AUTUMN, 2009, UCREA REPORT TO CUCEA

Since our spring report, UCREA held its annual joint lunch with UCRRA in June the week after Commencement. Both organizations continue to produce our quarterly Towertalk in online or paper versions; copies should reach our sister EAs. Please e-mail allison.tavaglione@ucr.edu if you are not on the mailing list. In late summer as president I prepared a packet, complete with postage paid return envelope for a maximum response. The packet contained a biobib form that Chuck Berst kindly sent in response to my request, plus revised UCREA bylaws for comment and approval, all with a cover letter encouraging raising annual dues from $10 to $12, and reiterating my intent to step down The packet went out in October, so we are using the previous biobibs to select our outstanding emerita/us, since the annual award lunch hosted by the chancellor occurs in the fall term.

The bylaws prescribe an executive board consisting of representatives from each academic campus unit, and one or more members at large to ensure an odd voting total. The board solicits and elects officers from its own body or the membership; any officer not a board member becomes one; all serve a year and may be reelected. The bylaws follow those of CUCEA; the duties of each officer are quoted here to stimulate discussion and lead to their improvement. Any officer or member may serve as a CUCEA delegate.

PRESIDENT. In consultation with the executive board, the president prepares agenda for and convenes meetings, serves as the public face of UCREA, and responds to any requests pertinent to the local or university-wide welfare of its members and/or all emeriti.

VICE PRESIDENT. The vice president assists and advises the president, serving as president as needed. She/he strives to maintain and expand membership, ensuring that invitations to join UCREA reach those already retired, about to retire, or declared emerita/us upon retirement.

SECRETARY. The secretary records the proceedings of each meeting, and submits minutes for approval by those present. Either the secretary or the president writes the Towertalk column informing members of current developments.

TREASURER. The treasurer maintains custody of the funds of UCREA, collects its dues, presents a periodic accounting to the membership, pays annual UCREA dues to CUCEA, and pays bills approved by the president or vice president, including delegates’ expenses of attending regular or special meetings.

ARCHIVIST/HISTORIAN. The archivist/historian keeps files constituting the institutional memory of UCREA, recalling for the benefit of its officers and/or membership the relevant past as it informs the present. She/he retains copies of the university-wide Biobibliographic Survey and its UCREA counterpart. The archivist/historian, as a representative of the Executive Board, solicits nominations and conducts elections for representatives and officers of the board.

CAMPUS REPRESENTATIVE AND ALTERNATE TO CUCEA. The campus representative and alternate to CUCEA submit written reports summarizing the activities of UCREA to the biannual meetings of CUCEA, whose decisions and deliberations the representative or alternate reports back to the Executive Board and/or the membership. The representative and/or alternate solicit, distribute, and collate the biennial Biobibliographic Surveys of emeriti post-retirement activities, whose results they forward to the biobibliographic survey committee of CUCEA. The representative and/or alternate distribute copies of the CUCEA survey to the archivist/historian, the chancellor, and other principal administrators.

OUTSTANDING EMERITI. The most recent outstanding emeriti awardee, or a prior awardee if she/he is unavailable, with two previous awardees, chairs an award committee that chooses its successor, using available biobibliographical material. The same committee selects UCREA’s nominee, if any, for the Panunzio award, administered by the UCLA Graduate School dean. (The senate welfare committee handles Dickson awards.)

Respectfully submitted by Dericksen Brinkerhoff, UCREA president.