Do you know of someone who has recently retired? Has that person received a copy of our Newsletter? If not, please tell the retiree all about the Emeritus Assembly: when and where the first meeting of this academic year will be held, (October 4, 2007 1:00 PM at Zenny's. Storrs. 2:45 PM a guided tour of the Dodd Center, UCONN with Betsy Pitman, and 4:00 PM at Konover Auditorium, Dodd Center, UCONN for an address by Michael J. Bean, Esq.), how to reach one of the officers (see list of officers on the home page of this site), and obtain a copy of the Newsletter,(contact Timothy Killeen, membership chair at Killeen3@charter.net), and how to reach this website (www.CTemeritusassembly.org or www.eact.info). Membership and reservation forms can be printed from the web site's reservations.
The founding members decreed that all retirees receive two years - four copies - of the Newsletter even if they do not send in that massive dues payment of six dollars. All retirees for the entire state, with its twenty private and public universities, often means two or three hundred new emeriti in one year. Some institutions keep such strict privacy rules that addresses can be difficult for the Assembly's membership officer to obtain.
As suggested above; - you will be helping the Assembly by keeping up its membership, and you will be helping your former colleague by keeping her or him in touch with the academic scene
Remember the Assembly's MISSION STATEMENT:
The Emeritus Assembly of The Connecticut State Conference of the AAUP is committed to the following pursuits: promotion of the social, professional and general welfare interests of emeritus professors of institutions of higher education in Connecticut and the support of the professional and economic interests of the active faculties of the Connecticut institutions of higher education wherever possible and appropriate.
Mary Rogers
September,2007
Reflections on the Primary Elections
The voting in early primary states is much easier to understand than many of its commentaries. That young people are voting for Senator Obama is easily comprehensible; similarly, voters above a certain age are favoring Senator Clinton. No mystery.
Where the mystery arises is in the analysis - or the failure thereof - which some commentators are making. Remarks have emphasized the change in attitude toward nonwhite candidates. Why not toward non-male candidates?
The constitutional amendment which says that “The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, “ was enacted March 30, 1870. The nineteenth amendment which says “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States of or by any state on account of sex” did not take effect until August 26, 1920. Half a century later!
From the constitutional point of view, it is more remarkable that a woman is running for president than it is that an African American is running for president. Yet we find many commentators full of criticism for the woman, while showing much admiration for the talented young biracial senator.
Is it possible that this country is ready to accept a biracial male for the Oval Office, but not yet ready to accept any female? Are American voters unaware of Margaret Thatcher, Benezir Bhuto, Angela Merkel, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meier and so many other women who have been national leaders in various countries? Please, guys, don’t feel threatened. Let those of us whose mothers could not vote have a candidate whose success will do honor to our deprived parents.
Mary Rogers
January 2008
re: upcoming schedule
The recent EA planning meetiing on July 16, 2009 moved Mary Rogers to search for inspiration in her collection of EA newsletters, of which she was the founding and only editor for 18 years. She was, however, unable to attend the meeting due to conflicts in scheduling. Therefore, she forwarded some interesting writeups to Tim Killeen, EA President, and us. Each heading includes the issue(s) to be discussed, the topic's relevancy, background information of the invited guest speaker(s), and event details. Really good stuff. Here are two:
Higher Education In Connecticut: Pressures and Principles
Monday, October 20, 2003
When the executive board of this Emeritus Assembly met to plan the programs for '03-'04, it showed no fear:
Commissioner of Higher Education? Yes, let's invite her. Who best can give us the complete picture of the pressures now being exerted in higher education in this state?
In 1998, the Public Agenda Advisory Council released its report entitled "Transforming Connecticut Higher Education: An Agenda for Excellence into the 21st Century."
At the time, the Courant criticized the plan in an editorial titled "Higher Education Plan Flunks." Was the newspaper correct in its assessment? Is the "Agenda" still influencing higher education? Has it been revised or abandoned?
Commissioner Lewis can tell us about today's agenda, and how it is being implemented.
What will the Emeritus Assembly do with the ideas generated at this meeting? How can we continue to contribute to our universities?
Central CT State University, New Britain, Monday October 20 at 10:30 Commissioner Valerie Lewis.
Dine with fellow retirees at the Faculty Dining Room, add your comments at the Business Meeting.
David DeNuccio in charge of local arrangements. Reservation form on back page. See map page for directions including parking
Universities and Their Retirees: Present and Future
Tuesday, November 18
A panel of four university presidents will discuss this topic.
