UNM
Retirees Association founded
First
annual meeting set for April 29
By Laurie
Mellas-Ramirez
Enriching
the lives of retired faculty and staff and finding avenues for
the group to stay active with the university is the aim of the
UNM Retirees Association approved by the Board of Regents last
week.
The association
will provide a formal communication channel to assess and respond
to retiree interests and concerns.
Most UNM
employees remain in New Mexico after retirement poising the
university as a unique touchstone both to serve and utilize
these knowledgeable, concerned citizens, said former Vice President
for Business and Finance David McKinney, member of the Staff
Council ad hoc committee that worked to formalize the group.
Active associations provide a spectrum of programs and
services for retirees such as arranging speakers and cultural
events and providing mentoring and volunteer opportunities,
he said.
The first
annual meeting of the association will be held Tuesday, April
29, from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Research Park Rotunda, 801
University Blvd. SE. The proposed bylaws of the association
will be acted upon and a board of directors will be elected.
McKinney
said many universities throughout the U.S. have associations.
UNMs will be modeled on the University of Wisconsins.
Associations publish newsletters and annual reports, schedule
meetings to keep retirees informed and may negotiate special
member discounts to university events and services.
For two
years, McKinney and fellow retirees Scott Alley, Anne Brown
and Lee Zink, along with former Staff Council President L.J.
Lovell and other staff and faculty, and with assistance from
Staff Councils Mimi Swanson and Karin Retskin, championed
the effort.
Under Lovells
leadership in 2000, Staff Council created an ad hoc committee
to explore retiree needs. The committee conducted a survey of
2,041 retirees last summer.
We
had a 35 percent return, which is outstanding, Lovell
said. Nearly 90 percent said that they would be interested
in joining an association.
Among the
supporters are President F. Chris Garcia, former President William
C. Gordon and Human Resources Director Susan Carkeek.
The ad
hoc committee also worked with the Human Resources Department
and Continuing Education on benefits issues. Health Sciences
Center Associate Professor Emerita Beulah Woodfin will serve
as the UNM Retirees Association representative on the UNM Faculty/Staff
Benefits Committee.
Another
task has been to develop and maintain an accurate and current
retiree database, Alley said. Other information gained from
the survey will also be acted upon.
We
wanted a stronger connection to the university. We want our
experience to be of benefit, Alley said.
Membership
is maintained by a nominal annual membership fee. The fee has
not been set, but will be under $20, McKinney said. All retired
faculty or staff, their spouses, and widows or widowers, are
eligible for membership.
The university
will offer some in-kind support, such as part-time administrative
support, accounting services, etc.
For information,
contact Karin Retskin, 277-1532.