NEWS
(from 12/10/2010 - 07/19/2011)



Dean Jean Milligan, Ed.D.     (posted July 8, 2011)
(from the July 8, 2011 issue of the Burlington Free Press)
SHELBURNE - Dr. Jean Beattie Milligan, Ed.D., a former Dean of the UVM School of Nursing, passed away peacefully at The Arbors in Shelburne on July 6, 2011, at the age of 89. Jean was fortunate to have lived in her own house in Burlington until January of this year. Jean was predeceased by her parents, Prof. William E. Milligan and Mary (McCartney) of Hamden, Conn.; her sister, Dorothy (Sibold) of Stratford, Ontario; and her brother, William of Cheshire, Conn. She is survived by seven nieces and nephews and 15 grand nieces and nephews in Canada and the United States. Jean was born in Chile where her father worked at a copper mine as a metallurgist. The family eventually settled in New Haven, Conn. where her father was a professor in the Department of Metallurgy at Yale University. Jean was a proud graduate of Middlebury College (A.B. 1944), Yale University (M.N. 1946) and Teachers' College, Columbia University (M.A. 1951, M.Ed. 1968 and Ed.D. 1972). While at Teachers' College, she was a member of Kappa Delta Pi. After brief stints as a practicing nurse at GraceNew Haven Hospital and as an instructor at Yale University School of Nursing and the University Of Michigan School Of Nursing, Jean joined the faculty of the University Of Vermont School Of Nursing in 1953 as an Assistant Professor. She steadily advanced through the faculty ranks becoming Dean of the UVM School of Nursing in 1974 and served in that position until her retirement in 1987. Jean was the recipient of many awards, including the Distinguished Alumna Award from the Yale University School of Nursing and the Isabel Hampton Robb Scholarship. During her nursing education career, Jean served numerous professional organizations, including the Vermont State Nurses' Association (President), the New England Council on Higher Education for Nursing and the New England Board of Higher Education. Jean was an active and longtime member of First Congregational Church in Burlington where she served multiple terms as Deacon and Trustee. Jean was also a dedicated volunteer for many years during her retirement at the Possibility Shop run by the Church. As well, Jean was a member of P.E.O. and had recently been acknowledged for her 50 years of membership. In addition to her many career accomplishments, Jean will be remembered for her devotion to family and friends and to her beloved Boston Red Sox and the UVM men's hockey and women's basketball teams. Funeral services will be held on Monday, July 11, 2011, at 11 a.m. at First Congregational Church of Burlington (38 South Winooski Avenue, Burlington). Burial to follow at a later date in New Haven, Conn. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity of your choice in Jean's memory. Funeral arrangements by Corbin and Palmer Funeral Home, Burlington.

Prof. Phyllis F. Perelman
(from the June 18, 2011 issue of Burlington Free Press) NANTUCKET, Mass. - Phyllis Fein Perelman, 87, of Nantucket, Mass., a Burlington resident for 50 years, died June 16, 2011, in Nantucket. Born in Springfield, Mass. on Sept. 22, 1923, she was the daughter of Samuel L. Fein and Mildred (Sherman) Fein. She graduated from Classical High School and received her BA from UVM in 1944. She married Myer "Mike" Perelman in 1944, and after the war they made their home on North Street, where they raised their two sons. She was the proprietor of the former Popular Dress Shop on Cherry Street, and was a member of Ohavi Zedek Synagogue. She received her M.Ed. from UVM in 1969, and was a faculty member in the College of Education until retiring in 1983. After retirement, she and Mike split their time between Nantucket and Riviera Beach, Fla. In 2007 she moved full time to Nantucket. She is survived by her sons, Nantucket County Sheriff James (and Sheri) Perelman, and A. Steven (and Abby) Perelman of Nantucket and West Palm Beach, Fla.; brother and sister-in-law, Sherman and Myra Fein of Nantucket and Longmeadow, Mass.; grandchildren, Jeremy (and Leslie) Perelman, and Jonathan (and Alexandra) Perelman; four great-grandsons; and more than 20 nieces and nephews. Graveside services will be Sunday, June 19, 2011, at 12 noon at Prospect Hill/ Nantucket Jewish Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Nantucket Atheneum or Our Island Home.

