University of Southern California
Retired Faculty Association
Board Meeting Minutes
January 9, 2009
Agenda Item 1: Opening the Meeting
The University of Southern California Retired Faculty Association Board of Directors meeting was called to order by Steb Chandor, immediate past president, in the absence of the president, Dagmar Halamka, at 10:00 a.m. on January 9, 2009, in Room 224 of the Andrus Gerontology Center, University Park Campus. Members present were Steb Chandor, Natalie Cohen, Phoebe Liebig, Janette Brown, Jack Wills, Barbara Solomon, Nancy Warner, Millie Milgrom, Bill Petak, Carole Gustin, Ruberta Weaver, Bob Stallings, Jack Sanders, Bob Biller, Jerry Walker, Art Donovan, and Bob Coffey, past president and Board advisor. Chandor welcomed the members for the New Year and included several other remarks. The agenda was presented and accepted as presented. The minutes of the December 12, 2008, meeting were presented and four amendments were proposed. The minutes were approved as amended.
Bill Petak gave the treasurer's report attached to these minutes as Appendix 1C. It mainly updated the figures on the December report. The Emeriti Center RFA account contains adequate funds to ensure operating expenses for the year. Petak said that the University is behind on the posting to this account. The RFA USC Credit Union account contains sufficient funds to operate the RFA for a full year in case of unusual income shortfall. Petak recommended that the RFA Endowment Fund spendable fund of $1,201.00 be folded into the Endowment Fund. There was some discussion about this citing the strained circumstances of the U.S. economy. Steb Chandor reported that the USC endowment is robust. Bob Biller interjected the remark that the USC endowment is down $1B from $4B. Chandor continued with remarks that USC is tuition driven contrasted with many schools that are endowment driven. Jack Wills said that from his dealings with USC students at the Intergenerational Forum, USC does not appear to be aware of the problems that the financial meltdown is causing the students. Biller mentioned that the USC response is self-driven and not helpful to students. He said that student financial problems are being referred to the business offices of the students' units, not a likely source of help. Biller further remarked that RFA contributions to other sources are slowly creeping upward and that this is a favorable item. Contributions should be increased with caution. The expanded contribution to the Emeriti Center has been increased to $9,000, but this brings expanded and better services to the RFA from the Emeriti Center. Contributions to the Caldwell Scholarship Fund have been decreasing and the RFA should make up the shortfall to keep the contribution at the $5,000 level. Biller then moved that the Endowment Fund's spendable funds ($1,201) be folded back into the Endowment Fund. The motion was seconded and passed.
Agenda Item 2: Donations in Honor of Helen Coffey
Bob Coffey expressed his thanks to the Board members who have made memorial contributions to the USC RFA Endowment Fund in honor of Helen Coffey. He questioned if the Board had a policy about memorial donations. He suggested that memorial contributions should be a private matter and not a Board matter. It was pointed out that this had already been decided in the previous Board meeting. Coffey pledged that he would match memorial contributions to the Endowment Fund made in Mrs. Coffey's honor. Bill Petak said the Emeriti Center database can give the total amount of contributions made.
Agenda Item 4: Joint Educational Project: Readers Plus
Nicole Sharma of the Joint Educational Project came in to the room, so Agenda Item 3 was postponed until after she made her presentation. Sharma came to the meeting to ask RFA members to volunteer to help teach reading in select inner city schools. Her proposal flyer is attached to these minutes Appendix 4. The commitment asked for was one or two hours/week for eight weeks beginning in mid-February. She will train the volunteers. Janette Brown will post the proposal on the Emeriti Center e-mail list serve.
Agenda Item 3: MOU between the RFA and the Emeriti Center
Bill Petak asked if there had been anything written down about a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the RFA and the Emeriti Center. Bob Stallings said there was already an MOU in place. Bob Biller said if another is to be done, Janette Brown is too busy to do it so the RFA must do it. Biller said that he had a draft of an MOU written in 2007 on his computer and would make it available to the Board. This 2007 draft could serve as a basis for another MOU. Brown spoke to the issue, saying that much has already been done and a smoother operation between the Emeriti Center and the RFA has evolved. She will look over the 2007 document. Carole Gustin noted that the Staff Retirement Association would be interested in a coordinated effort.
Agenda Item 8: Announcements/Updates — Emeriti Center Developments
Janette Brown would have to leave the meeting to attend another and asked to give her report at this time. She reported that the Emeriti Center Executive Committee is moving ahead with the Emeriti Center branding. The recent Emeriti Center Survey indicated that most retirees think that the Emeriti Center name and mission statement should be retained. A graphic design for the Emeriti Center will be ready soon. A new Emeriti Center information brochure is in progress, necessitating changes in the Emeriti Center Web site and the Retiree Community Newsletter. The SRA and the RFA may want to use the new Emeriti Center font design for a small part of their new brochures.
Brown announced the receipt of the monograph, The Totten Japanese Palace Room by George Oakley Totten III, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, USC. It is attached to these minutes as Appendix 8a. She reported that Robert Elwood, Professor Emeritus of World Religions at USC, has been named Alumnus of the Year 2009 at the Baptist Theological Union. Appendix 8b.
Janette Brown announced the course, "An Introduction to Ceramics," starting January 30 at the Galen Ceramic Studio, UPC. It will be taught by USC alumnus Peter Bobbs. Appendix 8c. Brown reported the lecture, "The Longevity Revolution," by Robert N. Butler, on February 5 in the Gerontology Auditorium. Append 8d. Jerry Walker announced courses and plans for the Emeriti Center College. The College has a course, "Piano for Seniors," taught by Bob Lipson beginning February 5 at the Davis building. Appendix 8e. The College also has plans for "Technology Simplified for Older Adults" and "Watercolor Painting" courses later in the Spring. Brown also brought to the attention of the Board a solicitation of nominees for the Outstanding Service Award from the Association of Trojan Leagues. Appendix 8f.
