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May 2022

*President's Message  
2022 Virtual Summit

Webinar: Global Perspective

Annual Report Webinar, Brief

Volunteer Programs & Conference

*Retired Georgetown Faculty
and Staff Ambassador Program

*Eldera

AROHE Brief: Service/Philanthropy

*CURAC/ARUCC Conference

*Roadmap for Solo Agers

*Getting a Handle on Inflation

*The Great Use of Life

*Pandemic Poem

*Join Us
*Tell Us Your Story
*About AROHE

TIAA

Kendal
ASU Emeritus College
Vivid-Pix

The AROHE Board completed the first quarter of 2022 with a set of strategic and operational goals that will CREATE THE FOUNDATION FOR 2023-24 and launch us into our third decade of innovation in retirement organizations! See article below.

Our committees are at work identifying the tasks, action plans and timelines needed to accomplish our goals. Because the pandemic altered our business processes, our Bylaws and Governance Committee has especially important work to

• Determine time, date, and format of the October/November annual meeting.
• Oversee board nominations and elections with completion by November 2022.
• Create a plan for a new board orientation to be offered in January 2023.
• Update the Bylaws.

Given our continued expansion into the virtual and hybrid worlds of interaction, we will also explore the establishment of a Technology Committee.

The critical component in all our work is the recruitment of volunteers to serve

• on committees,
• on the Board, and
• as officers in AROHE.

Please visit our https://www.arohe.org/Get-Involved web page to find those areas of greatest interest to you and complete a committee interest form.

Best Wishes,

Bill Verdini

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Save the Date: AROHE Virtual Summit, September 22, 2022

AROHE's virtual summit will celebrate the organization's 20th anniversary and honor and recognize AROHE member retirement organizations that are inspiring retired faculty and staff to engage with, and support, each other, their colleges/universities, and their communities.

We are excited to announce that Paul Irving, as passionate advocate for older adutls, will be the featured speaker for the summit..

Mr. Irving is a senior fellow at the Milken Institute, previously serving as the Institute’s president and founding chair of its Center for the Future of Aging. He is also a distinguished scholar-in-residence at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, a member of the National Academy of Medicine Global Commission for Healthy Longevity, and chair emeritus at Encore.org, where he has worked to bring different generations together for the common good. He previously served on the Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Health and Housing Task Force and was a participant in the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. He is the author/editor of “The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy, and Purpose,” and the author of multiple reports and articles on the value of older adults’ experience and wisdom. Read more about Mr. Irving.

As the featured speaker at the summit, Mr. Irving will lead a moderated discussion, challenging us to think and act in new ways, followed by facilitated groups to generate fresh perspectives and ideas.

The summit planning committee is hard at work and will announce additional details as they are finalized.

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AROHE Idea Exchange Webinar: Transforming Retirement in Higher Education-A Global Perspective

Wednesday, May 25, 9-10:15 a.m. Pacific Time, 10-11:15 a.m. Mountain, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Central, Noon-1:15 p.m. Eastern

While AROHE supports college/university-based retirement organizations in North America, other organizations around the world are also working to connect retired faculty and staff, to encourage institutions and communities to recognize the value of retired academics, and to facilitate the contributions retirees can make to their campuses and communities.

Christine O'Kelly from Dublin City University in Ireland, who was a popular speaker at the 2021 AROHE virtual conference, will expand on her conference presentation to bring us up to date on the global Age-Friendly University movement as well as efforts in Europe to create a worldwide network of organizations that are working in the field of active aging. There is no charge to attend.

The Annual Report Advantage: Recorded Webinar
and New AROHE Brief

Annual reports can be incredibly effective tools for creating a historical record for your organization, demonstrating the effectiveness and impact of your activities, building relationships with campus administrators, and showing appreciation to your organization's partners, sponsors, and donors. 

During our April 2022 Idea Exchange webinar, a panel of AROHE member organization leaders shared their approaches to producing annual reports and their successes with using their reports to benefit their organizations and their retirees. We heard from Barry McNeill, board member of the Arizona State University Retirees Association, Susan Kress, member of the Skidmore College Retiree Planning Group, and Stefanie Starkovich, executive director, University of Washington Retirement Association/senior director for engagement strategy, Alumni & Stakeholder Engagement. They represented varied retirement organizations, each of which has a different approach to its annual reports. AROHE members, click here to watch this and other recorded webinars.

