The root cause of the homeless problem is the housing crisis, according to Tim Marx, a leading authority on homelessness in the Twin Cities and the guest speaker for UMRA’s April 2022 forum, “Advancing the public good through housing.” More …

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Jean Kinsey and Frank Busta spent 3 weeks in Turkey in 2013.  They share their incredible experience through pictures and wonderful descriptions that include archaeological, historical, religious, political, culinary, and geological perspectives.

Age-related eye diseases including macular degeneration and glaucoma were discussed during UMRA’s April 2022 workshop with Dr. Erik van Kuijk, chair of the U of M Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences. More …

The Things They Carried is an exquisitely written collection of short stories by Minnesota-born author Tim O’Brien about a platoon of American soldiers fighting on the ground in the Vietnam War. More …

The University of Minnesota Retirees Association and the University Retirees Volunteer Center have agreed to reconnect as a single organization to broaden and expand volunteer service opportunities for U of M retirees. More …

This year’s election of UMRA’s officers and new board members will be conducted via an online poll from May 17 to 22. More …

Meet Michelle Trudeau-Spanjers, an UMRA member since 2021 who’s fast-paced job in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory amplified her respect for anyone involved in public health regarding the COVID crisis. More …

UMRA’s Professional Development Grants for Retirees program provides funding for University of Minnesota retirees to continue their scholarship or pursue interesting new projects. All U of M retirees are eligible to participate in the annual competition. More … 

Social media is a fantastic way to communicate, share, and have fun with others; it is also a low-cost way for cyber criminals to trick and take advantage of millions of people. More …

The Nominating Committee has presented a strong slate of candidates to the UMRA Executive Committee and Board for approval. The membership will vote in May. More …

A new memorandum of understanding, signed by UMRA President Jan Morlock and University Provost Rachel Croson on March 1, is a renewal of our mutually beneficial commitment and support. More …

There are some very special UMRA volunteers who reach out to individual members and/or our families with personal notes in times of grief and loss, and for the past five years Kathleen O’Brien has led this important work with exceptional dedication and grace. More …

Meet Lee Munich, who started work as a paperboy and retired as senior fellow and director of the Humphrey School’s State and Local Policy Program. More …

Organized annually by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, this year’s U of M Day of Service has been expanded from a single day to the full month of April. More …

Several UMRA members with website and communication interests and skills have begun meeting to work on a redesign of the UMRA website. More …

Mark your calendars and register for the inaugural Age-Friendly University Day to be hosted by the University of Minnesota Age-Friendly University Council on June 20 at the McNamara Alumni Center on the East Bank of the Twin Cities Campus. More …

Caroline Fraser’s Pulitzer prize-winning book Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a meticulously researched biography of the much-loved author of the Little House books. More …

Wayne E. Potratz, Professor Emerita, Art Department, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota was awarded a PDGR grant for Texture: Form, Process, and the Aesthetics of Surface and Attendance at the 9^th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Berlin, September 15-20, 2022.

This evolving story of life in Alaska is suspenseful and easily keeps the reader engaged, even if it sometimes feels like watching a train wreck where you can’t turn away. More …

The mRNA technology that enabled the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines rests on decades of basic and translational research and came to fruition at the exact time when it was most needed. The effort was akin to the Apollo moon program. More …