Past "From the President" articles
From the President
2024-11: Living our Mission Statement
You may not read the UMRA Mission Statement every day, but it is worth reviewing at least once. The mission of the University of Minnesota Retirees Association is:
To support the interests of U of M retirees and provide opportunities to learn, serve, and connect. UMRA seeks to benefit members, the University, and the community through an array of informational, social, travel, volunteer, and support activities.
Learn, serve and connect. UMRA provides opportunities for each of these in abundance. We learn from the speakers in our monthly forums and living well workshops. I learn about national and global matters from the Armchair Traveler speakers, and about matters large and small from the Hiking Club. Professional Development Grants for Retirees recipients continue their research or inquiries into new fields. UMRA’s online Journal of Opinions, Ideas & Essays provides a wide array of informative articles written by retired and active University-associated authors. And, just think how well informed the members of our two book clubs are!
We serve UMRA members and our community. The University Retirees Volunteer Center formally became part of UMRA in 2022, but we’ve been partners for decades. Our Silver Gopher Service Corps volunteers help the Office of Admissions and other University units with events. And our many UMRA volunteers serve our own organization by making things happen.
A critical element of vital aging
We connect frequently, in person and by Zoom. The Special Events Committee is planning another winter celebration in January to provide a chance to connect in person during the season when UMRA programming is mostly online. The committee hosted a summer boat cruise on the Mississippi and a picnic at Como Park. As many of our guest speakers tell us, research shows that staying socially connected to others is a critical element of vital aging.
Another important connection we make is through our Cares Committee. Members of this committee connect with families after an UMRA member dies and send meaningful, handwritten condolence letters.
I hope you agree that we are fulfilling our mission. And if you want to learn, serve, or connect by helping make UMRA activities happen, we welcome your participation. This is a volunteer-run organization. If someone doesn’t volunteer to do it, it doesn’t happen. To find out more, contact me or anyone doing the function you find intriguing. Many thanks to all of our current and past volunteers who have served UMRA over its nearly 50-year existence!
—Julie Sweitzer, UMRA president, [email protected]