Each of the Presidents has a special message to bring:
At the University of Hartford., President Walter Harrison continues "The President's College" - a special event for all adult learners.
At Central, President Richard Judd presides over an institution which has been designated "a role model for undergraduate education for the country".
At the Capitol Community College where there is a CCC-UCONN Urban Studies program, President Ira Rubenzahl has been working to uncover pathways forward for Hartford.
At Storrs, the University of Connecticut under the leadership of President Philip Austin offers to senior citizens a flourishing "Center for Learning in Retirement" and is considering an assisted living project.
What will the Emeritus Assembly do with the ideas generated at this meeting?
How can we continue to contribute to our universities?
University of Hartford, West Hartford, Tuesday November 18 at 10:30 the Four Presidents Emeritus Assembly V.P. Fred Cazel, panel moderator. Buffet lunch at the 1877 Club, business meeting follows. Local arrangements by Cecilia Welna. See map page.cause it's relevant to a possible coming program.
CECILIA WELNA, PEERLESS SECRETARY OF THE EMERITUS ASSEMBLY, RETIRES
For the Emeritus Assembly, 1996 was both the best of times and the worst of times. The relatively young organization had achieved a paid up membership list of one hundred retirees. In spite of this achievment the group was saddened by the illness of the ultra-dependable Barbara McKillop, our secretary almost since our 1986 beginning. Barbara had just written for the state conference?s Advance a history of our organization, brief though that history was. Indications were that she would not return to us, and Cecilia Welna stepped up and began to fulfill the secretarial needs of the Emeritus Assembly. The following year, 1997, Ceil was elected in her own right, and remained our secretary until two years ago. "Time to retire" she told us, and we found another secretary. Unfortunately, Ceil's replacement had responsibilities out of the USA and soon resigned. Again, as she had in the past, Cecilia Welna filled a need and became Emeritus Assembly's secretary for yet another term.
Members have seen examples of Ceil's thorough work, since many of her reports have been printed in the Newsletter. Four times each year since 1996 we have had Ceil's accurate reports to keep us on track, not only for regular attendees at the meetings but also to inform absent members of what happened .
In addition to those regular reports of meeting events, Ceil has been a strong contributor to our program arrangements. Need an idea for a meeting that will be worth our time attending? Ceil has an idea of a suitable speaker or place. Want a meeting at University of Hartford?s Political History Museum? Cecilia Welna will make all arrangements, location, docent, meal arrangments, how to get there, where to park, all the details. That and several other meetings were placed in Ceil's tender and efficient care.
As if those contributions weren't enough, one other service to this organization needs to be mentioned: Ceil is a great proof reader. Even though computers have spell check and such devices, these machines can't always make sense of sentences. A human brain is needed to help a newsletter editor make sure that the pages sent out for duplication say what they are supposed to say. Ceil has been invaluable in the advance reading of our proposed pages. The shoes which she filled when she originally accepted the position were large, but she filled them beautifully; now she herself has left a vast space that may never be as adequately occupied.
Thank you Ceil, for all your work for the Emeritus Assembly. Enjoy this second retirement!
Mary Rogers
Fall 2007 EA Newsletter
Editor,
The state has need for many people of talent, skills, and education to provide necessary services. The breadth of state services can be seen by merely glancing at the phone book, - nineteen pages of information about the state and its departments, in addition to local and federal governments. Each of these departments requires administrators at the highest levels and at mid-levels. These plus engineers, medical staff, lawyers, scientists, technicians, are all included in that Average Salary figure which columnist Dowd Muska provides in his recent diatribe against state employees.
Readers of that column may get the picture of every lowly broom pusher receiving over fifty five thousand dollars in annual salary. Not so; averages are deceiving. State’s lowest salaries are not far above the minimum wage required by law.
Is fifty five thousand per employee an exorbitant average amount? One major corporation offers this comparison for upper level administrators: they have three executive vice presidents whose average salaries in 2008 were $9,741,025. Each! The two top officers each received (average) $14,818,149, amounts cut from previous year by $7.7 million. Apparently we are underpaying our governor - despite all those perks which are on the public record.Or isn’t the State of Connecticut as important as one corporation?
The state is fortunate to find qualified workers for such a relatively low average salary. For employees at the lower range of salaries, today’s market leaves little if anything in excess of average monthly expenses.
Muska is apparently trying to privatize state services. If we did go in that direction, it should should be noted that a private contractor would expect profits in addition to basic expenses. Profits enough, perhaps, to pay the CEO and the vice presidents $9 to $14 million dollars each?
Mary C. Rogers
Posted on EACTBLOG on 1/24/2010