A new—and easy—way to check whether you have renewed your membership
Fall is approaching and UMRA needs everyone to renew their membership. New membership cards for 2024–25 were mailed by mid-August. The cards include the QR code you need to access one of the great benefits of UMRA membership: a discounted rate of $1 per hour in University parking facilities.
Now there is a new and easy way to see whether you have already renewed for the coming year. Look to the right of your name in the address field on page 12 of the September 2024 UMRA newsletter you received, and you will see a four-digit year. If you see "2025," it means you have renewed. If you see "2024," please renew now.
You can also check via the Member Portal menu on the UMRA website. Choose “Renew Membership” from the drop-down (login required). This will take you to a form that shows your membership information. Review and make changes if needed, then scroll down to the bottom of the form and click on “Save Changes & Renew” (even if you made no changes).
This click will take you to a form to complete your renewal. At the top of this form you’ll see a message telling you “Last Renewed on [date].” You can also scroll down to see a list of the “Past Membership Fees” you have paid. For 2024–25, the Renewal Fee is $40 for a single or $60 for a dual membership.
If it turns out that you have already renewed, thank you! If not, please complete the form and pay the renewal fee to assure your access to a great set of benefits and programs for the coming year!
—Ron Matross, UMRA Membership and Communication Committee chair
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2025–26 will be conducted via an online poll from May 12 to 18, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 20. Sally Gregory Kohlstedt leads the slate of nominees as president-elect. She came to the University of Minnesota in 1989 as a professor and associate dean, and retired in 2018.
On April 30, the UMRA Board of Directors sent a letter to University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham and Provost Rachel Croson expressing the Board's support for the University admnistration as it confronts the legal, ethical, and moral challenges created by the current federal leadership.
Meet UMRA member and statistics Professor Emeritus Sandy Weisberg. His work in “regression analysis” is the direct ancestor of predictive artificial intelligence. His first job was renting televisions to patients in the now-defunct Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles.
The UMRA-sponsored Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays is seeking a new editor-in-chief who can promote the e-publication, solicit authors, and ensure JOIE’s continued success.
Volunteer work is usually evaluated according to “replacement rate” figures based on hourly wages. But the data on hours contributed and people served are just the notes on the page; the music is in the human spirit behind and beyond them.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center Leadership Council has elected two new members, including UMRA member Scott Elton (pictured), and re-elected four members for second, three-year terms.
UMRA is excited to announce the launch of a new member portal in late April. This web-based, member management software system is hosted by a company called WildApricot and will replace the current member portal at retirees.umn.edu, where you currently renew your membership and sign up for events.
The new portal simplifies and more efficiently manages many essential tasks for UMRA, including enrolling new members, updating member records, registering event attendees, and processing payments.