Pursue your scholarly interests with this UMRA grant application opportunity
You are invited to submit an application for a Professional Development Grant for Retirees (PDGR) to pursue your scholarly interests. The deadline for submitting an application for the 2017–2018 grant is December 15, 2016. See Activities / Grants for Retirees.
Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded. All U of M faculty, professional and administrative, and civil service staff from the Twin Cities and Coordinate Campuses of the University who will be fully retired by July 1, 2017, are eligible to apply. Guidelines for the application are available on the UMRA website at Activities / Grants for Retirees.
Eligible expenses include travel and per diem costs related to research trips and conference attendance, stipends for undergraduate and/or graduate research assistants, photocopying, the purchase of books, computer software, and other relevant costs of scholarship. Ineligible expenses include salary for the applicant and institutional overhead charges. UROP, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, has agreed to fund the cost of undergraduate assistants who work with grantees. Details about the UROP opportunity are in the guidelines on the website.
Last year, awards were given to applicants from University Services, American Indian Studies, French and Italian Department, Art Department, Design, Housing and Apparel Department, Office of Equity and Diversity, Psychology Department, and American Studies Department on the Twin Cities Campus. On the Duluth Campus, applicants from the Biology Department and the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department received grants. And, a grant was awarded to an applicant in the Humanities Division at U of M-Morris.
Questions should be addressed to the chair of the UMRA Professional Development Grants for Retirees Committee, Janice Hogan, [email protected].
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.
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.
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.
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: