PDGR program needs contributions, mentors
The Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program received only one application for 2021. Perhaps this is another of the countless adverse effects of the pandemic. Trying to create positive spin, I shall consider this an opportunity for us to replenish our program fund.
To date, UMRA members have contributed just over $6,000 since UMRA launched a fundraising campaign with the University of Minnesota Foundation (UMF) last August to raise support for the grant program. But that still leaves us well short of the $20,000 in matching funds that are available. More contributions are needed.
If you would like to make a contribution to the PDGR program, please give online through our UMF crowdfunding page, or contact Lynn Praska, UMF senior planned giving officer, at [email protected] or 612-624-4158.
In another development, there is a move afoot to encourage future PDGR applicants to include as part of their proposals a plan to provide mentorship for an undergraduate University of Minnesota student. The University has a great need for more mentors, and many of us in UMRA have more time available for this now than we had earlier in our careers.
Moreover, providing mentors for students who need them may help create incentive for the University administration to eventually restore its funding for our PDGR program. More to follow on this later.
—John Bantle, MD, chair, PDGR Committee
News
The election of UMRA officers and new board members for 2024–25 will be conducted via an online poll from May 13 to 19, with the results to be announced at our annual meeting on May 21. Look for the ballot in your email inbox on May 13. Diane Young has been nominated to be president-elect.
“I convinced myself I could handle this problem without support groups or doing additional research, but that’s only because I didn’t want to make it any more real than it already was. Denial comes in many forms, and one is to avoid thinking about the problem any more than need be.” —Alice A. Larson
Meet UMRA member Peter Moe. He retired in 2023 after a career that spanned nearly half a century at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, and is credited with developing the “Arb” into one of the few in the U.S. with world-class fruit and landscape breeding programs.
The University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has welcomed two new members with valuable skills and experience to the URVC Leadership Council: Lynn Slifer and Jeanne Jacobson.
The University plans to remove retirees from the @umn.edu internet identity domain on December 7. UMRA has advocated for ensuring continued access to this identity (including email, Google Workspace, and associated services), citing University retirees’ enduring contributions to and engagement with the University. Thus far, our efforts have not prompted any change of plans.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your photographic interests, hone your photographic skills, and hear what other retirees are up to, the UMRA Photo Club is a great place to be. We have fun! And whatever your skill level, there is room for everybody.
Leading the online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays has been a labor of love for Kris Bettin. Alas, a change in family needs has necessitated her retirement. So, JOIE is seeking a new leader to join a savvy editorial committee of five and bring fresh ideas for continued development of the UMRA-sponsored journal.
Soon you will receive an email or letter inviting you to renew your UMRA membership for the 2024–25 year. Please renew before you get busy with your summer activities. Your support helps to make our programs and many other member benefits possible!
This will be a new regular column where you can find organizational tasks that need your help! We are currently looking for help researching a new UMRA Membership Database and URVC volunteer database, and a co-producer for UMRA's Zoom webinars. See more details: