What's New
Director's Notes
It was the best of times, it was the
worst of times… Dickens’ commentary
may well speak to life today at the
Retirement Center. Under the capable
direction of Program Manager Andre
Porter, Center educational and service
offerings are expanding and serving more
retirees and now active faculty and staff,
demonstrating the continuing value of
the Center and retirees to the education
and service mission of the University. Our
new Office Manager, Summer Scanlan,
is using her excellent organizational and
customer service skills for a more efficient
and effective office. Our Pre-Retirement
Planning Program has strengthened its
faculty with additions of experts in the
fields of long-term care insurance and
older adult housing. And the Center and
its Policy Board are considering exciting
possibilities focused on volunteerism
and campus affiliated retiree and alumni
housing.
But we are now challenged by the
state’s budget crisis and its impact on
the University. The Center, like other
campus departments, will experience a
permanent budget reduction this fiscal
year and our staff will also be furloughed
without pay for several days. This is all due
to a massive reduction in state support for
the University -- $150 million.
The Center will strive to maintain
the level of service you have come to
expect. If changes in response time to your
needs become necessary, we will keep you
informed. Your support, including your
financial response to our annual funding
appeal, has been and will continue to be
very important as we weather the next
few budget cycles. Retirees demonstrated
their continuing value to the University
with contributions to UCB in the last three
years totaling over $34 million.
You know best that our longevity
revolution is not just about growing older
but it is also about coming alive to other
possibilities in this phase of life, to listen
to the dream that keeps coming back. The
Center exists in part to help you with that
exploration. To that end, the Center notes
in this newsletter a variety of opportunities
for you.
Volunteer/Service: Thanks to all of
you who responded to our recent volunteer/service survey.
Personal Financial Education: A
collaboration between the Center, University
Health Services, and Human Resources
has brought together the personal financial
education and counseling opportunities
available to active faculty, staff and retirees.
To view the free education sessions, click here.
Retiree Value: On our Spotlight page, we highlight
a distinguished retiree who continues to
serve the University and add value to our
efforts.
Post-Employment Benefits: Read about the UC Post
Employment Benefits Task Force and the upcoming listening sessions here.
Program Updates: Take advantage
of discounted Cal Athletics season tickets. Our fall program listings
with Learning in Retirement and ends with
Planning Today for Your Fiscal Tomorrow.
Patrick C. Cullinane, MS, Director
Post-Employment Benefits Taskforce Formed
As costs of health and pension benefits continue to increase substantially,
sustaining these retirement benefits is increasingly difficult. To help UC
develop a comprehensive, long-term approach, President Yudof has established
a task force to study and recommend funding, policy, and benefits design
alternatives. The Post-Employment Benefits Task Force will consider market
competitiveness, workforce behavior and development, affordability, and
sustainability, recognizing the need to maintain competitive post-employment
benefits in order to recruit and retain quality faculty and staff for the
University.
Task Force members include a range of stakeholders including representatives
of the Academic Senate, campus and medical center leadership, staff, and
retiree representatives (Charles Hess, CUCEA Chair, and Marian Gade, CUCRA
Chair). Members serve on one of three Work Teams: Finance, Pension, and
Retiree Health.
The Task Force will hold a number of Listening Forums at UC locations in
the fall to give faculty, staff, and retirees the opportunity to ask questions and
share perspectives. Watch for an announcement from the Berkeley Retirement
Center in your e-mail (if you’re not signed up to receive notices from the
Center, consider doing so).
A reassurance: UCRP contracts for current retirees cannot be changed.
Your pension is secure.
Marian Gade, CUCRA Chair
Introduction to Social Networking on the Internet
This two-session course will define social networking, introduce you to some of the most popular and useful sites, and show you how to find the information important to you. More >>
OLLI@Berkeley Interest Groups
Join others interested in topics such as memoir writing, Calfornia politics, Shakespeare, and powetry interpretation this summer. Participant-directed interest circles will be meeting from June 2-September 10 in Unversity Hall.
Not an OLLI member? Get a summer membership for only $25! See the complete schedule and topics by visitng olli.berkeley.edu or call 652.9934 for more information.
News Archive
What is HICAP?
Ask yourself, Do I or we need long term-care insurance? Have I or we made the right decision about health insurance? The Center and the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) can help you answer these and othe rquestions. Click here to learn how to make an appointment for a confidential, professional consultation in the Center office.
Ask It!
Chances are there is something you have always wondered about, meant to look up or wished someone would explain. Now is your chance to satisfy your curiosity. E-mail Carolyn McMillan your question, and we will find the UC brainiac who can answer it. Science, health, culture, language—whatever your question, don’t be shy. Just Ask it!
Ask it! is looking to expand its network of UC-affiliated experts willing to answer reader questions. If you’d like to volunteer your expertise, please contact Carolyn. Include your area of expertise and department or program where you are affiliated.
Retirement Center Wins Award
Retirement Center’s Retiree Work Opportunity Program Wins
First-Ever Award for Employing Workers Over 50 in Public Interest Jobs
BreakThrough Award Honors Innovative Recruitment and Hiring Strategies
in the Nonprofit and Public Sectors
Researchers agree that millions of baby boomers will work longer than their parents, but what kind of work will they do? Many say they want work that provides income, impact, and meaning, while improving the quality of life in their communities, but where will they find it? Civic Ventures, a think tank and program incubator helping society achieve the greatest return on experience, announced the winners of the first-ever BreakThrough Award, designed to shine a spotlight on the nonprofit and public sector organizations that are providing meaningful public interest jobs for people over 50. The new award, underwritten by MetLife Foundation, honored 10 nonprofits and public sector agencies located in large and small communities across the country including the UC Berkeley Retirement Center. The award was made on May 31 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The Center, which won the award for its Retiree Work Opportunities (RWO) program, was represented by Executive Director Shelley Glazer and RWO Program Manager Gloria Parra.
“These organizations are at the forefront of what promises to be a critical transformation of our workforce, economy and ability to meet social needs,” said Phyllis Segal, vice president of Civic Ventures. “BreakThrough Award winners are leading the way when it comes to bringing both money and meaning to longer working lives and serving as models for other organizations seeking to tap into this experienced talent pool. These employers recognize that new approaches to recruiting and retaining older employees can help them deliver on their critical missions.”
The winners include employers and organizations that match those over 50 to employment opportunities. Civic Ventures said of the Retirement Center’s RWO program, “To tap into the incredible brain power of retired staff, the Center created a website in 2002 to connect former staff to current short-term or part-time openings. Retired staff post online profiles that list their skills, work history and preferences, then hiring managers contact retirees—or vice versa—about open jobs. Over 330 retirees and 240 hiring managers are using the Retiree Work Opportunities site, and 80 percent of jobs listed are filled by former UC Berkeley employees.”
The RWO program first began as a pilot in 2001 in recognition of not only the skills and institutional knowledge retirees bring to the work place, but also of the demographic trend on campus that mirrored the national wave of baby boomers heading into retirement. A need was identified for a program that would both accommodate the lifestyle and parttime, temporary work assignments that retirees wanted and benefit the campus hiring managers who needed such experienced and flexible workers. (adapted from Civic Ventures Press Release)
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