The goal of the Georgetown University Association of Retired Faculty and Staff (GUARFS) is to serve as a liaison between retired faculty, AAPs, staff and the University support its emeriti members’ professional endeavors through retired faculty grants, facilitate social ties through lectures, tours, and cultural activities, provide volunteering opportunities, and reach out to the community through the Learning Community Program.
ALERT!
ACTION ITEM FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING IN MAY:
PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE GUARFS CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
This coming May GUARFS is scheduled to hold another of the annual meetings that are mandated by the Association’s constitution. At that meeting, the participants will be asked to take action on several changes in the constitution (and by-laws) that are being recommended by the Executive Council. In keeping with the procedures for amendments provided in the constitution, the text of the proposed changes is provided here for your consideration, well in advance of the meeting (which is scheduled to occur on May 15). The text of each of those changes is underlined.
In the opinion of the current members of the Executive Council only two of the proposed changes have to do with matters of any real substance:
• One (in Section III on “Organization”) stipulates that the election of new officers (which occurs every other year) be conducted in such a manner as to include all the active members in attendance at the meeting. At present, that responsibility is vested solely in the Executive Council.
•The other (also in Section III) stipulates that the members be provided each year with up-to-date information about the operating budget of the organization, as approved by the Executive Council.
To read the entire proposed new constitution click here.
The last time the GUARFS constitution was amended was in 2018. All the other changes being proposed here are designed simply to update the constitution (and by-laws) to reflect current practice.
These changes are being proposed after consultation with a number of the past officers of the organization.
Any questions you may have about this matter in advance of the annual meeting should be directed to the current president, Suzanne Bronheim.
Georgetown Retirees 2023 Annual Meeting
Monday, May 15th at 1 p.m.
This is an important meeting. We will ask all current members to vote on changes to our constitution. You will receive a copy of the revisions one month before the meeting.
Keep an eye out for more information.
In Memoriam
It is with great sadness that GUARFS acknowledges the passing of Professor Emeritus Richard Bates. He served for 13 years on the GUARFS ExCo and was the GUARFS representative on the Benefits Advisory Committee. He was an original Faculty Senate member of the University Fringe Benefits Committee beginning in 1977 and served on it continuously for 43 years except for one brief period around the time of his retirement.
His academic background includes a B.A. degree in Chemistry from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University where he was an NIH Pre-doctoral fellow and was awarded a Hammett Traveling Fellowship.
After serving as University Faculty President for six years, he was elected Chair of the Chemistry Department in which capacity he served for nearly seven years. His accomplishments include establishing three options for funding retirement (Fidelity and Vanguard as well as TIAA/CREF), serving on several search committees for members of the University administration, working to find an equitable way to transition faculty through the merger with Medstar, and helping with the funding and design of the new Regents Science Building.
He retired from Georgetown in 2010, but remained active with his stamp collection as a collector, as Editor of the journal The Canal Zone Philatelist, and as a presenter of gold medal-winning exhibits from his collection. He also served as a volunteer researcher at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
We extend our condolences to Dick’s family. The Georgetown community has lost a notable member.
Upcoming Events
Philippines on the Potomac – A Walking Tour
Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 11 AM
Led by Erwin R. Tiongson, Professor of the Practice, Deputy Director, Global Human Development Program, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Click here for more information.
GUARFS Research Grant!
Now accepting applications for the 2023 Retired Faculty and Staff Research Grants. Click here for more details and application.
Exciting & new opportunity to connect with alumni.
We would like to invite you to join a new volunteer effort that is a partnership between the GU Association of Retired Faculty and Staff and the Alumni Association’s 68 regional clubs around the world. In this new partnership, the GUARFS Volunteer Ambassador Program, we will extend this opportunity to retired faculty and staff to provide presentations for regional club members. To learn more, click here.
Catch up with news from the GU Association of Retired Faculty & Staff with our monthly newsletter.
Click on the links below:
To subscribe send your first and last names and email address to:
guretirees-newsletter@georgetown.edu