries want to come here, and this will have economic implications for everyone.
Making Minnesota welcoming
Graupman, ’84 B.A., will provide a primer on facts about the refugees and immigrants in our community, the role played by the International Institute in making Minnesota welcoming, and the impact of new Americans on our local economy. Founded in 1919, the nonprofit organization provides comprehensive services to new Americans in our state. The Institute is located on Como Avenue near the U of M Twin Cities campus in St. Paul and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
During her 32 years with the Institute, Graupman has been instrumental in creating a nationally recognized medical careers pathway as part of its workforce development program, a top-performing refugee resettlement program, and anti-human trafficking services that help new Americans in the state maximize their talents and become fully contributing members of American society.
Graupman continues to be a tireless advocate for new Americans in our community, leading the Institute through participation in more than 90 community outreach events reaching more than 4,000 individuals in the last two years.
I hope to see you in person on September 27 for what promises to be an informative and timely presentation. Reservations are due by September 17.
—Eric Hockert, UMRA president-elect and Program Committee chair