Annual Luncheon for Retired Faculty and Administrative Officers    
Logistical complications at the Davis Center have necessitated a change in the  Annual Luncheon hosted by President  Fogel and Provost Knodell. The venue is still the Davis Center but the date has been changed from Friday, August 26 to  Tuesday, August 16. Invitations will be sent  in July that confirm the date change.

Seeking Host Families for Cultural Exchange
Host families wanted! Chinese students are coming to Burlington and they need places to stay!   From July 24th - July 29th, 14 Chinese college students will be coming to UVM to learn about American Business and we are searching for responsible families to take them in for just five nights.   This program is a rich opportunity for our community to get to know some young people from across the globe! Many of those who have hosted such students stay in touch with the students and maintain strong relationships with them long after they return to China. Some host families are even going to China to visit the students! This is truly a unique and one of a kind experience! We are seeking safe, reliable hosts (with or without children of their own) who can welcome either one or two students in their home and provide a familial kind of experience. If you have an interest in this cultural exchange, and you are able to offer them a place to stay we would love to hear from you!
 
Some key information:
- The students will arrive on Sun. July 24th  and they will depart on Fri. July 29th.
- The hosts will provide transportation to Jeffords Center (next to Davis Center on UVM campus) from Monday through Friday of that week.
- Each host family will receive a stipend of $100 per student that they host in their home, to help defray the costs of their stay.
 
 IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, please contact Ellis at emcardl1@gmail.com or call him at 802-272-6879.  You may also contact Li at lliu@smcvt.edu or call her at 802-324-8436.
 
 PLEASE NOTE: If July 24-29 does not work for you, there are three other opportunities available in the area:
 - Edmunds Middle School: July 8 - July 20
 - Winooski High School: July 12 - July 24
 - South Burlington High School: July 19 - July 31
 
Prof. Thomas Read in Concert    
Friday, June 10,   7:30 p.m.  Piano Premieres and Encores: David Alan Pihl, Piano and Thomas L. Read, violin. David Alan Pihl, acclaimed recording artist and founding member of the Essex (MA) Chamber Music Players, premieres a new piano sonata by Thomas L. Read.  Pihl performs movements of Read’s Piano Partita, a 2007 Pulitzer nomination, and a selection of varied and colorful piano pieces by Burlington native Steve Peisch of Lawrence Academy and the New England Conservatory. Read premieres Peisch’s Three Pieces for Solo Violin. Admission: $15; seniors and students $10; ages 15 and under-free. Click here for more information.

Prof. Heath Kenyon Riggs        
(from the Burlington Free Press) RICHMOND - Professor Emeritus Heath Kenyon Riggs, 92, who taught mathematics at the University of Vermont for 31 years, died April 20, 2011, in Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington. He succumbed from complications after surgery in a Florida hospital toward the end of his annual vacation with his wife Harriet on Treasure Island. He was very loved and will be missed by many. Son of Ila (Kenyon) and John William Riggs, he lived for most of his life only a few buildings from where he was born on Oct. 28, 1918, in the house which is now John's Shoe Shop North. He was valedictorian of his 1936 Richmond High School graduating class. He earned his B.S. degree from UVM in 1940, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated cum laude with special honors in mathematics. He received Master's degrees from UVM and the University of Chicago and his doctorate from the latter. Professionally, he was Director of Admissions and Records at UVM, a Research Assistant at the University of Chicago and Director of Educational Research and Services for the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta. He returned to Richmond in 1953 as a member of UVM's Math faculty where he taught until his retirement in 1984. For several summers, he was also on the faculty of UVM's National Science Foundation Summer Institute for math teachers. He studied computers at M.I.T. and then introduced the first computer at UVM on Feb. 1, 1960. The computer was so large it took a big room in Waterman building to hold it. He then served as consultant to the Computing Center. On Sabbaticals, he did post-doctoral study at the University of California at Berkeley and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. At the latter, he learned the mathematics of orbiting into space, then developed and taught a new course at UVM, "The Mathematics of Space Flight." Click here for the full obituary in the Burlington Free Press.

