2024-09 From the President: Welcome to an exciting new year

It’s an exciting new year for UMRA. We are honored that new University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham has agreed to share her vision and priorities at our Wednesday, October 16, luncheon forum. UMRA sent a welcome letter and a plant to President Cunningham, and she thanked us for reaching out to her. Her previous university (Michigan) has a strong retirees association, and we want a big turnout to show her that our U of M retirees are just as active and involved. 

UMRA’s other fall forums will also feature intriguing speakers on timely topics. In September, UMRA member Mark Bohnhorst will explain current political litigation with a talk he’s titled “Presidential Elections, Poison Pills, and Ticking Time Bombs.” And in November, we’ll welcome back Kathryn Pearson, associate professor of political science, to explain this year’s election outcomes.

Make your reservations NOW and note the dates: our September 18 and October 16 forums are on Wednesdays due to site availability; our forum with Kathryn Pearson will be on Tuesday, November 19. 

We will continue to hold our luncheon forums at Midland Hills Country Club in Roseville. In addition to the parking and accessibility issues at the Campus Club, their latest quote to host our events was more than $60 per person, which was considerably higher than Midland Hills.

Please update your email

And when you make your reservations, please update your email in our records, if needed. We can’t get information to you if you don’t let us know how to reach you. And, of course, please renew your UMRA membership for 2024–25 if you haven’t already.

I am thrilled to be the new president of UMRA. I joined UMRA because of all my former colleagues who were already members, but I stay due to all of the new friends I’ve made since retiring. That’s because I got involved in a special interest group (hiking), joined the UMRA Program Committee, and said “yes” to a few more requests. 

This is an all-volunteer organization, and if no one says “yes” when something needs to happen, it won’t happen. For example, we are currently looking for someone to serve as UMRA’s liaison to the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. Most roles can be done from home, and many are very flexible as to timing. A deep thank you goes out to all who have volunteered over the nearly 50 years of UMRA’s existence. 

We will continue hosting our monthly Living Well Workshops as Zoom webinars because we know many members primarily access our online offerings. These workshops are focused on the challenges of and opportunities for healthy aging. 

Please feel free to email me with ideas or questions. Program suggestions or questions can go to Diane Young, our excellent Program Committee chair and president-elect. 

—Julie Sweitzer, UMRA president