UIC UNITED: A Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting January 12, 2007

Members Present: Marsha Borders, Merrill Gassman, William Jones, Irving Miller, Geraldine Piorkowski, Lawrence Poston, Susan Sindelar, and Jacob Starks

Members Absent: Kathleen Crittenden, Richard Johnson, Frank Tachau, and Wally Wadycki

The meeting was called to order by President Irving Miller at 10:10am.

1. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the meeting held on November 17, 2006 were approved.

2. Membership Report (Geraldine Piorkowski): There has been a steady rise in the chapter membership; the current count is 1,692. Gerry expressed concern about member retention and pointed out that a number of current members have not renewed. She and Bill Jones will try to follow up with the members who did not renew their memberships.

A prepared solicitation letter is being sent to all UIC retirees from the past 5 years; the mailing is expected to be distributed by the end of January.

3. Treasurer's Report (Frank Tachau --written submission): As of December 31, 2006, the balance in Savings is $15,444.44; Invested Savings (CD): $25,594.93; Checking: $ 1,793.80, after transferring $3,000 to the university account to cover expenses from the Holiday Party.

4. SUAACTION Issues (Irving Miller): Dick Johnson is trying to set up a meeting with the SUAACTION Board to obtain permission to organize a fund-raising drive for UIC SUAACTION to raise $12,000. He is hoping to schedule the meeting at the end of January or early February.

5. President's Report (Irving Miller): SUAA Executive Director Search - the Search Committee is comprised of 4 individuals, one of which is President Miller. The Committee has put together an advertisement that will be placed on the website of the Illinois Society of Association Executives as well as in the principal newspaper in the Springfield area. The preferred candidate will have association credentials, experience working with higher education, and, minimally, a Bachelors Degree. The Director's salary is expected to be around $80,000, with a benefit package totalling just over 10% of the salary. A deadline date of February 9, 2007 is set for the receipt of applications. The Board was urged to submit the names of prospective candidates for the position.

The Center for Intergenerational Leadership is sponsoring a workshop for 25-30 participants, including UIC retirees and current Chicago Public School students, to explore the basis for effective intergenerational communication. The workshop will be held in the office of Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. on Monday, February 5, 2007, from 11am to 3:00 pm. Lunch will be provided.

6. Newsletter (Larry Poston): Larry indicated that all issues regarding the newsletter have been resolved, and he expects copies to be in the hands of members in the next few weeks.

7. Programs and Events (Susan Sindelar): Susan is finalizing plans for the Chapter Spring Meeting in April. She hopes to confirm the keynote speaker in the near future.

8. Retirement Planning Conference (Marsha Borders): The subcommittee members who met with Jacquie Burger were Marsha Borders, Mary Bartucci, Judy Curry, Joan Hladek, and Nancy Hirsch. They revisited last year's program and determined that most of the topics, such as Social Security, wills and estate planning, the nuts and bolts of SURS, deferred benefit options, long term care, and the legislative overview should be repeated. They also felt that more should be done on legislative issues, such as pension funding, benefits, and advocacy and decided that a break-out session devoted to these topics should be considered. Dick Johnson will be asked to lead the session.

Kathy Korenberg of LTC will be asked to lead the Long Term Care session; representatives from Fidelity and TIAA-CREF to lead the Retirement Income Options and Workplace Savings Plans;Lee Bridges and Marlys Johnson will be invited to talk about SURS; Mr. Kline (estate planning) and John McCrosky will be asked to speak on Social Security.

Eight (8) SUAA volunteers are needed to staff the Conference because Jacquie is currently without support staff, and her budget has been cut. SUAA has been asked to consider a contribution of $500 or more toward programming costs. To encourage maximum participation, the registration fee will not be increased; the current rate for non-SUAA members will remain at $10.

It was decided that the Retirement brochure should be mailed to all campus employees 40 years and older; in the past, only those 45 years and older received a copy of the mailing.

9. Nominating Committee: Merrill Gassman, chair, William Jones, and Jacob Starks were appointed to the Nominating Committee. The Board positions to be slated in April include President, Second Vice President, Treasurer, and Director-at-Large.

10. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:00am.

Respectfully submitted by Marsha Borders, Secretary

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