Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education

Trouble viewing this email or want to print it out?

May 2025

Editor's note: This issue of AROHE Matters highlights among other topics summer programs to help retirees stay connected during the summer months. Have a topic of interest? See the link in "Tell Us Your Story" to suggest newsletter topics.

*Join Us
*Tell Us Your Story
*About AROHE

President's Message

Cherie Hamilton

May is traditionally a time when families begin planning their summer activities—and AROHE member institutions are no exception. Retirement organizations play an essential role in supporting faculty and staff retirees, offering a community where members can connect, exchange ideas, and share experiences. AROHE supports this mission year-round by providing webinars, programs, group travel opportunities, and both in-person and virtual seminars.

This issue of AROHE Matters highlights summer programming at Retirement Organizations (ROs)—specifically activities designed to maintain the meaningful relationships and camaraderie that members enjoy throughout the year. We’ve invited ROs to share their summer initiatives, showcasing the creative ways they continue to engage their communities. Research shows these efforts positively impact personal well-being.

TRAVEL

We hope you had a chance to attend our 2026 Travel Institute presentation on April 29. If not, details are available on our website under Travel Institute. Five exciting trips are planned throughout 2026, beginning with Costa Rica at a Slower Pace, February 2–15. The registration deadline is in July.

BRIEFS

AROHE’s Brief on Estate Planning is now available for members to download on our website.

We wish you a wonderful summer and look forward to welcoming new members to our retiree community this fall.

Cherie Hamilton
AROHE President

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Connections & Conversations: Notes from Valerie

AROHE is excited to share some recent work focused on creating meaningful engagement in the next chapter of life. From soft launching a new Virtual Retirement Chapter for those without a traditional campus connection, to previewing enriching travel experiences designed just for our members, each initiative is rooted in one goal—building community.

Whether it’s through shared journeys, thoughtful writing, or simply showing up for each other in conversation, I continue to be inspired by the ways we connect. Thank you for being part of this growing network of purposeful living in retirement.

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Virtual Chapter

The AROHE Virtual Retirement Chapter is a new community designed for retired and soon-to-retire faculty and staff who may not be affiliated with a campus-based retirement organization or who live far from their former institution. This virtual space offers opportunities to stay connected, share experiences, and engage in programs that support purpose, connection, and lifelong learning—no matter where you are.

Whether you’re looking to explore new interests, join thoughtful conversations, or simply connect with peers in this next chapter of life, the Virtual Chapter welcomes you.

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Travel Institute

We are excited to offer enriching and engaging travel opportunities designed specifically for our members. Whether you're dreaming of a slower-paced journey or an immersive cultural experience, the Travel Institute is your gateway to meaningful adventures.

If you missed our 2026 Trip Preview, the recording is now available on our website—simply visit arohe.org/Travel-Institute and click the photo at the bottom of the page to view the session.

Join us for our next destination spotlight!
You're invited to a special preview session for Costa Rica at a Slower Pace: Natural Wonders by Water and Land
📅 Monday, May 19th
🕑 2 PM EDT | 1 PM CDT | 12 PM MDT | 11 AM PDT

In this live session, you’ll hear directly from a Costa Rica travel expert who will walk you through trip highlights, answer your questions, and provide insider tips. You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with other AROHE members who may become your future travel companions.

We hope to see you there!

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Invitations to Authors!

AROHE is creating a publication---"Building Community through Shared Writing Experiences”. You are invited to submit content about an individual or group writing experience with your RO that helped build community: Memoir Writing, Memories from Your College Career, and other topics. Contact Dr. Dee Stegelin at dstegel@clemson.edu, for information and submission.

Michigan State University Retirees Association: Summer Fun

The Michigan State University Retirees Association is active all year round. Besides hosting monthly speakers during the academic year, as well as special events such as building a float for the homecoming parade (We won a first-place award last year!), touring interesting campus buildings/departments, attending local theatre events, etc., the MSURA is active during the summer.

For many years, we’ve enjoyed an outing at the Lugnuts, the Lansing minor league baseball team. We do it up right by sitting in box seats and enjoying a smorgasbord of tasty game-day food. In addition, during the summer as well as year around, we have a monthly lunch at one of the cafeterias in a dormitory, which holds, interestingly, the largest non-military dining facility in the world. We frequently host a cookout event for our members at a high-rise apartment complex with an outdoor plaza, which overlooks the campus. For more information, contact Cheryl Pell, pell@msu.edu.

