UC Irvine Retirees' Association
October 2021 Report
Submitted by Bernadette Strobel-Lopez, UCI CUCRA Representative
Activities & Programs: The UCIRA continues to work closely with our UCI Center for Emeriti & Retirees (CER) on all programming and activities.
The Fall 2021 Annual Reception honoring all UCI Emeriti and Retirees with Chancellor Gillman as keynote speaker will be held online October 20th. Close to 300 have registered.
Online Zoom and Webinar sessions and in-person walks, hikes and bike rides highlighted in the Spring report have continued (Medicare Basics, Fidelity Workshops, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute Lectures, Office of Information Technology Learning Sessions).
The online cooking classes have been quite entertaining.
Link to all online program recordings: https://retirees.uci.edu/events-and-activities/zoomindex.php
New programs and partnerships introduced by UCI Board Members included:
- A series of Summer exercise classes in collaboration with Campus Recreation: Yoga, Zumba, Body Fitness, Pilates, Stretching, Belly Dancing and Self-Defense.
- "A Taste of the Council on Aging" – Southern California provided retirees with an overview of free services offered to older adults and their families.
- "Dance Escape 2021" presented by M.F.A. candidates in the Department of Dance highlighted a series of screen dances from modern to jazz and ballet.
- Presented free this year was the 19th Annual Women's Wellness Day hosted by the Susan Samueli Integrative Medicine Health Institute. Topics included: community, exercise, environment, mind and body, sleep and nutrition.
- UCI's Institute and Museum of California Art was highlighted by museum director, Kim Kanatani.
- And, we were finally able to experience our first tour since the pandemic onset. The Bower's Museum provided a self-guided tour of the Walt Disney Archives. Participants were then allowed to visit other exhibits including a stunning collection of Gold and Jade works or Miao: Masters of Silver.
Volunteer/Giving Back/Scholarships: Our UCIRA Legacy Scholarships continue to assist new freshmen and transfer students and were highlighted to the community during UCI Giving Day. The UCIRA also contributes annually to the Mike Puritz UCI Staff Assembly Scholarship benefiting current staff.
Our UCI Retirees & Friends Team raised ~$6,500 for cancer research at the UCI Anti Cancer Challenge Walk/Run/Cycle held virtually in August.
Association Membership and Benefits: UCIRA Association Members continue to be eligible for complimentary parking on campus.
CUCRA Survey: An overview of the CUCRA survey results was shared with retirees via our monthly "Connections Newsletter". Key campus administrators were provided with a summary and highlights and/or the hard-cover report via email and at an in-person meeting. An article featuring the survey and our Center for Emeriti and Retirees was recently included in the UCI News, which goes out to all campus and medical center employees and is found here: https://news.uci.edu/2021/10/12/after-years-of-service-to-uci-retirees-and-emeriti-continue-to-give- back/
Plans for next two years: We are exploring the possibility of creating a UCI Travel Group. A new section in our monthly newsletter highlights the activities of CUCRA. We have accepted that while we will move into in-person activities, we are in a “new norm. We plan to continue providing online opportunities for retirees.