A thank-you note for UMRA’s grants program
I recently completed a two-page summary of activities under a PDGR grant that supports my ongoing research about the Electoral College. “Revisiting the Electors Clause: On the Original Right of the People to Choose Presidential Electors ,” an article reporting the research, will be published in the Denver Law Review and has been posted on the Social Science Research Network.
In a few words, the research shows (i) that the language and intent of the Electors Clause is that the people (not state legislatures) have the right to choose presidential electors, and (ii) that Section 2 of the 14th Amendment also requires popular election. The research responds to the pernicious suggestion following the 2020 presidential election that state legislatures should be permitted to intervene and determine the results in individual states.
I want to express how deeply grateful I am for the support the PDGR program provides. A counter-factual may convey this best: What would have happened without grant support?
I would not have attended an April 2024 conference on the Electoral College at the Harvard Kennedy School, and would not have networked with Pulitzer Prize-level historians and leading legal scholars. I would not have been able to hire a research assistant and would not have had access, through her, to the powerful Westlaw legal research tool. As a mere retiree, I would have been deprived of access to a critical historical research tool—America’s Historical Newspapers. In contrast, as a “person of interest” who was overseeing the work of a University of Minnesota student, I had free access to that tool and to many other U of M online resources.
This project has been one of the organizing principles of my life in retirement. I work on it almost every day. It is a joy to have the tools to explore materials and to test hypotheses that others may not have considered. It is a thrill to stumble upon a significant essay that appears to have been overlooked.
For UMRA to continue supporting projects like this, the PDGR program needs financial support. Anyone can make a tax-deductible contribution by credit card at the PDGR crowdfunding website, or by sending a check payable to the University of Minnesota Foundation (P.O. Box 860266, Minneapolis MN 55486-0266). Please note “UMRA Fund 4867” on the check.
The application deadline for UMRA’s 2026 Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) competition is December 31. Funding of up to $7,500 per grant is available to support U of M retirees’ research, instructional history, new scholarship, or creative interests.
To learn more about the grants program, including how to apply, go to umra.umn.edu > Serving You > Grants for Retirees or contact John Bantle, MD, PDGR Committee chair, at [email protected]. Retirees from all five campuses within the U of M System are eligible to apply, whether or not they are members of UMRA.
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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: