| Personal Autobio | PubAd GRD | Globalization Concepts | Ethnicity ETHNIC-L | COCTA Onoma. | COVICO Choices | Impeach SITES |
Search Engines |
Jump to end for links to related documents
CLUH
FRAUHM'S Committee for Liaison with UH
Members: Fred W. Riggs, Chair;
Ex Officio: Harvey Gochros, President of FRAUHM; Ralph Berger, Newsletter Editor; Bart Mathias, FRAUHM Web Master
Project Managers:
Volunteers for Senate Committees -- for details see their reports posted at LIAISONS
MANDATE: This committee was established
several years ago by FRAUHM (Faculty
Retirees Association at UHM) to develop & coordinate a variety of projects
designed to support reciprocal and mutually supportive relationships between
the University of Hawaii and its retirees. Recent developments (in 2007) now
call for reconsideration of the design and membership of the committee. As
originally conceived, the committee met regularly to coordinate, initiate,
and monitor projects each of which was managed by someone who reported
to the committee for advice and support, while exercising personal initiative
and discretion to develop, with interested associates, the agreed-upon activities.
The following projects were initiatied or are under consideration. They all
need to be re-assessed and planned anew in view of developments in 2007. Most
importantly, the advent of Virginia Hinshaw as UHM Chancellor opens the door
for possible establishment of a center for retirees, such as the project visualized at
CRUH.
Status of Retirees. Many
retirees feel that as soon as they are off the UH payroll they are promptly
forgotten and whatever wisdom or goodwill they may have for UH dissipates.
Their willingness to volunteer their services, to contribute money, books,
documents and time for worthy causes, advise students, give lectures, serve
on committees, and even maintain friendships is jeopardized by neglect and
growing apathy to say nothing of alienation. To remedy this situation, a first
priority for CLUH will be to establish the identity and status of retirees,
to gain recognition of their existence as a positive force for good in the
life of the University. This involves establishing their identity as retirees,
gaining official recognition, and becoming politically active. Beginning steps
have already been taken on all three ponts:
Identity. The primary basis for identity is communication: retirees need to know about each other and FRAUHM needs to know how to reach them. Although some retirees are members of the Association, most are not. That's not because of reluctance to join but rather because we do not kow how to reach them. Fragments of information are, indeed, available. A list of emeriti is posted on the Web, but without addresses! The University directory enables one to find addresses for current employees of UH and emeriti, but not other retirees. Fortunately, Peter Englert, UHM Chancellor, is supportive of recognition for retirees and has authorized the distribution of a letter to all departments asking them to report information about the names and addresses of their retirees to the UH Foundation which will incorporate this new data in their existing database for alumni. This information will enable FRAUHM to contact many retirees at UHM and invite them to attend its functions and join the Association. It will also strengthen the RETIREES web site which provides information and ideas for developing relations between UH and retirees. Many retirees have volunteered their services to conduct courses and workshops at OLLI, (The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) managed by Rebecca Goodman -- and many retirees are also members of the Institute and participate in its programs. But many are also missed because their identity and current addresses are unknown. Efforts will be made to expand the listing of retirees to all campuses in the UH System. We have also established a LISTSERV for all UH retirees who have given us persmission to use their e-mail addresses.
CRUH. A Center for Retirees at UH has been proposed. It could be a member of AROHE and take the lead in linking relevant resources at UH, including OLLI, SCVM, COA, UHELP, FRAUHM, and interested faculty and administrators. The goal is to augment these resources to create a more coherent pattern of action to support retirees and mobilize their energies to strengthen the University.
Recognition. The only BOR document we can discover that relates to retirees is Executive Policy E9.209. It is entitled, "Awarding of Emeritus Status" and sets forth the criteria used in giving this honor to some retirees. It also calls on emeriti to provide the University community with expert and mature counsel on a variety of matters. Emeriti faculty may serve as guest lecturers and participate in seminars, colloquia, lectures and other scholarly meetings at the invitation of the sponsoring University unit. The University community is encouraged to call upon the services of emeriti faculty to assist with special committees, task forces, projects, etc., that can benefit from their experience and knowledge. Unfortunately, since only emeriti are referenced in this document, all the many retirees who lack this recognition are ignored, yet their potential for serving UH is also great -- if they were to be recognized and contacted. Efforts will be initiated to impel the BOR to supplement or revise its emeriti policy to recognize the existence and potential value to UH of all retirees.