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Remembering the Sixties: A Summer Project at Clemson University

Through the years, Clemson University Emeritus College members have enjoyed a variety of small-group, shared-interest activities and exchanges that emerged organically and are sustained by mutual interests.  These events afford the sharing of ideas and cross-disciplinary collaboration and have become substantially self-sustaining.  Of particular note is a memoir writing group, now five years old, that convenes monthly, meeting via ZOOM to accommodate scattered emeriti.  Normal attendance is eight to twelve participants from multiple disciplines, united by a common interest in memoir writing. Participants have shared over 180 pieces through the Canvas utility, including some poetry and works of fiction.  In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the College, the memoir group spearheaded the 2023 publication of Moments and Memories, a collection of individual career reflections from the wider emeritus community. It has become a significant addition to the historical record of the University, and a second volume is in the works.  Both will be carried in the University bookstore.

As a summer project, the memoir group is collecting a selection of some themed writings into a volume titled The Sixties: The Long Decade, 1954-1974.  It will reflect the thoughts and experiences of a small group of retired academics who, though at the time were separated by place and circumstances, experienced the sixties firsthand and later enjoyed intersecting and overlapping careers at Clemson.  Members of the group—having become familiar and drawn close by their sharing of thoughts and memories—offer a novel, collective view of that formative period. To learn more, contact Cecil O. Huey, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Department of Mechanical Engineering, cohuey@clemson.edu. 

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

University of Missouri Retirees Association Summer Programs

The MU Retirees Association (University of Missouri System and Columbia campus staff and faculty retirees) offers three summer activities. The June breakfast program will feature Debbie Beal, Executive Director of City of Refuge, speaking about the nature of refugees living in mid-Missouri, how the organization serves them (especially in a time of reduced federal funding), and opportunities for individuals to contribute to this work. Later in June, MURA organized a tour and optional hiking at the Boone County Nature School (a partnership between six local public school districts, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the community).

In August, MURA members will volunteer to help students check out at the MU Book Store as they purchase books and supplies for the fall semester. The bookstore donates the “pay” for MURA volunteers to the association’s endowed Kitty Dickerson Scholarship Fund, supporting seven scholarships for the upcoming year for children of current staff to attend MU. Follow-up contact is Mary Simon Leuci, Ed.D., (she/her/hers), MURA President Elect and Program & Education Committee Chair, eucim@missouri.edu. 

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

MURA member Gary Smith helps direct students to cash registers during the week before classes start.

UM System President Mun Choi with MURA Kitty Dickerson Scholarship winners Brooke Anich (2024 winner graduating), Joe Winterbower, Sam Kim, Melinda Fauss, Anna Babic, and MURA President Jim Scott on April 7, 2025, when scholarship winners and families were recognized. Not pictured are scholarship winners, Elliot Gilbreth, Mary Kidenya, and Mohamed Lehmidi.

University of British Columbia Emeritus College: Active Summer Special Interest Groups

The UBC Emeritus College has 12 Special Interest Groups (SIGs), three of which are active during the summer months, providing energetic members opportunities to connect and enjoy the outdoors.

The EASY RIDERS Cycling SIG logs about nine outings between late May and early September, taking advantage of sunny days and moderate temperatures to enjoy ocean and mountain vistas around the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. Leadership of the rides is shared among members, and groups range from five to more than a dozen riders. Outings include a stop for lunch or a snack. Aims are modest exercise, convivial conversation, and the development of friendships.

The Seniors’ Sports SIG runs March through September and offers six sports using modified rules and customized formats, including 4-a-side Soccer, and doubles/singles tennis, squash, pickleball and table tennis. Emphasis is placed on sport specific competitive games and fun social interactions. Each sport is rooted in a community of practice which includes arriving early to meet colleagues and help with set-up, positive group contributions and team spirit, safety (i.e., ability and fitness level, active warm-ups and cool-downs, fair play ethos, regular drink breaks), and post-game social refreshments.

UBC’s Okanagan Chapter in the BC interior supports an Outdoors Activities SIG which include fair weather hikes, cycling, and canoe trips, and winter skiing and snowshoe ventures, as well as visits to sites of historical, archeological or scientific interest. Groups take advantage of BC’s many Provincial Parks which offer peace and quiet, beautiful landscapes, abundant wildflowers and wildlife, and an interesting human history. Dr. Anne Junker MD, FRCPC, Associate Professor Emeritus (Pediatrics), The University of British Columbia | Musqueam Traditional Territory, ajunker@mail.ubc.ca

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Retirement Trends and Resources

Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month (OAM), a time to recognize older Americans' contributions, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm our commitment to serving older adults.

The 2025 theme, Flip the Script on Aging, focuses on transforming how society perceives, talks about, and approaches aging. It encourages individuals and communities to challenge stereotypes and dispel misconceptions. This year, join us in honoring older adults’ contributions, exploring the many opportunities for staying active and engaged as we age, and highlighting the opportunities for purpose, exploration, and connection that come with aging.

