2020-10 From the President: Focused on vibrancy and growth

Greetings. I hope you are safe and well and have some level of enjoyment in this challenging time. UMRA met throughout the summer, ending with a leadership retreat the end of August that focused on improving the vibrancy and growth of the organization. Programming for the coming year was at the heart of the retreat.  

UMRA’s new officers, board committee chairs, and other leaders are now in place. The names and phone numbers of UMRA personnel for 2020–21 can be found on the UMRA website.

Questions have been raised about testing our members for the presence of the coronavirus. UMRA did look into this. Insurance payment for the test, particularly in the absence of symptoms, was found to be problematic, so we are no longer pursuing a testing effort for our members.

UMRA does continue to face challenges. Two of them are funding of the Professional Development Grants for Retirees (PDGR) program and the continued use of Zoom for our meetings. Regarding the latter, the U’s Office of Information Technology is now charging for Zoom services; we will need to consider a means of continued financing for these services. Funding for the PDGR program is available for 2020–21, and we have launched a fundraising effort for 2021–22. 

As you reflect on UMRA, please feel free to contact any of us with your ideas, concerns, and suggestions. We need your engagement in the organization. From the surveys that have been done, we know you have ideas for speakers, workshops, areas of interest, and what you think UMRA can do better and more of to help you in retirement.  

Stay safe and well, and let’s hear from you.

—Frank Cerra, UMRA president