Senate Liaison. In order to institutionalize cooperation between retirees and the UHM Faculty Senate, A Resolution on naming retirees to serve as liaison members of its Standing Committees has been approved by the Senate. We regard this action as a landmark heralding significant progress both for UHM and for retired faculty. As a first step, the following persons have volunteered to serve on these Senate Committees: Geoffrey Ashton (CAPP); Gary Fuller (CSA); Ruth Kleinfeld (GEC); James Little (CA); Fred Riggs (CAB); George Simson (CFS); Jaw-KaiWang (CPM); and Larry Zane (COR). Dennis X Chai may be called upon as an alternate. The group met for the first time on March 6, 2006, and agreed to continue working together and also, individually, to meet with a Senate Committee and report back to the group, thus constituting an effective interlocutor for UH Retirees and the UHM Faculty Senate.
A special project to be developed with the joint sponsorship of FRAUHM and the Senate, via its Committee on Administration and Budget (CAB), involves the way UH is governed, especially how the BOR carries out its responsiblities. A Study Group is being formed to supplement the work of the newly created Advisory Council to nominate candidates for appointment by the Governor to the Board of Regents. The group will develop specific suggestions for the consideration of BOR candidates, and also for review by the Board itself, and by anyone else interested in the enhancement of UH as a premier university.
Information on the work of all FRAUHM appointees to Senate committees will be reported at LIAISONS. A precedent for faculty senate links with retirees can be found at the University of California, Los Angeles in the form of a Committee on University Emeriti and Pre-Retirement Relations UEPRR. Information about AROHE and retireement organizations at member universities is posted at sites linked on the CRUH page A survey from Arizona State University of retirement organizations at a score of universities provides interesting statistical evidence.. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that participating in Senate discourse enables the institutional memory and personal capabilities of retirees to be mobilized to help the University.
The UH Faculty Retiree Resolution, approved unanimously by the Senate on Feb. 15, 2006, reads:
WHEREAS, a working relationship between the Senate and retired UH faculty would be mutually beneficial; and
WHEREAS, retirees could bring to Senate deliberations institutional memory; and
WHEREAS, the Senate could benefit from the long-term experience and planning skills retirees can bring to them, including experience as Faculty Senators; and,
WHEREAS, Faculty Retirees Association of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (FRAUHM) is committed to liaison with UH by virtue of its by-laws which stipulate, in Article 2: "(2) to offer support and service to the University of Hawaii wherever possible;" and
WHEREAS, planning for a University-sponsored Center for Retirees is under way and will strengthen incentives for retirees to contribute more actively to UH;
WHEREAS, the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education (AROHE) can offer relevant experience to help UH and the Manoa Chancellor has promised to support UH affiliation;
Therefore, be it RESOLVED:
1) A retired faculty member will be invited to meet regularly with each standing committee of the UHM Faculty Senate, and the participating retirees will be invited to attend and participate in meetings of the full Senate.
2) All the retired faculty members meeting with the Senate committees should also meet regularly as an advisory group to discuss and make recommendations to the Senate on subjects proposed by senators or by group members.
3) The FRAUHM Board will nominate retirees to serve these functions. The nominations must be approved by the Senate Executive Committee.
4) Retirees meeting with standing committees and attending Senate meetings will not be members of the Senate and will not vote.
Political Action. If retirees were to band together to articulate their concerns and offer their services to the University, their prospects for recognition and service would be enhanced. The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly permits members who retire to remain as members. If UHPA were to play a more active role in addressing the issues that concern retirees and invite them to join even if they had not been active while they were employed, then the UHPA might be able to help mobilize retirees to play a more effective role in UH. Other unions, like the HGEA (Hawaii Government Employees Association) and HSTA (Hawaii State Teachers Association) do this and their models might be emulated. Assistance may also be secured from AARP. CLUH may also be able to contribute directly by forming a Political Action Club to enable discourse among interested retirees about political issues and relevant action. Its aim would be to empower retirees and facilitate their ability and motives for actively serving UH in many capacities -- plus, of course, making their own lives more interesting and healthy. For support and inspiration, the club will turn to UHPA.