The AROHE Research and Educatin Committee has also published a new AROHE Brief on this subject. The Brief follows the content of the webinar and contains links to many more example annual reports from AROHE member organizations. AROHE members, visit the online Knowledge Center to read the Brief, “The Annual Report Advantage,” as well as other Briefs on relevant topics.

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Volunteer Programs and Conferences

University of Minnesota Retirees Volunteer Center 

Since 1987, the University of Minnesota Retirees Volunteer Center (URVC) has provided opportunities for retirees to use their knowledge, skills, and interests in service to the university and external communities. Staffed by UM retiree volunteers and supported by modest funding from the university, the URVC seeks to meet the following objectives:

• Gathering, assessing, and communicating information about volunteer opportunities within the University and the greater Twin Cities area
• Acting as a referral service for university units and community agencies seeking volunteers
• Providing volunteers with rewarding opportunities for service

To meet these objectives, URVC staff develop partnerships with university departments and community agencies that enable matching needs with retiree talents. While the pandemic has impeded recent activity, URVC currently has 531 volunteers who contributed over 7,000 hours of service during the past year.

Samples of current volunteer projects:

• Participating in “restorative justice” activities in association with the university’s Office of Student Academic Integrity
• Serving as tutors for elementary school students and adult ESL learner
• Serving as judges for debate tournaments, history day projects, mock trials, and science fairs
• Serving as mentors for undergraduate research scholars
• Participating in various research projects with the medical school and other health science units
• Serving as ushers at campus and area theaters, music venues and other arts-related performances

To learn more, contact Jerry Rinehart, Chair, URVC (a center within University of Minnesota Retirees Association), 612-802-5627, g-rine@umn.edu.

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Retired Georgetown Faculty and Staff Ambassador Program

A survey by the Georgetown University Alumni Association (GUAA) a number of years ago indicated that alumni felt connecting with former professors was their primary request at reunions and other alumni events. In the past, there was a program of Faculty Ambassadors where current active faculty were paid a stipend to connect with their local Regional Clubs (and more recently virtually via Zoom) to provide a presentation, typically of thirty minutes or so, as part of a club event. GUAA has, however, had some difficulty engaging current faculty who are often already over-extended. One of the GU Association of Retired Faculty and Staff (GUARFS) proposed a way that our retirees could support the Regional Alumni Clubs. In an effort to increase retired faculty and staff’ connections with our alumni, we have just instituted a new volunteer GUARFS Ambassador Program. Retired faculty and staff can volunteer to do talks by zoom or in person to regional alumni clubs throughout the world.

The program is a win/win since it helps the GUAA achieve their goal of connecting more alums with former professors and staff with no cost to the GUAA while it enables retirees to enjoy reconnecting with students from past years. Another added benefit is that is helps demonstrate the value of retirees to the Provost’s Office, which provides a variety of support to GUARFS and demonstrates our value to the GUAA and others who may want to step in with more supports.

This program requires a minimum of effort for GUARFS. We advertise the opportunity through our newsletter and website to our 800+ retirees and ask them to contact the GUAA representative who is coordinating the connections with the Alumni Clubs.

Although we just announced this program, GUAA already has more volunteers than in the previous years and they don’t have to provide stipends. Since this just began, no talks have been scheduled, but the GUAA is excited about this new effort.

For more information contact Bill Licamee at licamele@cox.net and/or visit the GUARFS website - Georgetown University Association of Retired Faculty and Staff | Georgetown University.

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Intergenerational International Mentor Opportunity: 
Sharing the Longevity Dividend of Campus Retirees

Sam is seven years old. We talk once a week and joyfully explore his curiosity about the world -- past, present, and future. He is Korean and lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his mom and two older brothers. Dad is on assignment in South Korea. Eldera is the program that connects and sustains our mutually rewarding experience. (Patrick Cullinane, editor, AROHE Matters)

Eldera is a global platform for wisdom sharing and intergenerational connection. We are on a mission to unlock the time and wisdom of one billion elders around the world as a new natural resource for the next generation. We do this today by connecting kids around the world with vetted elder mentors for weekly virtual story time, conversations or activities.

