George Mason University
Minutes of the Retired Faculty Association – Officers Meeting and November event
Nov. 11, 2015, 10:00-10:40 AM mtg. 10:30-11:00 AM social; 11:00 AM-noon presentation
followed by lunch Aa’bee Persian & Mediterranean Fusion Restaurant, Fairfax, VA
Present: Don Boileau, Bob Ehrlich, Esther Elstun, Julie Mahler, Jane Razeghi, Janice Sutera
I. The meeting began at 10:00 AM.
Decided to continue coffee/tea service and to display donation basket to defray the $3.50/person cost.
II. ByLaws (Jane Razeghi)
Proposed revision of Article IV: Officers, Section 2: Terms of Office to stagger terms of office.
The terms of office shall be as follows: President, Vice President, and Immediate Past President shall be elected and each serves a term of two years. The President accedes to the office of Immediate Past President. The President and Treasurer shall be elected in even years, and the Vice President and Secretary shall be elected in odd years.
III. Programming (Julie Mahler)
- 2015 – 2016 programs: See website for updates: https://rfa.gmu.edu/activities/featured-events/
- Upcoming events:
- Wed, Dec 9, 10:30 AM socializing & 11:00 AM lecture by Karen Bune, adjunct professor of Criminology, Law and Society, “Victimization of the Elderly and Senior Population,”
- Wed, Jan 13, 10:30 AM meet at S. Botanic Garden (next to U.S. Capitol.) The Garden is indoors, free, and near an Orange Line Metro stop (Federal Center). Please come on time for the guided tour lasting about an hour. Some may wish to visit a nearby restaurant for lunch afterwards — two good choices include Article One American Grill & the restaurant in the American Indian Museum.
- Wed, Feb 10, 10:30 AM socializing & 11:00 AM lecture by Michael Summers, professor of Physics, “The ‘New Horizons’ mission to Pluto: What have we learned?” The talk & lunch are at Aa’bee Persian restaurant, Fairfax, VA
- Wed, March 9, 10:30 AM socializing & 11:00 AM lecture TBA
- Wed, April 13, 10:30 AM socializing & 11:00 AM lecture by David Keegan, State Department Foreign Service Institute, “The Chinese economy: Opportunities and challenges. “ Aa’bee Persian restaurant, Fairfax, VA
- Wed, May 11, 10:30 AM socializing & 11:00 AM lecture by Jack Censer, professor emeritus of History, “The evolution of revolutionary ideas” The talk & lunch afterwards are at Aa’bee Persian restaurant, Fairfax, VA
- Event attendance:
- November event: 11 attendees representing 10 university depts. – Robert Lichter,Professor of Communication and Director, Center for Media and Public Affairs, “Talking past Trump: Candidate communications in the 2016 presidential elections.”
- October event: 14 attendees representing 10 university departments – Doug Mose: “Fresh Water: (a) Future Global Availability, and (b) An Assessment of the Risks and Benefits of Fracking.
IV. Succession Planning (Bob Ehrlich)
- Discussed potential officer candidates. Bob will approach potential nominees in turn.
- Identify May 2015 and Dec 2015 retirees and contact them with the help of HR as needed.
- Invited to Mason “Next Steps” retiree planning event by Mason Human Resources staff on Nov. 20. Several RFA members will attend and share info about RFA.
V. 2015-16 Executive Committee Meetings
- Meetings will generally precede the monthly programs/events
- December 9 at 10 AM is the final meeting of 2015.
- The following represents a tentative list of executive committee meeting dates remaining for 2015-2016:
December 9, 2015
February 10, 2016
March 9, 2016
April 13, 2016
May 11, 2016
June 2, 2016
VI. Adjournment: About 10:40 AM
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Sutera Wolfe, Ph.D.
2012 Retiree