Board of Regents. The enactment of a state constitutional amendment now requires the Governor to name new regents from pools of qualified candidates presented to the governor by the candidate advisory council for the board of regents of the University of Hawaii, as provided by law. This important reform now offers a new opportunity for retired faculty to serve UH. The current membership of the BOR includes 3 retired faculty members: Byron Bender, Ramon de la Pena, and Marlene Hapai. When their terms expire, we may expect new appointees to be nominated by the Council. The implementing legislation, vetoed by the Governor, required the Council to (3)Publicly advertise pending vacancies and actively solicit and accept applications from potential candidates. It also named 7 members, including Faculty Senate, Alumni, former Regents, the Student Caucus -- plus the Governor, Senate & House. The bill will have to be re-enacted and FRAUHM may petition for status as another member of the Council. Earlier bills to create the Council called for as many as 12 members. However, anticipating possible difficulty if too many groups become members of the Council, FRAUHM should propose a prior agreement among University groups to form a caucus and reach agreements in advance so as to simplify the legislation and expedite operation of the Council. A precedent for this form of organization can be found in the Student Caucus which is included among the members in the vetoed bill. The FRAUHM Board could expedite matters by hosting consultations with all interested UH groups to agree on a simple procedure. Any candidates identified by the caucus could simply be added to the larger pool of applicants developed by the public solicitation required in the enabling legislation. As progress occurs, developments will be reported here.
Help Wanted. As explained at HELP , we can organize a wide range of useful activities in which retirees will help many different groups and organized units at UH. An initial project is being planned to recruit volunteers to help the existing museums (or galleries) located at UHM. They may assist in the maintenance of objects, provide docent services for visitors, and mentor student interns. A new Certificate in Museum studies will be linked to this project, and a workshop for potential volunteers to meet and learn from curators and interested faculty is being planned. On the basis of this experience, a variety of other projects such as those mentioned on the "help" site linked above will be developed.
Gray Intersect Networks (GIN). At a recent conference on the future of universities held in Hawaii under the sponsorship of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, William Bergquist presented a paper on "The Intersect Institution" that points the way to an emerging potential that is highly relevant to the capabilities and needs of our graying population. Using a term borrowed from Kenneth Boulding, Bergquist spoke of Inter-institutional collaborations that are being formed... in the intersection between disciplines, institutions, countries and religious traditions. These [intersect] partnerships, he said, point to the future of postsecondary education throughout the world. He sees them as apropos for leaders who are facing new challenges, often with fewer resources. (More information about his work on "executive coaching" can be found at Enneagram Approach.)
Building on this idea, we may well imagine groups of retirees based in different disciplines, joining forces to offer workshops for faculty members from various relevant departments and colleges to help them find solutions for significant problems confronting our students, at all ages, that cannot readily be handled within the constraints imposed by established academic units and methods. Moreover, the new distributed learning technology permits team teaching to be used economically for pan-disciplinary core courses: its applications at UH are already extensive. Starting with a multi-disciplinary certificate, students can be offered a foundation on which to add relevant courses and also obtain established degrees. Of course, such certificates can also be intrinsically valuable as professional credentials.
NOTE: A few examples may make this idea more tangble. Increasingly individuals are posting personal sites on the Internet that go beyond basic c.v. information to provide windows of insight into a wide range of overlapping issues and opportunities. Some examples can be found on the UH Retirees site. Surely the authors of these pages can help others develop and use creative techniques to display important information, and they themselves can also benefit from the experience of others. Workshops in which a few managers of creative Web sites share their experience should not only prove helpful to faculty participants but enable them to guide their own students more efficiently. An inter-disciplinary certificate and linked degree programs would open new doors of opportunity to students. Thus an evolving network rooted in the experience of elders free of the normal constraints imposed by their disciplinary specializations can, surely, facilitate the evolution of new intersect programs.
Similar opportunities exist for a wide range of inter-disciplinary themes: global studies, oceanic studies, insular studies, public health, perhaps even communications. UH has an Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Communication and Information Sciences. As this Web Site shows, UH is richly endowed with relevant faculty expertise in four different departments in several colleges. Surely the Ph.D. program could be broadened by means of additional certificates and other degree programs in communications. Perhaps a GIN program working with the Communications and Information Sciences faculty would provide the help needed to make this idea a reality. Since the Internet is a global utility linking scholars in a vast number of universities, a logical expansion of the Gray Intersect Networking principle should be feasible, both drawing on global resources and serving a world-wide constituency. Intensive inter-island cruise experiences could be linked with (GIN) intersect groups for mutual advantage.
University Club. A group led by Dean Raymond Yeh, School of Architecture, has incorporated an independent University Club (UC) that will be able to sponsor development of a well designed facility that will attract not only faculty but also other categories of UH personnel, as well as retirees, alumni, and community supporters of UH. They are also planning a variety of intermediate and temporary spaces for activities leading up to this achievement. One of the intervening steps will be an open meeting space on the grounds of Saunders Hall that Dean Richard Dubanoski and his colleagues have been planning. James McCutcheon has accepted responsibility to work with these folks and others to bring retirees actively into the picture, both as contributors and beneficiaries. In addition to what may be achieved on the UHM campus, a project is under way to develop the former Cannon Club site belonging to Kapiolani Community College as a restaurant, staffed by their Culinary Institute, and available for system-wide university club activities, including retirees.
