UC Santa Barbara
Retirees' Association
Fall 2025 Report
Submitted by George Hopwood, CUCRA Representative
Membership (including recruitment efforts and marketing).
Our Annual Membership Fee is $15, and membership for the 2025-26 fiscal year is currently standing at 382.
We advertise our events through weekly e-blasts from our Center Coordinator, by word of mouth and through direct e-mails. We are working to offer new programs and discounted activities in addition to continuing perennial favorites. We hope the offerings encourage more retirees to join and attend events.
Member Benefits (parking, discounts, etc.)
Membership benefits include free parking on campus, access to the university library, discounted use of the Recreational Center, as well as discounts at the UCSB Bookstore and discounted tickets for some off-campus activities. Additionally, the Association continues to offer two $1000 scholarships for needy/local students enrolled at UCSB.
Organizational Developments (staffing, retirement center)
We continue to try to recruit new members to our board. Kim Summerfield continues as President after joining last year, Andrea Carr as Treasurer, Julie Luera as Membership Coordinator, and Robert Mann and George Hopwood as CUCRA Reps. We welcomed Sabina White as an “at large” member this year. She also serves as a coordinator/escort with the CUCRA Travel Program.
We still don’t have assigned space for a true Retirement Center at UCSB, just a cubicle for our Center Coordinator, however we have access to a room designated as the “Retiree/Emeriti Meeting Room”, and we are hopeful that additional space might be made available in the future.
Association’s Activities (picnics, luncheons, lectures, etc.)
On May 27th members met at the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society for a workshop and tour. Attendees learned about the society, its history and future plans, and were shown new online genealogy methods using Ancestry.com, FamilySearch and other websites.
On August 11th we held our annual summer picnic at Stow Grove park. Attendees enjoyed a lunch of barbequed chicken and tri-tip under the redwood trees while catching up with former colleagues and playing rounds of bingo. Gift baskets were awarded to bingo winners and fun was had by all.
In November, the Retirees Association has arranged for a docent-led tour of two blockbuster exhibitions at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art – Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art and Encore: 19th-Century French Art from the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Museum-trained docents will guide us as we see, experience, and learn about works from Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse and more. The event is currently fully booked.
In early December the association is offering a walking tour of the Hermitage, one of the best not-so-secret, unique jewels of Santa Barbara. Inspired by whimsy and good humor, the architecturally quirky museum and its 10-acre botanic garden are chockablock with original sculptures and other works of art displayed indoors, as well as along trails that meander through a bamboo forest and subtropical gardens filled with significant collections of desert plants, including cacti, aloes, agaves, palms, cycads, and rare and exotic flowering trees.
In mid-December we will hold our annual holiday party and toy drive at a local golf club. Attendees will enjoy a fabulous lunch, ocean views and mingling with other members. We will raise money for our scholarship fund with a raffle of some great prizes donated by local restaurants and stores including two huge gift baskets of local products.
Future Plans (for the next year or two)
We are excited by the recent appointment of a campus-based Retirement Counselor at UCSB and hopeful this will help us develop links to prospective retirees. We’re also working on building links to the Staff Assembly on campus that we hope will translate to increased membership when these colleagues subsequently retire. Finally, we’re planning to purchase some branded merchandise to raise awareness of the Retiree Association both on campus and among retirees generally. Overall, prospects are looking good for broadening the scope of programs and activities offered to retirees in 2026, so we can further our goal to make retirement a more meaningful, rewarding and stimulating experience for UCSB retirees.