Prof. Milton Potash          (4/24/2011)
(from the Burlington Free Press) BURLINGTON - Milton "Milt" Potash, 86, of 33 Holly Lane, Burlington, died on April 17, 2011, after an extended illness. Milt was born in New York City, Nov. 23, 1924, to George and Lillian Potash. His family moved to Louisville, Ky., when Milt was eight. His education at the University of Louisville was interrupted by a three year stint in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He was trained as a corpsman (medic) and served with the 1st Marine Division in the South Pacific, on Okinawa and, following the war, in north China. Upon discharge, he completed his B.S. degree in Biology, received an M.S. degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, and earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from Cornell University, with a concentration in freshwater ecology. While at Indiana, Milt met his wife-to-be, Eleanor "Ellie" Bloom. They were married in 1949. Ellie predeceased him in 1999, after 50 years of marriage. In 1951, he joined the Zoology Department at the University of Vermont, rising through the ranks from instructor to full professor and serving as Department Chair. He taught for 39 years, retiring in 1990. He especially enjoyed student interactions and for a number of years had, arguably, the greatest number of advisees of any faculty member in the Arts & Sciences College. He also served on the Premedical /Predental Advisory Committee for over 20 years, most as Committee Chair. In 1981, he was honored by the UVM Alumni Association, becoming the eighth recipient of the prestigious Dean George Kidder Award as "Professor of the Year" at UVM. Click here for the full obituary in the Burlington Free Press.

Online Survey Now Available          (4/23/2011)
The UVM RFAO Board of Directors has commissioned a short (less than 10 minutes) online survey to determine the needs and interests of the 500+ retirees who automatically become members of the RFAO.  Click here to take the survey.

HERMES Newsletter and  Luncheon Registration Form Mailed Out          (posted: 4/17/2011)
The Fall/Spring 2010,2011 Issue of HERMES, the newsletter of the UVM Retired Faculty and Administrative Officers, has been postal mailed to all retirees on our mail list. This double issue  contains a detailed update on all RFAO projects. If you know of any one who did not receive a newsletter, please contact Jack McCormack to be added to the list. Click here for a copy of HERMES.

Click here for the announcement and registration form for the upcoming Annual Spring Luncheon / Business Meeting on May 19, 2011  at the Sheraton Inn and Conference Center in Burlington, VT.

University Scholars Awards Program April 20, 2011          (posted: 4/13/2011)
All are invited to the awards ceremony and reception in honor of the University Scholars for 2011-2012, April 20, 4:00pm - 5:00pm in the Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building. For more information, click here.

UVM Center on Aging Presents 2nd Annual Research Day on April 7          (posted: 4/7/2011)
Of the more than 311 million people currently living in the United States, nearly 40 million people are age 65 and older, with members of the first year of the Baby Boom (1946 – 1964) turning 65 this year. Conducting research that addresses issues facing this large segment of the population is critical. To showcase aging-related work taking place at the University of Vermont and in the community, the Center on Aging at the University of Vermont will hold its Second Annual Research Day on Thursday, April 7, 2011. Poster sessions by faculty, researchers, students and practitioners will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Health Science Research Facility Hoehl Gallery at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Carol D. Ryff, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the Institute on Aging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will deliver a keynote address on “Psychosocial Influences on Healthy Aging” at 5:30 p.m. in Davis Auditorium at Fletcher Allen Health Care. For more information click here.
 
