From the President
2026-10: Framing our future efforts
We are off to a strong start for UMRA’s 2026–27 program year that began with a lovely cruise in perfect weather on Lake Minnetonka in mid-August. Later that month our UMRA Leadership Retreat, the first since 2020, engaged two dozen board members and committee chairs. Presentations made during the retreat underscored individual responsibilities and the leadership network that keeps us strong. They also revealed details that need attention, and offered ideas that will inform our agenda this coming year.
The throughline for our conversation was UMRA’s stated mission, namely, to provide opportunities to “learn, serve, and connect” with “members, the University, and the larger community.” Newcomers commented on the dedicated and detailed work of volunteers whose energy and imagination are the cogs and wheels of UMRA operations. Afternoon roundtable discussions reflected on what board members had learned, and added to the topics that will frame our efforts this year.
Given strong current membership numbers, the UMRA retreat participants drew attention to activities that engage new members, and recommended additional strategies for outreach to potential members. For example, building on earlier conversations about creating zip code gatherings (name yet to be decided), we will initiate, relying on your help, such a program. Our Map of Membership reveals the geographically dispersed residences of our members as well as significant clusters living in relative proximity. And the demographic data in WildApricot, our membership management software, enables us to identify members within the same zip code. With volunteer local organizers, such informal gatherings could provide new social and intellectual connections in those neighborhoods. So, stay tuned.
An auspicious beginning
For the first time this fall, thanks to the initiative of Past President Diane Young, UMRA had a presence at the Minnesota State Fair — a booth that we shared with our University Retirees Voluntary Center. With more than a dozen UMRA members working in shifts, we had fun engaging visitors as they wrote their thoughts about retirement on sticky notes for our bulletin board. We responded to questions about the University, shared QR codes for UMRA and Volunteer Center opportunities, and even drew in a few UMN retirees who did not know about us. Our representation at the State Fair marked an auspicious beginning to yet another outreach event.
Such activities energize us for the year ahead. I thank you for your vote of confidence as I start my term as president. My goals are to facilitate the programs we have in place and to advance the new ideas coming from the retreat and, indeed, from all of you. Please feel free to talk with or email me if you have concerns or want to explore a new idea.
Equally important, I urge you to say “yes” when asked to take on an assignment. Whether you attend events, listen to webinars, lead a conversation table at an UMRA luncheon forum, volunteer as a Silver Gopher, chair a committee, or do something else, thank you for contributing to our dynamic community!