NOTE: Many clubs develop activities with their members even though they don't have a club house, and that is surely possible for the UC. There are plenty of spaces on our campuses and in the community where groups can meet on an ad hoc basis to get to know each other and share common interests. The famous 'CLUB 15' which for many years brought campus and community leaders together for stimulating monthly meetings is a good example. The "GIN" activities described above could be organized under the auspices of the UC. Other projects discussed in this memo would be equally relevant for development by the UC, including MAW Meeting Award Winners; AAR Academy for Active Retirees; and Commissions of inquiry. Another possibility would be to do interesting things together like cruising our islands:
Inter-Island Cruises. The UH Foundation has organized cruises for alumni and retirees that enable them to enjoy a wonderful recreational experience and also become better acquainted personally with useful consqeunces for the University. This idea can be extended to cruises between the Hawaiian islands linked with visits to each of the UH campuses. Faculty, students and community people in addition to alumni and retirees could participate. If it were possible to organize a series of such cruises they could well be used to help cement relationships between the UH campuses. Just as John Morton, chancellor of KCC is guiding a cruise now scheduled for late April 2005, so other UH chancellors might take turns guiding inter-island cruises. Participating retirees would not only be able to develop their own friendships but mingle with faculty, administrators, alumni and others while sharing a learning experience that will help knit the UH campuses together. Cruise experiences could also be linked with social solidarity as promoted by the University Club , and the exploration of Intersect (GIN) educational projects.
Archives and Biography. Many retired faculty, researchers, and administrators at UH have had distinguished careers and contributed significantly to the development and achievements of UH. Some of them will donate archival documents and books, submit to interviews, and write memoirs that provide a foundation for research in matters relating to the history and accomplishments of UH, to say nothing of notable achievements in the substantive areas in which our scholars have worked. Code-named ABCD, the Archives, Biography, Computing and Documentation project will compile and process data for research uses, starting with the UH Centennial project.
A workshop among potential participants in these activities will help prepare them to join this exercise. George Simson, founder of the Biographical Research Center, has accepted responsibity to coordinate and develop these ideas. He stresses the importance of developing a solid database with a minimal set of information about each retiree in a readily retrievable format. It will provide the working foundation for all our projects. As soon as we get the names and addresses promised above in #1, this will be a priority project. See below for additional Links for useful archival and biographical collections.
Centennial Celebration. A
pilot project will focus on UH History and, we hope, will be added to the UH
Library's
Special Collections.
Plans for Celebrating the UH Centennial have
recently been posted. They will peak in 2007 when a major international conference
is being planned -- it will not only evaluate past achievement but also seek
explanations of failure and look for ways to accomplish more in the future.
An example of institutional introspection can be found in the history of New
College from
1968-73.This report by Richard Rapson concludes that
A List of contact people for groups working on UH Centennial projects will be developed as planning efforts evolve. The goal of this list is to facilitate coordination between retirees with relevant experience and materials and various interested groups at UH and in Hawaii. Retirees can contribute at various levels: as volunteers and donors supporting the Centennial Celebration, and through their archives and memoirs as noted above in the ABCD project . Tim Slaughter, Outreach College, is coordinating these events -- contact him at <tslaught@hawaii.edu>
Campus Guides. Retirees can also contribute as mentors or guides to inform visitors about the history of our campus and its future plans and prospects. Viewing its buildings and artifacts can provide a starting point for historical narratives and futurist visioning. The starting point should be participation in the Campus Walking Tour that is now offered three times a week. An excellent ART TOUR by Laura Ruby is available on the Web and provides a wonderful starting point. Another remarkable site lists the wide array of exotic and beautiful plants growing on the Manoa campus. Excellent photographs from UHM and some other campuses are available on the UH Photo Gallery. Some more delightful pictures of the Manoa campus can also be found on a touristic site hosted by About.com. Scenes from the history of UH can be viewed at the Hamilton Archives (1907-1957) site -- be sure to click on the pictures to view them clearly. A comparable collection for campus buildings and memorabilia would be really helpful. New exhibits and projects for the Centennial Celebration are being planned and will lead to relevant exhibits. Potential volunteers to serve as critical mentors should be prepared for their work by appropriate readings & participation in workshops -- possibly developed in coordination with OLLI and OFDAS -- see below. Individuals, like Bob Potter and Bob Kamins who have written about UH History might instruct the volunteers. The "Moving History" site is worth viewing. See more on Centennial Celebration .
