Emeriti Association Luncheon open to all retirees
Annual Business Meeting of UCBEA
May 7, 2016, 11 am - 2 pm
Women's Faculty Club
Annual Business Meeting, May 7, 2016
For this past year, the Executive Committee of the UCB Emeriti Association (UCBEA) has been examining UCBEA’s organizational status, operation and structure and considering strategies to enhance its impact and functioning as we try to fulfill our purpose and mission of a social and advocacy group for emeriti.
A major outcome of this process is the Executive Committee’s vote and decision to eliminate annual dues as a prerequisite for membership and instead to automatically welcome ALL Emeriti into membership in UCBEA. To accomplish these objectives, we are recommending revision of UCBEA’s by laws and constitution. Besides eliminating dues and going to a universal membership model, we are also recommending that we dissolve our current corporate structure, 501c(7) status. The 501c7 tax-exempt status is less relevant now since we will no longer collect membership dues. Additionally this status has provided no significant benefit to UCBEA (it is not a tax deductible status).
Instead, we are recommending becoming an affiliated support group on the campus. A support group is a University recognized group that has as its purposes activities to support the University’s mission and to provide public support for the teaching, research, and public service programs of the University. The support group can help in fundraising (to support our organization as well as the UCB Retirement Center), public outreach, and education. Any donations received by the UCB Retirement Center to support UCBEA are tax deductible. We can facilitate the University’s mission by helping fundraise for our affiliate, the UCB Retirement Center, which in turn provides support to us (administratively and financially), and to provide programs that educate and continue learning for emeriti and others, as well as continue to advocate for issues relevant to emeriti. We have been informed by the campus’ development and alumni relations office that our mission is consistent with that of a “support group,” and consequently we are moving to accomplish this organizational structure. Being a support group does not require being a structured incorporated organization.
The ultimate goal of all of the changes is to allow UCBEA to be a stronger voice when dealing with Emeriti issues as well as a more welcoming environment for participating in leadership and activities. To accomplish this change, and following the current constitution, we are holding our annual business meeting on May 7, 2016, during the same time that we are holding our final 2015-16 Saturday luncheon; this time for a business meeting is consistent with business meetings of prior years. We expect to ask membership attending the business meeting to vote on the revisions just prior to serving lunch, about 11:45 AM.
Proposed revisions to the By Laws and Constitution (deletions noted by strikethroughs and edits noted by blue/red font).
To summarize, the changes we are recommending provide for (1) becoming a UCB support group, and (2) dissolving the 501c(7). In addition, we are revising AND modifying aspects of the constitution and by laws to be consistent with the manner in which we function. All of the revisions are undertaken to change our structure such that all emeriti automatically become members when they achieve emeriti status, to remove dues as condition for membership, to remove our IRS designation, which is as a non-tax deductible organization, to facilitate our fundraising and receipt of donations, and to streamline our organization and operation.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Saturday luncheon, May 7, 2016, from 11 AM to 2PM, Women’s Faculty Club. The guest speaker is Prof. Jennifer Doudna.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best,
Shelly Zedeck
UCBEA President
Jennifer Doudna, Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural
On April 29th she was named as one of 10 foreign members of the prestigious Royal Society, a fellowship of many of the world's most eminent scientists and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. She was honored for "her work on CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology.
Biochemist Jennifer Doudna has been named a foreign member of the prestigious Royal Society, a rare honor for a UC Berkeley faculty member.
She was among 10 new foreign fellows and 50 new fellows announced April 29 in London. The society is a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.
Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, was honored for “her work on CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology that is revolutionizing the fields of genetics, molecular biology and medicine,” according to the announcement.
Also elected a foreign member was former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow Svante Pääbo, who is now at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Pääbo explores human genetic evolution by analyzing DNA extracted from ancient sources, including mummies and the bone fragments of Neanderthals.
Other UC Berkeley foreign members are chemistry colleagues John Kuriyan, Alex Pines and William Miller. Current fellows include former chancellor and professor of physics Robert Birgeneau, a native of Canada; and chemistry professor Graham Fleming and statistics professor David Aldous of England.
To read the Royal Society Annoucement: https://royalsociety.org/news/2016/04/new-fellows-2016/
For registration information: http://retirement.berkeley.edu/ucbea/events