On this site, find materials to help you celebrate, including this year's logo, poster, social media graphics, and activity ideas. Use #OlderAmericansMonth on social media to share your thoughts and activities and see what others are doing! Older Americans Month 2025 | ACL Administration for Community Living

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

TIAA Institute: Schools and their faculty retirees: The potential for mutual goodwill
 

Both faculty retirees and their institutions potentially stand to benefit from ongoing, productive connections. But is such mutual benefit realized in practice? Most research on retirement related to higher education focuses on financial and demographic aspects, on decision-making, and on individual retirees’ experience in the postretirement period. However, there is less information—or a lack thereof—about the relationships that retirees have with their institutions. This paper brings forward findings from two surveys: one of U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs) and the other a case study of one university’s retirees. From the first survey, we report that IHEs’ regular contact and follow-up with retirees is rare (Poggio et al., 2023). From the case study, we report retired professors’ expressed desire for increased ties with their institutions and recognition for their contributions. Both contain eye-opening insights that merit attention. Search Results | Institute

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Will Tomorrow’s Older Persons Age as Successfully as Their Parents’ Generation? 

The concept of “successful aging” was proposed as a framework to broaden the perspective of gerontology from its prior focus on losses that accrue with advancing age to a consideration of the substantial heterogeneity of the aging process (Rowe & Kahn, 1987). Since that time, many modifications of the original concept have been proposed, most relating to a greater inclusion of social and cultural contexts and varied approaches to the issue of “engagement” as a central component. Scholars have debated what successful aging is and what it is not: is it a theory, a concept, a paradigm, a process, or an outcome? Moreover, work continues in specifying how best to measure successful aging, how large a portion of the population successful aging pertains to, and how to develop policies and programs to promote it. Ongoing research in successful aging reflects an emphasis on global aspects of aging, including in low- and middle-income countries (Chen et al., 2022), the factors and characteristics of successful aging at the societal level (Chen et al., 2018), application of the concept across the life course (Dzau et al., 2019; Fried & Rowe, 2020), and the implications of technology in relation to age-friendly and longevity-friendly environments (Rowe, 2023; Wang et al., 2021). As aging has become a major issue globally, approaches to this area have risen to the top of many international policy agendas. The Gerontologist, Volume 65, Issue 1, January 2025, gnae162, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnae162

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Through the Looking Glass: Examining the Intersectionality of Ageism

Ageism Webinar -North America Regional Committee (NARC) of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG), in partnership with the Canadian Coalition Against Ageism (CCAA) Co-Host

May 30, 2025 11:00 AM/PDT 

The impact of ageism on older adults has never been clearer, with the increased expression of age bias both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this webinar, the pervasive nature of ageism will be highlighted, with particular consideration of how the intersection of other identities (e.g., race, gender) influence expressions and experiences of ageism. This webinar will examine manifestations of ageism in ageist group labels and beauty standards and also investigate ways to challenge ageist comments. Taken together, this webinar will shed light on the multifaceted nature of ageism in North American society and offer valuable insights into strategies for combatting age bias. https://yorku.zoom.us/meeting/register/m1siqHy8Sb-GZ_L6Vsx-LQ#/registration

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Elevating the voices of older adults – University of Michigan National Poll on Aging

Launched in 2017, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging elevates the voices of U.S. adults age 50 and older on enduring and emerging issues affecting health and aging. To date, the poll has developed nearly 100 reports and articles on a wide variety of topics, providing valuable insights to inform decision-making and care for older adults. Explore recent poll topics and findings: Loneliness, Top Health Concerns, Weight Loss Medication, Alzheimer's Screening, Resources for Healthy Aging

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Meditative Moment

Abraham Lincoln

“And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” 

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.

Come Join Us in Transforming Retirement

Since 2002 AROHE has supported both institutions and individuals by transforming the experience of retirement – the preparation, the 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.

Tell Us Your Story

About AROHE

AROHE's mantra is "Transforming Retirement."

At AROHE, we know that higher education retirees are assets of society who reinvent, NOT retire from, life; positively impact their communities; and contribute to the greater good.

AROHE 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.

Privacy policy: AROHE will never sell or give your personal information to sponsors or partners without your expressed permission. This permission is typically done as a part of an event registration where members and registrants "opt in" to receive email notices from a partner or sponsor. In this case a member or registrant's email address is provided to the sponsor or partner.

Copyright © 2020 AROHE. All rights reserved.
Contact email: info@arohe.org

Click to return to the Issue Highlights.