A Proposal: to provide documentation and support for the campus tour projects, a number of suggestions are now under consideration -- help is needed to actualize them. A good starting point is provided by Hamilton Library's plan to computerize for Web-posting Victor Kobayashi's authoritative BUILDING A RAINBOW. It contains data about the history and uses of each building on the Manoa campus, with a sketch of its honoree. To supplement this master work a registry with bio-data about each personality memorialized on our campus is being created by Nancy Morris, emulating the model of the Library's HALL OF FAME. It is called NAMED BUILDINGS with a bio-sketch for each person so honored, thanks to the good work of Martha Chantiny. Links should be added to Laura Ruby's Art Tour site; and the sites for campus buildings posted on the Walking Tour Guide where every location has a unique link. A related project involves creating a WIKI-FESTSCHRIFT to memorialize the UHM honorees by soliciting tributes or anecdotes from those who remember them and are willing to contribute. Links to other relevant data on and about the Manoa campus is provided in the next segment on 'SUSTAINABILITY.'
NOTE: These are the names to be remembered: Andrews, *Bachman, Bilger, Burns, Castle, Cooke, *Crawford, *Dean, Dole, Edmundson, Everly, Gartley, George, *Gilmore, *Hamilton, Hemenway, Henke, Holmes, Jefferson, Johnson, *Keller, Kennedy, Klum, Krauss, Kuykendall, Lincoln, McCarthy, Miller, Moore, Orvis, Pope, Richardson, Sakamaki, Sherman, *Sinclair, *Snyder, Spalding, St.John, StanSheriff, Watanabe, Webster, Wist. The starred names are those of former UH Presidents -- a list of all of them is published in the catalog. A preliminary draft of the List with a bio-sketch for each person so honored enables viewers to see whose bio-data has already been posted.
Sustainability. Bruce Miller and SUSTAINABILITY COURTYARD could also provide a focal point for organizing tours. The UHM Landscape Advisory Committee chaired by Janet Gillmar provides a continuing resource. Its linked site for Manoa Campus Plants provides fascinating data. Its 2001 Guidelines for developing the campus contains not only a wealth of relevant information but excellent black and white campus shots. Consider also the Campus Environment Committee, chaired by the campus planner, Jack Sidener. It offers some excellent color pictures of Manoa plus well considered plans for development of the campus. Background information about the current status and serious problems confronting the UHM Campus can be found in the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Facilities Mangement (July 24, 2006), chaired by Ray Yeh, Dean of Architecture. For other links to relevant sites please visit the UHM Chancellor's page. A dynamic impetus was offered by the Campus Sustainability Week for planning and action, Oct. 19-25, 2006.
Interim Chancellor Konan's personal interest in these matters was shown by the fact that she established the Council on Sustainability to advise on ways the University can function more sustainably. The more important links noted above are posted on her Office's Web Site. Back-up sustainability programs are identified on a linked site. Most importantly, a general background analysis is provided by a report of the Advisory Council, which is chaired by Mary Tiles. Participants in all these activities can be asked to write recommendations and a BLOG for the campus could be used to make their suggestions broadly available. Since anyone can create a blog, the electronic technology is readily available and should be utilized to serve our campus. The mailing list of participants in the State's Kick-off Conference on Sustainabiilty provides a convenient tool for reaching interested participants. The Fund for Active Retirees (FAR) can be tapped to facilitate planning for these efforts. Plans are also being made to involve retirees in programs related to Sustainability. This proposed activity should supplement and strengthen all the programs mentioned above.
If it's possible to offer Prizes for notable achievements by retired UH faculty, they can also be used to reward those who provide notable support for the Centennial and the Sustainability programs. The Retirees LISTSERV can be used to solicit participants and contributors for this proposed activity.
WORKSHOPS. By participating in workshops, courses, seminars, and training programs of various kinds, retirees are able to enhance their own knowledge and skills while also continuing to contribute to the learning experiences of others. Three notable programs on the UHM campus may be interested in helping retirees: OLLI, SCVP, and OFDAS:
OLLI (the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) , under the leadership of Rebecca Goodmano, offers many courses and workshops in which the instructors are all volunteers, and many senior citizens enroll as "students." Since no academic credits are given, nor do participants take exams, this activity is based on the love of learning for its own sake -- a prospect that is especially attractive to retirees. They participate both as instructors and as students.
SCVP. A related program (Senior Citizens Visitor Program), led by Lee Putnam, allows Hawaii’s senior citizens to “visit” courses that are offered at the University free of charge. Visitors are exempt from payment, no credit is awarded and no permanent records are retained in the Office of Admissions and Records. However, in some cases it's feasible for retired faculty to enrich what regular faculty offer by contributing different disciplinary perspectives. By utilizing both OLLI and SCVP programs, retirees can learn more about virtually any topic that interests them.
