UMN email update
Attention UMRA members who use a UMN email account and internet ID. In early January, you should have received an email from the Office of Information Technology that said "… your University of Minnesota email and Google Workspace account will be closed on Saturday, December 7, 2024."
One exception: Emeriti faculty should not have received this message. I encourage those of you who are retired tenured faculty to confer with your departments if you have questions about your status as emeriti.
I have been meeting with OIT leadership, and together we are planning a special workshop on this transition. See the announcement for this event.
I've asked OIT to cover these topics:
1. transition details, including the opportunity to sign up for an alumni email account (@alumni.umn.edu) as well as other options (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, AOL). The alumni account includes Gmail and contacts only, and offers 5 GB of storage;
2. how to transfer personal email and documents from your UMN email and Google Workspace to a service of your choice;
3. how to update your contacts, subscriptions, and memberships; and
4. tips for managing and protecting your email and online identity.
In addition, we plan to record the session and post it on the UMRA website and to identify contacts for any follow-up questions regarding the changes to UMN email and Google workspace.
I know many of you have been anxious and want to move on with this transition to a different email address (@alumni.umn.edu or another email service).
Remember, we have until December 7, 2024, to complete the transition. I'm planning to make the change in the late summer or early fall.
—Eric Hockert, UMRA president
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: