The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
U's new provost is a confident, quick study
Provost Rachel Croson is a master of Zoom. In a warm and engaging exchange with our members on August 18, she told us about her life as our new provost in the age of COVID-19 and a time of economic uncertainty. She came to Minnesota as the pandemic was gaining momentum and has never been in her office, though she has the keys. She has learned about the University through Zoom meetings and she heads the committee charged with planning for the reopening of school, consulting extensively with everyone you can think of. All done remotely. She is a quick study with a great attitude.
Croson told us the school will reopen with an emphasis on both student and staff safety. About 30 percent of the courses will be taught in person and 70 percent online. There will be social distancing in the classrooms and masks are mandatory in University buildings.
There will be a limited number of students in the dormitories and safety precautions everywhere. The University has provided instruction and equipment to enable students and staff to follow public health guidelines. Emergency Services has created a protocol to deal with outbreaks with testing, quarantines, and contact tracing.
Minnesota’s plan is in line with other Big Ten universities. The provost and the planning group are acutely aware of the recent North Carolina experience of opening and then having to shut down, and they promise close monitoring and quick action at our school.
On the research side, Croson informed us that about 1,000 people have returned to campus to continue laboratory work and research projects. To get back on campus they applied for permission through the Office of the Vice President for Research. So far, there have been no coronavirus infections in this population.
Addressing pressures with enthusiasm
While certainly not the circumstances she expected to encounter when she arrived, Provost Croson has addressed these conflicting pressures with enthusiasm. She expects to remain flexible and to pivot when needed to deal with changes as they occur. She imparted a sense of confidence and optimism.
Provost Croson is an experimental and behavioral economist who is now part of our Department of Economics. She has authored more than 100 articles (70 in referred journals) and was most recently dean of the College of Social Sciences at Michigan State and dean of the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington.
While telling us a bit about herself she revealed that as a child she was a Star Trek fan who admired Mr. Spock because of his excess emphasis on rationale decision-making. It is this rationality that led her to become an economist. As she gained experience and matured, she came to appreciate the behavioral and emotional aspects of decision-making. Hence, she became an experimental and behavioral economist and an admirer of Captain Kirk.
Our new executive vice president and provost seems to be a great catch for the University.
—Bill Donohue, UMRA president (2019–20)
UMRA welcomes EVP and Provost Rachel Croson
Tue, August 18 2020, 12am
Event to be held via Zoom.
We are pleased to welcome Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson, PhD, as our guest speaker for an UMRA forum on Tuesday, August 18, at 12 noon by way of Zoom.
Provost Croson began her appointment in March just as the coronavirus outbreak was gaining recognition as a global pandemic. She has already distinguished herself by helping to shape the University’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and by working on the U’s reopening plans for September.
Dr. Croson will speak to us about her work during these critical months, the reopening of the University, her initial impressions and her hopes for the future of the University.
Please register for this free webinar via z.umn.edu/UMRA-August2020-Forum or the invitation to be emailed to UMRA members the week of July 27.
Provost Croson is a well-regarded academic and a seasoned leader of academic institutions. Before coming to Minnesota, she served as dean of the College of Social Science at Michigan State University and before that as dean of the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has additionally held tenured appointments at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas at Dallas.
From 2010–12, Croson served as director of the Division of Social and Economic Sciences in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation.
She earned her MA and PhD in economics from Harvard University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, with a double major in economics and philosophy and a minor in political science.
Her academic accomplishments include publication of more than 70 peer-reviewed papers across multiple disciplines, including economics, organizational behavior, psychology, sociology, and political science. Her work explores issues related to behavioral economics, bargaining and negotiation, funding of public goods (especially public radio), and cultural and gender differences in trust and reciprocity.
As executive vice president and provost, Croson is the chief academic officer for the University of Minnesota System and provost for the Twin Cities campus. She has systemwide oversight responsibility for undergraduate, graduate, and professional education; promotion and tenure; academic and research programs and policies; and faculty development.
Strong and steady leadership
Croson’s background and accomplishments bode well for the University. We are fortunate to have attracted such a talented individual for this crucial position. Although still in the first half-year of her work here, she has already provided strong and steady leadership.
“I am confident she will help us advance from great to greater,” President Gabel said in her warm letter of welcome to the new provost.
The Retirees Association looks forward to extending our own warm welcome to the provost and to sharing this timely opportunity for getting to “meet” her, albeit virtually.
Please join us for this Zoom webinar on starting at 12 noon on Tuesday, August 18.
—Bill Donohue, president
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.