George Mason University
Minutes of the Retired Faculty Association – Officers Meeting and February event
Feb. 10, 2016, 10:05-10:35 AM mtg. 10:35-10:50 AM social; 10:50 AM-11:45 presentation followed by lunch Aa’bee Persian & Mediterranean Fusion Restaurant, Fairfax, VA
Present: Don Boileau, Bob Ehrlich, Esther Elstun, Joseph Lieb, Julianne Mahler, Jim Sanford, Janice Sutera, Veronique Klimonda (HR Liaison)
I. The meeting began at 10:05 AM. Minutes of Dec. mtg. approved.
Action: Bob will follow up with owner regarding coffee/tea service and fixed price lunch options at Aa’bee and publish the charges to RFA membership for the final three meetings/events this spring.
II. Succession Planning and Membership (Bob Ehrlich)
- Joe Lieb assumed Jane’s unexpired term as Treasurer beginning today.
- Jim Sanford attended meeting to observe.
- Bob reported on the upcoming vacancy for the President’s position. He will continue to approach nominees in turn as needed.
III. Human Resources update (Veronique Klimonda)
- Action: Veronique will assess how Mason’s People Finder lists retired faculty contact info. She will report at our next meeting.
- Action: Veronique will provide Janice with stats on the number of faculty retirees each calendar year for at least 2015 and 2014 and a few prior years, if available.
- Veronique provided Bob Ehrlich with contact info for all 2015 retirees which Bob incorporated into RFA database.
- W-2s for 2015 are available on line.
IV. Programming (Bob Ehrlich, Julie Mahler)
- Action: Janice Sutera agreed to publish upcoming events on front page of the website per Julie’s recommendation.
A. Polling about 2016-17 events (Bob Ehrlich)
Bob took an informal poll of those in attendance regarding a list of possible events for next year. Partial list of topics/events include:
-Tom Davis, current BOV Rector, former Congressman – Nov. 9, 2016 (already scheduled) – his ‘take’ on the election results,
-Visit and tour of Gunston Hall,
-Current state of Arab-Israeli peace efforts with Yehuda Lukacs,
-Cave exploration near Front Royal with Doug Mose.
B. Results of Programming Questionnaire (Bob E.)
- Same time and day? 13 yes, 2 no
- Off-campus? 15 yes, 3 no
- Best time? 6 morning, 4 morn/afternoon, 4 afternoon, 2 afternoon/evening, 1 evening
C. Spring 2016 Event attendance:
- February 10 event: Lecture by Michael Summers, professor of Physics, “The ‘New Horizons’ mission to Pluto: What have we learned?” See link: https://cos.gmu.edu/blog/2015/07/keep-watch-pluto-bound-spacecraft-flies-by-the-icy-planet-on-tuesday/ Attendance = 10
- January 13 event: S. Botanic Garden (next to U.S. Capitol.) Guided tour lasting about an hour. Lunch afterwards for 9 folks at the American Indian Museum. Attendance = 9
D. Upcoming events: See website for updates: https://rfa.gmu.edu/activities/featured-events/
- Wed, March 9, 10:30 AM presentation and discussion. Lunch and socializing to follow. Rebecca Goldin “Statistical slips in the media: How numbers make the news” Aa’bee Persian restaurant, Fairfax, VA
- Wed, April 13, 10:30 AM presentation and discussion. Lunch and socializing to follow. 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 presentation and discussion. Lunch and socializing to follow. Jack Censer, Professor Emeritus of History, The evolution of revolutionary ideas” Aa’bee Persian restaurant, Fairfax, VA
V. New Business
- Proposal for Faculty Club – https://rfa.gmu.edu/proposal/ Executive Committee will review and discuss at next meeting.
VI. 2015-16 Executive Committee Meetings
- Executive Committee Meetings will generally precede the monthly programs/events.
- The following represents a list of executive committee meeting dates planned for the remainder of 2015-2016:
-March 9, 2016
-April 13, 2016
-May 11, 2016
-June 1, 2016
VII. Adjournment: About 10:35 AM
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Sutera Wolfe, Ph.D.
2012 Retiree