May meeting includes annual election
During the business portion of our May 22 meeting, members will elect UMRA’s leadership for 2018–19. The Board of Directors presents the following for your approval:
For officers:
President: Jerry Rinehart, pictured right (will automatically move from his current position as president-elect to president)
President-elect: Bill Donohue
Secretary: Lynn Anderson
Treasurer: Carl Adams (continuing his service)
For Board of Directors:
Frank Cerra
Claudia Parliament (for a three-year term)
Kaimay Yuen Terry
Gloria Williams (for second three-year term)
Please see page 4 of print newsletter for profiles of the candidates.
After their election the above members will join in leading the organization with UMRA’s new and immediate past presidents, Jerry Rinehart and Chip Peterson, respectively, and with the Board members who are continuing to serve out their terms: Vernon Cardwell, Will Craig, Cathy Gierke, Judy Leahy Grimes, Cherie Hamilton, Jeanne Markell, Kathleen O’Brien, and Richard Poppele.
Board members who are completing their terms are: past President Donna Peterson, Secretary Judy Garrard, and Board members John Howe and Steve Benson.
Please join in the festivities of the May reception and annual meeting to celebrate a successful year and to thank these members for their service and leadership.
— Nominating Committee: Donna Peterson, chair; Ginny Hanson, Earl Nolting, Jerry Rinehart, Pat Tollefson
President Kaler to keynote Annual Meeting in Campus Club West Wing
Tue, May 22 2018, 4pm
We are excited to welcome University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler as the keynote presenter at UMRA’s 2018 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 22, in the West Wing of the Campus Club. It has been a while since we’ve had the University president join us, and this perhaps makes the general theme of his talk particularly relevant: “Perspectives on the U Today and Tomorrow.”
We’re also excited about the new time, new format, and new location chosen for the meeting as part of the Board’s exploration of options to increase capacity and improve participant experience at UMRA’s monthly gatherings. The event will be an afternoon reception from 4 to 6 p.m. with a sumptuous buffet of hearty hors d’oeuvres for us to enjoy while socializing with friends and colleagues. The brief business part of the meeting will include the election of new Board members before it will be time for us to hear from our keynote speaker, President Kaler.
Among the important issues the president may include are the following:
- Legislative issues update
- President's Initiative to Prevent Sexual Misconduct
- System-wide Strategic Planning initiative
- Update on Grand Challenges efforts
- NCAA athletics issues; President Kaler is the Big Ten representative to the NCAA and chair of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors
Eric Kaler took office as the University’s 16th president in 2011. Since then, he has focused on core priorities: academic excellence, access for qualified students, stewardship of tuition and public dollars, diversity and a welcoming and respectful campus climate, a world-class research enterprise that aligns with the needs of the state of Minnesota and its industries, and a deep commitment to public engagement and outreach, locally and globally.
In 2014 and 2015, he led a strategic planning process with the Twin Cities campus that called for a rejection of complacency, a deep culture change, and curriculum and research approaches to the “grand challenges” facing our state, nation, and world. That plan is now being implemented.
President Kaler received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University in 1982 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014. He is also the current chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors.
—Gerry Rinehart, Program Committee chair
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 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.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
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
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.