Event Summary

Book notes | A Confederacy of Dunces

Event Date: October 22, 2021, at 2:00 PM

For those with contemporary 2021 sensibilities, "A Confederacy of Dunces"—acclaimed as a literary masterpiece after it was published posthumously in 1980—is a canonical work of modern literature, best understood as a period piece.

Family History: Engaging Family Members with Their Ancestors' Stories

Event Date: October 19, 2021, at 11:00 AM

Vicki Gaylord's engaging presentation on strategies she has used to engage family members with their family history.

Book notes | Braiding Sweetgrass

Event Date: October 15, 2021, at 2:00 PM

In Braiding Sweetgrass, author Robin Wall Kimmerer, a trained botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, shows how other living things like plants offer us lessons to live by. The culture of gratitude is a key theme.

What does it mean to be a global campus?

Study abroad programs are only one part of the larger picture of the robust international education program at the University of Minnesota. Meredith McQuaid, associate vice president and dean of International Programs, will join us for UMRA A.M. on Tuesday, November 9, to provide an overview of the U’s Global Programs & Strategy Alliance, and explain why she believes international education should be relevant to the University as a whole.

How we became a speedboat in a time of crisis

Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, will share with us the story of how the faculty, staff, and students at the University of Minnesota Medical School responded to the coronavirus pandemic in an unprecedented effort of adaptation, collaboration, and service.

Book notes | Invisible Man

Event Date: September 24, 2021, at 2:00 PM

First published in 1952, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is not a one-dimensional novel about racial unrest. Members of URMA’s Fourth Friday Book Club found it to be a book rich in ideas.

Could climate change turn Minnesota into the new Kansas?

Minnesota is one of the most interesting places on the planet because three biomes come together here: boreal forest, temperate forest, and grasslands. However, this confluence of biomes also means that our forests are highly susceptible to changing climate. Lee Frelich, PhD, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Forest Ecology, will explain why when he joins us as our guest speaker for UMRA's October Forum.

Making sense of healthcare insurance options

Are you prepared for Open Enrollment? This year’s health insurance workshop will begin with a presentation by representatives from the international insurance broker and consulting firm Willis Towers Watson, followed by an overview of next year’s U of M retiree health plans by representatives from the Office of Human Resources.

Book notes | Marcel’s Letters

Event Date: September 17, 2021, at 2:00 PM

Marcel’s Letters, by Minnesota author and graphic designer Carolyn Porter, is a fascinating journey from a small river town to war-torn Europe.

Meet Professor Tadd M. Johnson, Esq.

What does it take to navigate constructive relationships between the University and the sovereign nations whose histories go deep in the lands that are now the state of Minnesota? We’ll find out when we meet the University’s first senior director of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations. 

Regent Emeritus Rick Beeson to speak on the state of the University and the Board of Regents

UMRA is pleased to welcome Regent Emeritus Rick Beeson as our guest speaker for UMRA A.M. on October 12. He will speak on the current state of the University, including the U’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and share his reflections on his time as a member and chair of the Board of Regents. 

Book notes | House on Endless Waters

Event Date: August 20, 2021, at 2:00 PM

When Yoel Blum travels from his home in Israel to Amsterdam, where he was born, he begins a journey of finding out the many things his mother kept from him, which leads to a new understanding of who he is.

Special Forum: Minneapolis Government Structure Charter Amendment

Humphrey School Senior Fellow Jay Kiedrowski will be joined by Professor and President Emeritus Robert Bruininks for this special forum to discuss the proposed amendments to the Minneapolis city charter that will be on the ballot in November.

September 22, 2021 -- Jewish history, Sweden and Norway

Event Date: September 22, 2021, at 11:30 AM

The UMRA Armchair Traveler Program featured a compelling presentation by Charles Muscoplat about his wife Sue's and his visits to the WWII Concentration Camps of Treblinka and Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland and Jewish historical sites in Budapest and Prague. Lynn C. Anderson shared pictures and information about her 2019 visit to Oslo, Krokerøy, and Bergen Norway and Tanumshede, Orust, and Uddevalla Sweden.

Book notes | Just Mercy

Event Date: July 16, 2021, at 2:00 PM

Although at times emotionally difficult, Just Mercy is an important book about the problems of our legal system and the amazing work of the Equal Justice Initiative.