OFDAS. The Office for Faculty Development and Academic Support provides another possibility. They offer training and orientation for faculty and support mentoring programs. If we can find a way to work with them, the effort should prove mutually advantageous.
Any CLUH-sponsored project, such as the development of Archives and Biographical research, or volunteering to docent in museums, could be enhanced by coordination with OLLI's lifelong-learning programs, SCVP courses and OFDAS projects. By this means the volunteer services of retirees can be supplemented by personal learning opportunities.
Orientation Workshop. FRAUHM sponsors orientation workshops for new retirees, giving them an opportunity to meet each other and learn about the many opportunities available to them for interesting and fruitful activities at the University of Hawaii -- in addition, of course, to all the many other options available to all retired persons. Participants are also introduced to FRAUHM leaders and invited to attend its monthly luncheons. The workshops will provide an annual opportunity to refresh the Association's membership with younger recruits. The first WORKSHOP was held on May 5, 2005, the day after the annual RETIREES RECOGNITION CEREMONY offered each Spring by the Administration. Whereas the Ceremony offers NEW retirees a fond farewell, the WORKSHOP introduces them to the new opportunities and life style they will experience during the 'Third Stage" of their lives.
In addition, the UH Office of Human Resources periodically offers Pre-Retirement Training programs for anyone thinking about retirement. The topics covered in these sessions include ERS retirement options, Social Security, Tax-Deferred Annunities, Deferred Compensation, and EUTF.
Gaining a better understanding of the opportunities as well as the drawbacks of retirement will help us understand many interesting available options. Civic Ventures is a national organization that works to transform the aging of America into a source of individual and social renewal. It's president, Mark Freedman, has written a stirring book, Prime Time, with the sub-title, How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America. They work closely with a local counterpart, the Hawaii Community Foundation. Drawing on resources like this, we may help UH retirees both to contribute more to UH and the community, and simultaneously to enrich their own lives.
Meeting Award Winners (MAW). Many faculty, researchers, and administrators are recognized by UH and other organizations for their outstanding achievements. Some of them have been invited to address FRAUHM luncheons, but most of them cannot be given this opportunity, and their specializations may interest only smaller groups of retirees. However, the broader implications of anyone's research might be explored by means of a small seminar-like session for invited participants to meet an award winner. It would provide an opportunity for the winner to discuss the broader implications of h/er research with senior scholars. If the results were promising enough, follow-up meetings could be organized to present the results to larger audiences, including new retirees looking for role models. With the help of Dean Dick Dubanoski, a special fund has been established by the UH Foundation to finance luncheon meetings with the CSS retiree award winners.
Information about outstanding faculty achievements can be found at: Honors and Awards . Some UH people have, of course, been honored by other universities and by scholarly and honorific organizations. UH has no general program to honor its retired faculty, but many of them have gained recognition elsewhere as reported at UH Retirees Registry. The College of Social Sciences, however, has launched a project, announced in Sept. 2005, that recognized and awarded prizes to several of its retired faculty members. The first such prize winners were Abe Arkoff, David Crowell, Tom Dinell, and Fred Riggs. Award winners in 2006 are: Seiji Naya, Arthur Staats, and Roland Tharp. Meetings with each of them have been, or will be scheduled.
The first such meeting was with Tom Dinell on Nov. 21, 2005, with a focus on his Reflective Essay dealing with the prospects for developing UHM and neighboring Moiliili as a vibrant campus community. He visualizes a Learning Village — With its rich cultural history and the academic resources of the University, Mö`ili`ili has the potential to be a creative and nurturing lifelong learning community. A MAW group formed on the basis of this conversation will become an incubator for action and discourse that will pave the way for interesting and useful follow-up activities. Already, on the basis of suggestions made by Bruce Miller for the Sustainability program, a memo has been posted that stresses recruiting new retirees and utilizing SCVP.
The second MAW was held on March 6, 2006, to meet with Fred Riggs and the retirees who have been selected to serve as liaison members of Faculty Senate standing committees. Reports on the experiences and views of the liaisons will be reported on a supplementary Liaison page.
A third MAW was held on Sept. 5, 2006, with David Crowell, on the theme Opportunities for Elders. It had the tangible outcome of a panel discussion at the FRAUHM luncheon on Sept. 14. The event stimulated interest in questions related to more effective support for retirees and ways to motivate and use their capabilities to help UH.
