From the President
2026-03: Membership matters
The late comedian Groucho Marx once humorously quipped, “I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.” As president of UMRA, I’m grateful you didn't embrace that attitude, and that you are one of the now nearly 900 members who decided to join UMRA. Thank you!
We never quite know when membership and the participation born from it will matter, will make a difference. But now is that moment. At our recent mid-winter social: Bring the Light, generous UMRA members demonstrated the strength of community spirit with action. You filled a big blue bin with more than 120 items—mittens, gloves, warm socks, hats, and scarves that were donated to the Wellstone Center in St. Paul the very next day. Wellstone Center staff were delighted by the array of warm items for their community, a community especially hard hit by the crisis of this moment. Each item will help keep someone warm as winter persists. Your participation has impact, and it matters!
University Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) activities are another example of membership making a difference. UMN Parking and Transportation Services partnered with International Student and Scholar Services and URVC to welcome more than 50 new international students, and quickly and safely get them from the MSP airport to their homes on campus. Thank you URVC volunteers! Membership and taking care of our community matters!
UMRA membership is open to retirees or those who will soon retire from all U of M employment. Others who have worked at the U of M for at least five-plus years qualify, too, as do spouses and partners.
Membership has reached a new high
For some perspective, membership chair Ron Matross recently shared that in 2025 UMRA membership reached a new high of 874 active members. This number represents a 3% increase from the 847 members in 2024, and a 35% increase from the 569 members five years ago. The 150 new members in 2025 also surpassed the previous record of 149 new members in 2023.
UMRA’s origin story began with just 100 retiree members of the Campus Club in November 1976. For 50 years, many like you have chosen to join UMRA and participate and build community, bucking the infamous Marx quote.
Thank you for joining, for being who you are, and doing what you do. Your membership and participation ensure a thriving UMRA community, ready to respond when the moment requires collective action. Together we share struggles and celebrate wins. Membership matters! Participation matters! You matter! Thank you!