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Dear Senior Academy Members,
Spring is tentative this year—maybe a reflection of the uncertain, rather slow transition from strict COVID-19 pandemic restrictions to realizations of the promises of a new, post-pandemic normalcy. Finals are completed, grades submitted, and preparations for a modified in-person Commencement are underway. For Senior Academy members the end of the academic year follows a rhythm with considerably less pressure than when working full-time. May is a month that combines concluding events and a good deal of planning ahead to the new year.
Every May a call goes out to solicit nominations for new members to serve on the Board of Directors. You received the Nominating Committee’s invitation to consider service on the Board and its committees and, consequently, an election notice will soon be in your respective mailboxes. As tradition and our bylaws determine, election results will be announced at the Annual Meeting as will be the new officers. The changing composition of the Board and its committees serves as bridge between events in this year and preparations for next fall.
It is with sadness I am announcing those of my colleagues and friends who rotate off the Board, but I do so with much gratitude because they have been instrumental and invaluable in making this very unusual year possible, even a success: Anne Belcher, Nan Bohan, Giles Hoyt, and Wanda Worley.
In late April, the first in-person event took place because it could be arranged in the knowledge that the participants would be vaccinated and observe the remaining rules of keeping a safe physical distance and wear a mask to protect those who may not have the vaccination appointments. The tour of the Madam Walker Legacy Center drew quite a few people who delighted in this opportunity and were very impressed with the transformation of the building and the plans for its use by the campus and the community at large with special emphasis on those who used to be Indiana Avenue neighbors in the first half of the 20th century. The Academy’s participation in the 2021 Road to Retirement Series that HR organized reverted back to the virtual format with which we have become familiar. It allowed for a continuation of this year’s theme of exploring retirement from many perspectives, in this case connecting with colleagues on campus who are considering or planning retirement. The final event is another in-person tour: “Laughter & Resiliency: Humor in Native American Art,” which will be preceded with an opportunity for lunch in the Eiteljorg Museum Café. I hope you can join me and other members. There is much to catch up on and it is special when the conversation can be in person.
The Annual Meeting is the concluding event of the Senior Academy. It is unusual because the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to determine how we can get together safely. Therefore, we are meeting outside, keeping a safe physical distance, and anyone not fully vaccinated should also wear a mask. According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people who gather out of doors are neither contagious nor susceptible to infection from this coronavirus. An invitation to the Annual Meeting in Eagle Creek Park, Shelter A, on June 10, 2021 will be in your mailbox shortly. I look forward to welcome you.
Marianne S. Wokeck
President, IUPUI Senior Academy
ude[dot]iupui[at]kcekowm
+317-332-8488
For questions and comments, contact us at ude[dot]iupui[at]ymedacas.
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