The Board held another Zoom Board meeting last Tuesday. One member showed up with Zoom-provided bushy pink eyebrows and mustache. There was certainly some hopeful news this past week on the vaccine front. Maybe we won’t have to become Solarians after all (see Isaac Asimov’s Naked Sun for details).

ASU news

Simin Levinson, University Senate Liaison, joined the Board meeting and reported on several items of interest.

• As you may be read in ASU News, Mark Searle, University Provost, is stepping down next June. An internal search is underway to pick his replacement with the goal of having the selection completed by Thanksgiving. Mark’s replacement will shadow him during the next months to ease the transition.
• Enrollment is down 5% which is a concern. So far ASU has not had to furlough or lay off faculty/staff unlike their sister state institutions but this might change if enrollment doesn’t begin to grow back.
• ASU is planning to offer a number of not-for-credit academic opportunities during the semester break to try and keep students engaged and enrolled. Some faculty are not sure students want to be engaged during the break.

Open enrollment

ADOA open enrollment has closed on a very difficult session. Larry Carlson, ADOA Health Insurance Liaison, helped very many members grapple with the new tiered system. We all owe Larry a vote of much earned thanks for his tireless efforts. Larry did report that while the open enrollment window has closed, ADOA has been willing to work with those who missed the window due to circumstances beyond their control, e.g., being in the hospital.

Board nominations

Each year ASURA holds a February election for five new members of the ASURA Board of Directors.  The Board manages the affairs of the Association and establishes policies as needed to carry out its mission.  Members of the Board are elected for a term of three years and meet monthly during the academic year.

We welcome members to offer the name of a current ASURA member or your own name as a potential board member by notifying the Nominating Committee chair of your nomination. To be sure that your nominee’s name gets on the ballot, you can (as mandated by ASURA Bylaws) submit a petition of nomination bearing the signatures of at least ten current ASURA members. All nominating petitions must be received by January 15, 2021.

Send your suggestions or self-nomination to:

Jan Thompson (jmt6000@gmail.com)

Chair of 2021 ASURA Board Nominating Committee

ASURA activities

While the Corona virus has slowed us down it has not shut us down. We had a highly successful Open Enrollment seminar in October, the pre-retirement seminars continue to be offered monthly and the seminar committee is planning a full slate of seminars for the spring. Be sure to check the ASURA website for links to upcoming events.