Janette Brown told the Board of her recent conversation with John Halamka. He told Brown that Dagmar Halamka is ill but is doing all right. Dagmar, RFA President, is not able to leave her home. Brown further reported that the online directory for retirees is progressing. To ensure that all interested retirees are online, the Emeriti Center must work with USC ITS to input each retiree into the online IVIP directory. Margaret Harrington is helping to facilitate this.
Brown announced the unrestricted gift to the Emeriti Center of $10,000 from Sterling Franklin. By means of this gift, though unrestricted, the donor encourages others to do the same. She also reported that the Emeriti Center retirees contributed $11,430 to the USC Annual Giving Campaign. She said that only 7 percent of Emeriti Center Survey respondents were interested in residential housing at or near UPC. Steb Chandor said that USC is still pushing a retirement residential facility near USC. The comments about the retirement community came from the University Senate attended by Chandor. Guilbert Hentschke is chairman of a USC committee to pursue this matter.
Bob Dockson has offered to work with Brown to secure funding from the Rose Hill Foundation to support the Emeriti Center College programs. Jerry Walker announced the Emeriti Center is hosting a lunch during the Half Century Trojans "Going Back to College Day" on February 19, 2009. The Emeriti Center College is providing three lectures in the afternoon. Lunch, afternoon tours, dinner, and then attendance at a USC basketball game in the Galen Center will be offered. All Emeriti Center retirees are considered members of the Half Century Trojans. Brown mentioned that Ruberta Weaver and Bob Coffey will be working with the USC Department of Family Life on a program for widows and widowers of retired faculty. The database for them is being prepared.
It was moved and passed that the RFA send a letter to Dagmar Halamka expressing the Board's concern for her well-being and support for her at this time.
Agenda Item 5: Procedures for Emerita/Emeritus Status
Jack Wills submitted for consideration a letter to deans and department chairs requesting that these officers be more active in securing emerita/emeritus appointments for their retirees, attached to these minutes as Appendix 5. The letter which Wills presented is a revision of the letter originally submitted by John Orr at the December Board meeting and contains revisions discussed at the December meeting. The problem is how to get information and activity on that information from deans and department chairs. Janette Brown said that she has been dealing with these kinds of problems for years. Bob Biller spoke in favor of the proposed letter and suggested that it be sent to Marty Levine (Provost's office) as a courtesy first. Nancy Warner asked about the policies of other schools regarding these appointments. Brown answered that according to the Emeriti Center survey, two-thirds of the respondents make the appointments through procedural action, and in one-third the appointments are automatic on retirement. It was suggested that the proposed letter be signed jointly by the Director of the Emeriti Center (Brown) and Natalie Cohen, Vice President-President Elect, RFA but it was determined after more discussion that the letter should come from the RFA only. The Emeriti Center will provide the accompanying emerita/emeritus status report for each school and will print and send out the letters on behalf of the RFA. Bill Petak said that the procedure for appointments is outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Cohen said that the handbook is in revision about emerita/emeritus appointments. A motion to send the revised letter, first to Levine, was offered, seconded and passed.
Agenda Item 6: Caldwell Scholars
Barbara Solomon presented a document from the director of Financial Aid (Susan Ikerd) and the associate dean of Finance and Administration (Thomas McWhorter) regarding the Russell Caldwell Neighborhood Scholarship Fund, attached to these minutes as Appendix 6. Solomon reviewed the document for the Board focusing on the high schools involved, the RFA task of fund raising and raising the consciousness level of the importance and value of the Caldwell Scholarships among the University community and the recipients of the scholarships.
Bob Biller offered five changes in the document: add the Foshay Learning Center to the list of high schools, acknowledge that the RFA will continue to raise funds, bring forward the application process by one month, the scholarship awarding event should be coordinated with the RFA and on page 2, Selection of Criteria, item 3, 3rd sentence, strike out the word applied. Biller made the motion that the document be accepted with the above changes. It was seconded and passed. Phoebe Liebig commented that the RFA must commit to support and accept oversight of the Caldwell processes. Solomon commented that the Caldwell process be placed on a time line of events.
Agenda Item 7: Updates on Other Committees and Activities
Information/Communication
Intergenerational Forum
These reports were deferred to the February Board meeting. Jack Wills did remark that the Intergenerational Forum has not yet been funded for a second meeting each month and no dates have been set for future meetings.
Agenda Item 8: Announcements/Updates (Continued)
Carole Gustin announced that there were still tickets available for the SRA/RFA event to attend the February 19, 2009, USC basketball game at the Galen Center. Tickets will be distributed as Gustin receives the $20 fee/person. This event may be coordinated with a pre-game dinner at the University Club.
Dr. Robert Penny, RFA-Medicine, has sent an e-letter to the Emeriti Center offering to give a lecture at the Emeriti Center celebration of Martin Luther King Day and the inauguration of President Elect Obama. The lecture is titled "The U.S. Constitution and African Americans," attached to these minutes as Appendix 8.
Agenda Item 9: Actions to Report to Emeriti Center Staff
Bob Stallings reported that he had six items from the Board meeting to report to the Emeriti Center staff.
Agenda Item 10: New Business
None.
Agenda Item 11: Adjournment
There being no further business, the Board meeting was adjourned shortly after Noon. The next meeting of the RFA Board of Directors will be on Friday, February 13, 2009, 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 Noon in Room 224, Gerontology.
These minutes were taken and transcribed by Jack Sanders, Board Secretary.