Kids benefit from social-emotional learning and increased resilience, older adults benefit from a sense of purpose, community and expanded legacy, and most importantly everyone experiences joy. Eldera is the opposite of eldercare. We believe that older adults want and need to care for the next generation; it is in our DNA. We stand for bringing back the Era of the Elders and have been featured by Washington Post, The Atlantic, TIME, AARP and more.

To learn more and to join mentors from all fifty states, contact Dana Griffin, Co-Founder/CEO, dana@eldera.ai.

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AROHE Brief: Service/Philanthropy

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CURAC/ARUUC 2022 Canadian Conference

For the second consecutive year, CURAC/ARUCC 2022 is holding its annual conference as a virtual event. It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the conference, hosted by the Emeritus College of the University of British Columbia, the Simon Fraser Retirees Association and the University of Victoria Retirees Association. This year’s sessions focus on wellness and well-being, a major area of research strength at the three highly rated universities.

Opening remarks by Santa Ono, President, University of British Columbia, Kent Percival, President, CURAC/ARUCC and Joost Blom, Principal of Emeritus College, will be followed by a keynote address by Dr. John Helliwell, Professor Emeritus of Economics, UBC, an internationally known leader in research on social capital and subjective well-being and Editor of the World Happiness Report.

A second session will feature a panel discussion on wellness and well-being as we grow older:

• Dr. Angela Brooks-Wilson (SFU) will talk about Super Seniors, individuals 85 and older who have never been diagnosed with serious disease.
• Dr. Gloria Gutman (SFU) will talk about adapting communities to be more livable.
• Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews OC (UBC) will talk about the heterogeneity over the 30 years or so of what the government designates ‘old age’ and implications for policy.

CURAC/ARUCC is pleased to welcome any AROHE members who wish to attend. The full program is available on the website of the Emeritus College. Click here to register.

For more information contact Kent Percival, president, CURAC/ARUCC, Percival@uguelph.ca, or Fred Fletcher, vice-president and chair, communications, CURAC/ARUCC, at Fjfletcher40@gmail.com.

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Trends

For Solo Agers, A Roadmap for a Secure Future

Planning for the long-term can be unsettling, because aging is complicated and stacked with complexities and risks. But if you are a solo ager - someone without a spouse or children - enacting a plan will, over time, turn out to be one of the smartest things to do. Starting out, the toughest question to address is “Where do I begin?” That in itself elevates one's stress and worry to the point that it causes people to delay or put off making a plan entirely. Search results for "For solo agers" | Next Avenue

Resources

Getting a Handle on Inflation Affects
How Far Your Money Takes You

Inflation can impact your retirement planning strategy. The increasing costs of everyday expenses have slowly crept their way into our lives like undesired weight gain; at some point, you are guaranteed to feel the pinch at almost every turn. With rising prices, retirees face spending more money now to maintain current lifestyle while feeling stretched with saving for a comfortable lifestyle later in retirement. Getting a Handle on Inflation Affects How Far Your Money Takes You (nextavenue.org)

Reflections

“The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast us.”

William James

Pandemic Poem: “And the People Stayed Home”

Kitty O'Meara

“And the people stayed home.
And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised,
and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being,
and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated,
some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows.
And the people began to think differently."

and the people stayed home kitty o'meara - Video Search Results (yahoo.com)

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Come Join Us in Transforming Retirement

Since 2001 AROHE has supported both institutions and individuals by transforming the experience of retirement – the preparation, the actual transition, and post-retirement programming – into a smooth and productive life-course change.

To renew, join or learn more, visit arohe.org or contact AROHE by emailing info@arohe.org or calling (213) 740-5037.

StoryTell Us Your Story

We will soon ask AROHE members to respond to a survey asking about your experience with AROHE over the past 20 years. We are looking for stories that illustrate the many contributions that retirement organizations and their members make to their campuses and communities. We will include a selection of stories in the July issue of AROHE Matters, the 20th Anniversary Edition.

About AROHE

AROHE's mantra is "Transforming Retirement."

AROHE is a nonprofit association that champions transformative practices to support all stages of faculty and staff retirement, their mutually beneficial engagement, and continuing contributions to their academic institutions. By sharing research, innovative ideas, and successful practices, AROHE emphasizes the development and enhancement of campus-based retiree organizations and programs which support this continuing engagement in higher education.

Copyright © 2020 AROHE. All rights reserved.
Contact email: info@arohe.org
Contact phone: (213) 740-5037

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