Similar meetings are planned with other CSS award winners. Details will be announced here as they evolve. The basic goal is not just to publicize the achievements of honored UH retirees, but to develop inter-disciplinary understandings and cultivate growth of our retiree community and recognition of its potential contributions to our shared experiences.
Retirees Recognition Ceremony. Another opportunity to honor retirees can be found in the annual RRC. This is a fond farewell luncheon offered by the UH President and UHM Chancellor. A printed program is distributed which lists the new retirees. A roster of old retirees who have received honors at UH could be added to the program at minimal cost. The name given the ceremony refers to all retirees, not just new recruits. Expanding its scope will draw attention to a precedent already set by the College of Social Sciences and encourage other colleges to recognize and honor some of their own distinguished retirees. As our REGISTRY reveals, many of our retirees do receive recognition but almost always outside UH. Their achievements can provide role models for new retirees and also benefit UH in the process.
As the RRC is now organized, it is just a good-bye party offering thanks and messages of appreciation to retiring faculty and staff. It offers no opportunity for the new retirees to articulate their own hopes and dreams. To give them a chance to talk about their own plans for the future, FRAUHM organized a Workshop on May 5, 2005, the day following the RRC. New retirees were invited, and many opportunities for interesting and fruitful service were presented to them. At similar workshops in the future, new retirees could be invited not only to discuss their own hopes and plans for post-retirement activities but they could meet with the older retirees who have received awards and gain inspiration from their examples. Thus the MAW concept can acquire another fruitful dimension. Those wishing to use the services of retirees could prepare briefing materials for distribution to them. Reciprocal benefits will surely result.
Mentoring. The experience of mature retirees can benefit students, faculty, researchers and administrators, but only if willing volunteers are brought together with those who could benefit from their advice and examples. Preliminary discussions with the Vice President for Student Affairs and members of her staff have demonstrated a lively interest in organizing mentoring for students at many levels and different contexts. For example, anyone willing to mentor and offer hospitality for disadvantaged students can work with the SEED (Student Equity, Equality and Diversity program, managed by Amy Agbayani. Many international students would also be very receptive to mentoring by elders. Faculty members seeking grants to support their research projects could benefit from mentoring by retirees who have been successful in winning grants for their own work.
Bruce Miller has invited retirees to mentor at the Sustainability Courtyard and this initiative led to discussions about a long-term expanded program that's described separately at SUSTAIN UH. An even broader DREAM CONTEXT would involve using the SCVP "Senior Citizens Visitor Program" to train retirees as senior mentors and develop a Foundations Course on Global Sustainability available to all freshmen. Many relevant texts on global sustainability are available as listed by Museletter. An exciting possibility for using such a book as reqjuired reading for all freshmen can be found at Cal. State / Chico where Lester Brown's seminal book, Plan B: Rescuing a Planet under Stres, was used during 2004-5 as the "Book in Common" that all freshmen were required to read and discuss. The book selection process provides an opportunity for selected faculty and students to work together -- perhaps they could be joined by some interested retirees who might subsequently serve as class mentors also. All of these opportunities exist in principle, but to actualize them, organization is needed and we are looking for those willing to take responsiblity for developing important activities like this. Eventually, if UH can establish a Center for Retirees, it will become the natural focus for such forward-looking efforts in which a growing number of retirees will be active volunteers. It would be logical to expand the scope of such a program from UH Manoa to the whole UH System, thereby creating an articulation bond among its faculty and students.
Death and Dying. The life expectancy of retirees is clearly limited and we must often read obituaries for our friends and family members. Unfortunately, many colleagues living in comparative isolation die without the knowledge of former friends and colleagues at UH. Ralph Berger, through the FRAUHM newsletter, sometimes announces the passing of a colleague, but no information is given about them. A valuable project would involve inviting all retirees to report to Ralph or some other willing person, the names and contacts for those who have died. If obituaries or tributes are published in newspapers, journals, or on the web, links should be provided. Two retirees, Abe Arkoff and Mitsui Aoki, have offered courses through OLLI that help retirees understand and cope with aging and death. The Health and Elder Law Program may be able to counsel elders on the design of wills that not only achieve their personal goals but also, perhaps, benefit UH through wills and bequests. Friends and relatives of the deceased will surely appreciate better access to this information.
Necrology. This is an incomplete list of retirees who have died recently, with links, when available, to sites giving more complete information. We are indebted to Marian Turney at the UH Foundtion for monitoring daily obituary notices and reporting UH faculty deaths. This information helps us keep in touch with their families, and also facilitates up-dating lists of retired faculty. Sometimes, also, the notices provide further information about major achievements of the deceased. Readers who know about others whose names should be added, or can supply links and data for those who are listed, are urged to contact Fred W. Riggs at 'riggs@hawaii.edu'.
