A Message from our New President

A hearty hello to my fellow retiree!

I am deeply honored to serve as the new UCLARA president and look forward to another terrific year for our association. My connection to UCLA is lengthy and runs deep – I was fortunate to work in UCLA administration for 41 years, taking on greater responsibility over time, and culminating in my final role as Administrative Vice Chancellor.  I was also a student at this fine institution earning three degrees – a BS in Engineering, an MBA, and an Ed.D. After retiring in 2015, I joined the UCLARA and the Board in 2021, becoming Vice President/President Elect in 2023.

Succeeding Judith Tuch, our past president, will be a very tough act to follow, and I want to thank her on behalf of the UCLARA Board for her exemplary leadership over the past three years.

As we commence a new fiscal year, it is important to review the Board’s accomplishments over the past year:

• Along with the Emeriti Association, UCLARA hosted a highly successful two-day conference for the Council of the University of California Emeriti Associations and the Council of University of California Retirement Associations.
• A Signature Event, “Greatest Moments in Television”, was held and nearly 200 retirees registered for the occasion. Presenters from the Paley Center for Media discussed and showed classic clips from the early days of television.
• An inaugural Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UCLARA and the University Credit Union was signed codifying the respective roles and expectations of the two organizations.
• Through the newly developed Strategic funding Initiative UCLARA provided funds for several UCLA student programs and staff scholarships.
• For the first time in five years, the UCLARA Bylaws were thoroughly reviewed and updated.

This array of accomplishments is a great foundation on which to plan and develop future events and programs. We also need to continue (and we will) to work productively with the Emeriti Association, the Staff Assembly and the Council of UC Retiree Associations.

If you are involved with UCLARA and attend events – thank you very much – and please continue. If you are an occasional participant, please entertain the possibility of further involvement, even if it is one step at a time. If you are aware of other UCLA retirees who have not yet joined UCLARA or prospective retirees, please urge them to join our association.

You can learn more about UCLARA by visiting its website: retirees.ucla.edu

The website has such pertinent information as UCLARA’s mission, its partnerships, bylaws, upcoming programs and events, as well as future UC retirees travel tours.

Finally, I would like to close with a query as to which activities, events, or initiatives you would like the Board to undertake this year. I am and will and always will be happy to hear from you. Please contact me at UCLARA@ucla.edu

Hope you are having a wonderful and enjoyable summer.

Jack Powazek