The University of Minnesota Retirees Association held its 2021 Annual Meeting on May 25 through the magic of Zoom and with the incredible work of UMRA members Virgil Larson and Kris Mortensen. UMRA elected a stellar list of board members and officers and approved changes in the UMRA Bylaws. All persons recommended by the Nominating Committee were elected unanimously by a vote of 96-0 with no abstentions. The recommended bylaw changes were passed by a vote of 91-0 with one abstention.

Newly elected board members and officers will start their terms on July 1. They represent a great cross-section of our membership and very diverse backgrounds. It bodes well for the Association that such people are willing to devote their time and attention to UMRA’s work. See “UMRA’s 2021–22 officers and directors …” for a description of those elected. Congratulations to all. 

The bylaws changes improved the UMRA Bylaws in several ways including the following:

1. Changing the terms of officers and board members to coincide with our July 1 through June 30 fiscal year.
2. Providing more authority and responsibility to the president to run the operation of the association.
3. Making several smaller changes such as adding the president-elect to the Nominating Committee and eliminating the Council of Past Presidents, which has been inactive because of the addition of several past presidents to the board. 

See “Vote to approve amendments to the UMRA Bylaws” for more information on the changes and the procedures followed in their consideration and adoption.

Following the voting, President Frank Cerra thanked outgoing Board members Gloria Williams, Claudia Parliament, Chip Peterson, and Donna Peterson for their service, and then introduced Jan Morlock, the new president, with a ceremonial presentation of a gavel. 

Jan spoke briefly, thanking Frank for his outstanding year as president. She presented a word cloud—an image composed of words in different sizes to indicate their importance—that reflected our members’ impressions of Frank and his service.

The Annual Meeting was followed by UMRA’s May 2021 Forum with Ken Powell, chair of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, who offered a candid and compelling address that included his views on the importance of education and high praise for University President Joan Gabel.

—Bill Donohue, UMRA past-president