Member’s News

History of RFA: Following some discussions in Fall 2013 between a recently retired faculty member (Bob Ehrlich) and a soon-to-be retired one (Joe Lieb), the idea for the George Mason University Retired Faculty Association RFA was born. With great encouragement and assistance from the Human Resources Department, and technical assistance from the Provost’s Office, the association was established in the Fall 2013 semester by a group of twelve founding mothers and fathers:  Louis C. Buffardi, Robert Ehrlich, Esther Elstun, Katherine L Haldeman, Joan P. Isenberg, Joseph Lieb, Julianne Mahler, Miriam Raskin, Jane Razeghi, G. Linda Rikard, Janice Sutera, and Terry Myers Zawacki.  To our knowledge as of 2018 only one other Virginia University currently has such an organization.  Mason News has carried an article about the RFA several years ago.

Events & interest groups: The RFA has sponsored a number of events starting with its inaugural event on Feb 23, 2014.  A list of past and future events, which are typically held on a monthly basis, can be found described under “activities” –> “featured events.”   If you have ideas for future events, please contact program chair, Bob Ehrlich at rehrlich@gmu.edu.  The RFA also includes “interest groups” of interest to particular subsets of members.  The four currently existing groups include book club, film, and travel clubs, and a climate change interest group — see details under “activities” –> “interest groups.”  Instructions can also be found there on how to start a new interest group.

If you have some newsworthy items involving RFA members (including yourself), please send them to the webmaster: rehrlich@gmu.edu