Community Relations. Many retirees, after terminating their employment with UH, engage in continuing activities, both professionally and as volunteers, working with a wide range of community organizations. Opportunities for volunteer work with community groups are identified and managed through agencies like HelpingHandsHawaii . Its director, Norma Koenig, was the speaker at a recent FRAUHM luncheon and is much interested in recruiting UH retirees for worthy and interesting projects. An especially strategic opportunity for service would involve working with the state legislature where current faculty are essentially barred because of conflict of interest considerations. Through its new Public Policy Center retirees can easily become engaged in community activities that serve a variety of public purposes. It is important to reach new retirees as they cross the threshold into retirement in order to encourage active involvement in post-retirement activities from the very beginning. CLUH needs to find someone willing to develop and coordinate this kind of activity.
Web Sites. A growing number of retirees maintain personal web sites through which their activities and interests are made available to the world. If they were all listed and indexable on the UH Retirees page, this resource would greatly facilitate the development of fruitful linkages between retirees and the University. A beginning has been made as shown at Identity However, this list is only a beginning. Many more links can be added, and through promotion efforts, the list could be developed into a useful information and reference tool. On the Riggs site one can find a list of UH sites that was designed to facilitate access to UH resources.
Academy for Active Retirees (UH-AAR). On the model of the National Academy of Sciences, a local academy in Hawaii, centered at UH, could be established to support scholarly research and discussion on problems facing the University and its academic community. Some thoughts about this idea have been posted separately for preliminary discussion..
AROHE. Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education. UH will be represented by FRAUHM as an eligible association, and the incipient Center for Retiress at UH (CRUH) as an eligble center. Information about universities that are members of AROHE with active Centers can be found through links posted at Other Univerities *.
Prizes. Annual awards are now offered by the UHM Chancellor at the Retirees Recognition Ceremony (RRC) where the accomplishments of currently retiring UH faculty and staff are celebrated. CLUH has offered a proposal to broaden the basis for this important activity by recognizing the contributions that have been made by older seniors who have already retired. This expansion of the present format quite appropriately fits under the present name of the ceremony which does not discriminate between new and old retirees. Present planning visualizes a project to encourage departments and colleges to recognize post-retirement achievements by their own former faculty members. As this happens, their names may be added to the printed program distributed at the RRC.
Moreover, UH now offers Honors and Awards to every category of faculty, staff, administrators, students and alumni, but not yet to retirees. Adding prizes for post-retirement achievements would supplement the RRC and also help motivate those who are retiring to want to maintain their relationships with UH and continue performing useful services, doing research and teaching, including maintenance of creative Web Sites. A breakthrough has recently occurred in the form of a decision by the College of Social Sciences to offer awards for post-retirement achievements -- the first set of 4 awards to be announced at a ceremony on 16 Sept 2005. In this connection, a fund has been been created in the UH Foundation to honor post-retirement achievements, starting with invitational luncheons with award recipients to discuss their work -- for details see: MAW. Perhaps, hopefully, other colleges and campuses will emulate the CSS model.
During the next few years, it would be helpful if retirees contributing to the Centennial celebration could be recognized with awards and, thereby, given an even stronger motive for serving. As yet this is just a proposal and we cannot expect or predict that it will be accepted -- but we are pursuing the idea with hopefulness. A registry of post-retirement activities by former members of the UH faculty already lists 60 names, and more are being added. These reports include information about continuing research, service and other activities including honors received and hyperlinks to relevant web sites as they become available.
Commissions of Inquiry. The termination of Evan Dobelle as President of UH by the BOR on June 15, 2004, raises serious questions not only about his performance and that of the Board, but even more significantly, about how the UH System is organized and how the BOR functions. An initiative by Senator Norman Sakamoto has been reported that could lead to legislative action strengthening the BOR and the University's autonomy. A panel of emeritus Faculty and Regents could also be set up to hold hearings and inquire into the structure of the UH System. Its recommendations for reform might attract widespread attention and lead to structural changes that would make the management and coordinated development of all campuses in the UH system more effective. A scenario offering speculations about how such a commission might be organized and managed is linked to this site. Reforming the BOR may be a pre-condition for reforming the UH System. Moreover, fundamental questions about appropriate university policies in response to the challenges of globalization and the Internet will be easier to solve after the UH system has been reformed.
GERONTOLOGY -- at UH and Elsewhere
See related sites on the Riggs Home Page: