Retirees Association Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Candi Agnew, Tom Eyssell, Joel Glassman, Melissa Hattman, Clark Hickman, Connie Jeffries, Michael Murray, Kevin Smith.

 A. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by at President Connie Jeffries at 10:02 a.m.

 B. Approval of Minutes from March 18, 2026, meeting

The meeting minutes were amended to add Melissa Hattman and Mike Murray as attendees. The minutes were approved as amended. 

C. Committee Reports 

1. Alumni Association. Kevin Smith reported that the Alumni Association will have a busy summer. There will be a major overhaul of their bylaws in order to align with the University priorities. Mike Murray discussed his recent experience when attending two events on campus. There was a discussion of the need for improved and consistent communication for publicity of campus events. Tom Eyssell suggested that the campus should consider hosting a bi-partisan town hall meeting to discuss HR 173, the ballot issue which proposes to eliminate the state income tax. This issue will be on the August 2026 ballot. Kevin suggested that this idea must be presented to the Chancellor’s Office for consideration and approval. 

2. Treasurer’s Report. The report showed that the UMSLRA received income from the Alumni Association for the holiday luncheon and membership dues in the amount of $3,435. There were no expenditures and the balance in our account is $14,291.38. 

3. Communications. The Spring edition of the newsletter was sent electronically in April. Clark Hickman mentioned he was able to get the obituaries through various means since the System UM Connections newsletter for Spring 2026 has been delayed. Some memorials may be missing and those will be in the Fall newsletter. Sue Baber continues to work with Lol Barton to address accessibility issues. 

4. Planning and Events. Joel Glassman reported that the tour of Grand Center was very successful. There were 28 attendees and he received great feedback. 

Spring Luncheon and annual business meeting registration is low, raising concerns about invitation delivery (electronic and paper). The invitation will be resent as soon as possible. There will be another reminder by May 15th, and a separate communication will be sent which will include information on the proposed bylaw changes which will be voted on at the luncheon.  Connie will invite Chancellor Sobolik to the luncheon.

 5. Membership. Melissa Hattman gave a membership campaign update. There have been 38 responses, including 26 annual renewals, 10 new memberships, and 2 lifetime conversions. She also reported that she has received an indication of interest from the membership applications. Individuals expressed interest in pop-up volunteer opportunities, board membership, planning and membership activities. Melissa will give Tom Eyssell the name of the individual who expressed an interest in serving on the board.

 6. Nominating and ROY Selection. Tom Eyssell reported that he is seeking two nominees for the board. Tom has agreed to run for re-election. For the remaining vacancy, a suggestion was made to recruit Tony Georges.

 ROY Selection. Tom mentioned that there was an unintended snafu with the selection, but this matter was resolved and we have nominees for both the faculty and staff category.

 D. Old Business. Clark Hickman received an email from David Garin with suggested changes in the proposed bylaws. Clark agreed to incorporate these changes and moved that the proposed bylaws be approved as amended. This motion passed unanimously.

 E. New Business.

 · Leadership meeting in Columbia. No information on a system-wide meeting has been received.

 · Presidential Transition Traditions. There was a discussion about the tradition of giving the immediate past president (Connie) a $50 gift card and a certificate. But there is uncertainty about the location of the red folder containing the certificate template and the process for obtaining the gift card.

 The tradition of providing a gift card and certificate to the past president will be continued. Hopefully, with the promised dedicated office space in the new Richter Center, a system for handling transition materials will be established.

 Meeting adjourned at 11:34 a.m.

 Prepared by Candi Agnew, 2025-26 UMSLRA Secretary