President's report archive

This document represents my third Annual Report as President of UMRA. Selected highlights of last year’s activities are presented below:

Due to the COVID pandemic, there has been no in-person meeting of the Executive Committee since February 2020. However, the Committee is meeting virtually to address issues of interest to the University of Manitoba retirees. Due to the pandemic, the Executive Committee of UMRA has decided to maintain its current elected representatives in their positions until the next scheduled Annual Meeting in October of 2021.

• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UMRA has eliminated membership dues for the 2020-2021 year of the organization.
• UMRA continues to support a bursary, a scholarship, and the Second Prize for the Annual 3-MT Research Competition.
• Please consider participating in our Committees to ensure the maintenance and enhancement of our services to retirees.
• Retirement planning sessions to improve information for those nearing retirement continue, but have been interrupted this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Please refer to our website to keep up to date with the current status of the Supplementary Health Benefits Program for University of Manitoba retirees.

I have been elected to the Board of Directors of CURAC, the national body that works to represent the interests of all retirees of colleges and universities in Canada.

Dan Sitar, President

This document represents my 2nd Annual Report as President of UMRA. Selected
highlights of this past year’s activities are presented below:

• We are participating in initiatives to improve age-friendly conditions at the University of Manitoba
• Assistance (at cost) for members with computer problems is available
• UMRA is supporting a bursary, a scholarship, and 3-M prizes to University of Manitoba students which are well-received and an effective sign of our active presence in the University
• Please consider participating in our committees to help maintain and enhance our services
• Participating in University sessions to improve information for those nearing retirement
• Changes in the Supplementary Health Benefits Program have created improvements, uncertainties, and losses. Our Pensions and Benefits Committee is preparing a report for the UMRA website, where other information can also be found.
• Working to ensure timely, accurate, and helpful information for our members

Dan Sitar, President

This document represents my first Annual Report as President of UMRA. Selected highlights of this past year’s activities are presented below.

A notable accomplishment by our organization is the achievement of critical mass for our endowed Bursary Fund. I am pleased to inform the membership that a bursary was awarded this past year to a deserving undergraduate student at the University of Manitoba. On behalf of retirees, UMRA made a significant donation to this fund last year to contribute to achievement of its critical mass.

The UMRA Postgraduate Scholarship Fund was established this past year and has already received donations towards its goal to recognize excellence in postgraduate research accomplishments by a graduate student at our University.

UMRA continues to sponsor the second prize in the annual Three-Minute Thesis Competition that occurs in March of each academic year. This activity strengthens our profile within the University. UMRA also benefits by having winners of this competition present their findings at the Spring Retirees Reception. Attendees have expressed their appreciation for this activity by award winners at this social event.

Retirees continue to generously support the United Way this past year, University retirees contributed $238,814 to the 2017 campaign, an increase of 3% over 2016, and representing about 40% of all donations from the University of Manitoba campaign.

Other University activities in which UMRA members participate include the Age Friendly University Program that is overseen by the Centre on Aging. The University of Manitoba was the first University in Canada to achieve this designation. In addition, we have participated in reinvigoration of a retirement
preparation program that is offered from the Human Resources Department. Initial sessions for employees were begun in the Spring of 2017 and have been well received. This Program continues to evolve and provides valuable insight for employees contemplating retirement in the near future.

Members of the Executive Committee continue to meet with staff from Central Administration at the University to insure that the University regards our members as part of the greater University community. At these meetings we continue to advocate for issues important to retirees. One of the financially significant changes this past year has been the switch to electronic distribution of the Retirees Newsletter that is published twice yearly. I would like to remind retirees that all issues of this publication are archived on the UMRA webpage. In addition, we have been able to convince the University to maintain email access by retirees via the “umr” portal of the University’s electronic communication network.

Finally, I would like to thank all members of the Executive Committee and the members of other UMRA committees for their contributions to the activities of UMRA and its efforts to provide resources and assistance to its members. I encourage retirees to consider participation in the governance of our
organization by volunteering for positions on committees and enlarging the vision of UMRA as an important cohort of the greater University community.

Dan Sitar, President

This is my fourth president’s report and as I look back on this past year the following are highlights that I think are worth noting.

The first highlight is that the UMRA executive approved a resolution to fund the second-place prize in the annual Three-Minute Thesis competition, which is held in the spring term. The competition, which is organized by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, challenges graduate students to describe their research project in a three-minute oral presentation. The first-place prize of $2,000 is named in honour of the late Dr. Archie McNicol, a former associate dean of graduate studies. UMRA executive, beginning with the 2018 competition, will be funding the second-place prize of $500, which will be called the University of Manitoba Retirees Association Prize for Second Place. By funding the prize,
UMRA will be more visible within the university community and will be a reminder that retirees have a continuing stake in the university’s educational enterprise.

The second highlight to note is that the University of Manitoba Retiree Endowment Fund early in 2017 passed the $15,000 mark. This fund is now large enough to support an annual bursary award. Again, this is another reminder of the continuing support that retirees are providing to the university.

A third highlight is that retirees continue to be major contributors to the United Way appeal within the university community. In 2016, donations from retirees totaled $232,000, while donations from current staff totaled $595,000.

Fourth, one of the objectives of UMRA is to meet regularly with university administration to make the point that while we have retired from employment, we are still members of the larger university community. This was achieved with at least three meetings with our administration contact, Mark O’Riley, Learning and Organizational Development, who has listened to our points of interest, some of which have been resolved and some of which are underway.

Finally, I extend my thanks all the members of the UMRA executive whose continuing interest in retiree affairs and the university is demonstrated by their consistent attendance at our three to four meetings per year, and who have provided me with good advice in the exercise of my presidential role. Following this annual meeting, I look forward to my role as past-president.

– Ed Unrau, President