Ray Bradbury pens dark autumnal (October) stories that paint a grim mood as summer slowly dies fading to winter. I say phooey to Bradbury. Here in Arizona we welcome autumn. We can come out from our homes and start enjoying the outdoors. We’ve just had a nice gentle rain to cleanse the air and the mornings are so fresh. A couple of days ago, in celebration of autumn, we had an Arizona spectacular sunrise which lasted over thirty minutes as it passed through all its color changes. So, phooey to Ray Bradbury and hello to Arizona living.

This is likely the last E-News until the new year and I hope you all have an enjoyable Thanksgiving and holiday season.

Board meeting

• Mark Lussier, Dean of the Emeritus College joined our meeting and reported that the Emeritus College is very close to getting all its pre-pandemic programs up and running again. He was present primarily to make sure ASURA and the Emeritus College continue their long collaboration.
• Jan Shore, Scholarship Chair, reported that our scholarship was posted on October 10 and she will be getting her reviewers in line early next year. If you would like to be part of the review process email Jan Shore.- link removed
• Pat Schneider, Seminar Chair, reported that the fall open enrollment seminars went off successfully. Pat mentioned that members liked splitting the seminar into two presentations, one focused on Medicare and one on ADOA / ASRS programs and will likely continue this in the future. Also, Pat said that the committee had decided to try offering a hybrid version of the seminars using our Board meeting room for the in-person portion.
• Kay Faris, ASURA President, reported for Mary Stevens, chair of the Special Events committee, that the Holiday Potluck has been scheduled (see the date below). Mary would like to have a large turnout and Kay encouraged Board members to bring three or four new members to the event. The rallying call was “Beat Jan”.That would be Jan Thompson, a past president, who brought four new members to the Meet and Greet. You don’t need to be a Board member to bring a new member (or anyone else).
• John Brock, Travel Committee Chair, mentioned, among other things, the possibility of a tour of the ASU Sidney Poitier New American Film School in Mesa. The date available was December 5 so he was not sure if they would try for the 5th or wait until next year. The event has subsequently been scheduled with a limit of 15. There are currently 11 spots available.

Board Member election nominations

We are beginning the process of finding a fresh crop of Board members and this could be you. Each year ASURA holds a February election for five new Board members. The Board manages the affairs of the Association and establishes policies as needed to carry out its mission. Board members are elected for a term of three years. The Board meets monthly during the academic year.

We encourage members to offer the names of current ASURA members or their own name as a potential Board member by notifying the Nominating Committee chair of your nomination(s). 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 3, 2024.

Send your suggestions or self-nomination to:
Will Smith (cmore4unow@gmail.com) - link removed
Chair of 2024 ASURA Board Nominating Committee

Membership retention

Much of the meeting focused on how to retain members with an emphasis on Introductory members. The membership report for October showed 346 members did not renew this year, the vast majority being Introductory Members. The discussion was driven by a set of possible approaches that Kay Faris had compiled.

Get members involved - Getting involved is not limited to being on a committee or the Board, which are good ways but attending the various events or monetarily supporting our programs (Adopt-A-Family, Scholarship, Video History Project) are also ways to be involved. Our members are very generous with their donations but attendance at our events is spottier. Encouraging members to bring a new member to an event is one way to address the attendance issue.

What do members want? The last survey of member interests and wants was done in 2014; today’s members may have different ideas about what we can offer to keep them enrolled. A small group of Boad members and committee chairs is going to work on a new survey to see if there are solvable reasons why members do not renew and maybe what current members would like to see us do.

Association Awareness
Few current ASU employees know that a retiree association exists. When we staff a table at university events with our name proudly displayed on the table drape, many of the employees who drop by think we are either ASRS or HR. If employees, before they retire, are aware of ASURA and view it as something worthwhile to join when they retire, it’s possible this awareness will lead to better retention. This is clearly a long-term approach.

Awareness can be gained in a variety of ways; one is by volunteering to help departments, colleges, etc. with activities they undertake, e.g., graduation, office tasks in your old department, etc. By doing this we slowly work our way into the fabric of the university so that as was true for the Scarlet Pimpernel “you see them here, you see them there, you see them everywhere”.

We can also be more assertive about ASURA and what it does. At the table events we can actively promote ASURA rather than passively answer questions. Terry Ekin, Maria Hesse, and I were able get around 40 employees to sign up for the Pre-retirement Seminar announcements at the recent ASU Vendor Fair.

Other ideas on Kays list not discussed –

• The Phoenix metro area is enormous. Holding events in different venues around the Valley might increase membership involvement. Sample events could include watching seminars together, scheduling monthly coffee/tea get togethers, traveling to local dinner theaters, etc.
• Revive the pre-Meet and Greet seminar/panel that discusses transition to retirement.
• Provide swag.

ASURA blood drive

We have been asked if ASURA would be willing to sponsor a blood drive. The Board thought it might be a good event from a community service standpoing, but were unsure as to member response. To gain a sense of member interest, a two-question questionnaire was prepared and is available at Interest in ASURA sponsored blood drive. - link removed