UC Riverside Retirees' Association Report
April 2023 Report
Submitted by Andy Plumley, Riverside CUCRA Representative
Fundraising / Scholarships
The UCR Retirees' Association participated in a campus-wide UCR Give Day campaign in early April. We continue to raise funds for the UCRRA Undergraduate Student Scholarship Endowment, we raised over $2,000. In winter, we awarded 4 UCR students with UCRRA scholarships, selected from over 50 applications. Scholarship requirements include recipients being a child, grandchild, or close relative to a UCR staff member or retiree and express a financial need.
We continue to work closely with Development in discussing our fund-raising goals, setting the appropriate size of our endowment fund and establishing the correct fund to provide us flexibility in how we manage our operations.
By-Laws
UCRRA finalized our Bylaws update to better reflect how we are currently operating. These changes were approved by the membership in April. The Bylaw changes removed term limits and revised duties so that recruitment for board positions would be easier. Since the Bylaw approval, we have launched our nominating recruitment for 2023-2024 board members and currently have a full slate of nominations. The new Bylaws also revised our standing committees in terms of composition, duties, and the appointment process.
Retirement Center
The UCR campus has been reviewing departmental space needs at a campus-wide level. This has been driven by an increase in hybrid work schedules post-Covid. This review has allowed for UCRRA, UCREA and the Retirement Center to formally request on-campus physical space. As stated in the past, a location has been identified and we have had have garnered support from the Provost and the Vice Chancellor for Planning, Budget, and Administration.
Membership
UCRRA membership is 344, with over 70% being lifetime members. We will have a new board position that will be responsible for UCRRA communications and outreach. We hope that this new position, along with a supporting committee, will provide for a more comprehensive approach to engaging future retirees.
Events and Activities
Events and activities sponsored by UCRRA, UCREA and the Retirement Center Director include:
- Quarterly Luncheons:
- The Holiday Luncheon was held in December 2022 in person. The featured speaker was Dr. Darryle Williams, UCR Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and he discussed "Enslaved.org: A Short (Digital) History."
- The Winter Luncheon was held in February 2023 in person, and featured Dr. Laila Lalami, Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing. She discussed her book "the Other Americans."
- In May 2023, we will have our Spring Luncheon in person. The featured speaker will be Dr. Wilfred Elders and he will discuss "Green Energy and White Gold." This luncheon also includes our annual business meeting.
- Mystery Book Club, sponsored with UCREA, are held monthly and books featured included The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl, In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson, In the Woods by Tana French, Black Corridors by Constance and Gwenyth Little, and Don't Cry Tai Lake by Qiu Xiaolong.
- Interpretive Walks Club, sponsored with UCREA. In late fall 2022, the group toured the new UCR Student Success Center followed by a tour and drinks at the remodeled Barn complex, which features the original barn building that was built in 1917 to support the UC Citrus Experiment Station. In winter 2023, the group toured the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, located in downtown Riverside. This event was so popular that we will be returning with a group in June 2023.
- Retirement Center sponsored programs on Fidelity Investments, ARAG Legal Long Term CareOptions and Tech Tip seminars.
- Recognition of soon to be Retirees at Staff Assembly General Meetings, made possible through our partnership with the UCR Staff Assembly.