Open Forum on the Post-Retirement Medical Benefits Plan Change, March 30 - 31          (posted: 3/23/2011)
Richard H. Cate, Vice President for Finance and Administration, will will be holding two open forums to provide faculty and staff an opportunity to ask questions about the Post-Retirement Medical Benefits Plan changes. The forums will be in Waterman Memorial Lounge on Wednesday, March 30th from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. and on Thursday, March 31st from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Those interested in asking questions are asked to sign up at the forum upon arrival. Human Resource Services is offering one-on-one counseling sessions about these changes, as well and questions may also be conveyed by e-mail to PRMB@uvm.edu. For a PDF file of Mr. Cate's memo, click here.

President Fogel indicates his plan to step down          (posted: 3/23/2011)
President Fogel indicated in a letter to the campus community today that he plans to step down. Click here for a PDF file of his letter.

Cardy Raper publishes new book          (posted: 3/22/3011)
Cardy Raper recently authored a book entitled, "Love, Sex and Mushrooms: Adventures of a Woman in Science". For more information, please visit her website at: http://www.cardyraper.com/

FY 2012 Budget Clarification          (posted; 3/18/2011)
On March 17, President Fogel sent a memo to the University entitled "FY 2012 Budget Update - Clarification" in reply to a concern expressed by United Academic. Click here to download the entire memo which is in PDF format.

Post-Retirement Medical Benefits Notice of Plan Change          (posted: 3/18/2011)
On March 16, President Fogel sent a memo to the University community entitled, "Post-Retirement Medical Benefits Notice of Plan Change". Click here to download the entire memo which is in PDF format.

FY 2012 Budget Update          (3/15/2011; updated 3/18/2011)
On March 15, President Fogel and Senior Vice-President Knodell sent a memo to the University community entitled, "FY 2012 Budget Update". Please note that there are plans for changes to post-retirement medical benefits (details to be communicated later this week: see above). Click here for the link to the full content of President Fogel's message.

Helene Lang appointed to Board of AROHE          (posted; 2/25/2011)
Helene Lang (see Photo Gallery #2) has recently been selected to join the Board of AROHE (Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education) for an initial 2-year term. She will have particular responsibility for Association initiatives in the Northeastern USA.

Minutes Posted          (posted: 2/25/2011)
The minutes for the 1/18/2011 Board meeting have been posted on the Executive Board page.

New links added          (posted: 1/27/2011)
Two new "Links of Interest" were added to this website; TIAA-CREF and the Burlington Free Press.

Dr. Joel Goldberg Appointed Interim Dean          (updated 1/25/2011)
President Dan Fogel and Provost Jane Knodell announced today the Dr. Joel Goldberg has been named Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Goldberg, Associate Professor of Chemistry, joined the UVM faculty in 1982, following completion of his doctoral degree in analytical chemistry at the University of Michigan. He has served the University of Vermont in a number of capacities, including service as co-coordinator of the Environmental Sciences Program and as Associate Dean in the College. Dr. Goldberg begins his appointment on January 31, 2011.

The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since 2005, Professor Eleanor Miller (Sociology), has resigned the Deanship and will return to her departmental position after one year's administrative leave.

The First Robert B. Lawson Professorship in Psychology          (posted: 1/16/2011)
Mark Bouton, professor of psychology at the University of Vermont, has been named the first Robert B. Lawson Green & Gold Professor of Psychology at the University of Vermont, it was announced by Eleanor M. Miller, dean of UVM’s College of Arts and Sciences. The professorship was established with a $250,000 gift from the Segal & Davis Family Foundation of Charlestown, W.V., in honor of Robert B. Lawson, professor of psychology, who retired in May of 2010 after having served 44 years on the faculty in the Department of Psychology.....more of the article by Jay P. Goyette

Link to UVM E-mail and to UVM Today          (posted: 1/16/2011)
At the request of one of our members, we added a link to UVM webmail and to UVM Today online news to "Links of Interest".

Listserv          (posted: 1/7/2011)
The RFAO recently established a listserv for direct e-mail communications with members. If you would like to be on the listserv, please send your preferred e-mail address to Louis M. Izzo at: louis.izzo@uvm.edu .

HERMES Newsletter          (posted: updated 1/4/2011)
The next issue of the newsletter is scheduled to be mailed to members in April, 2011.

Date Set for Spring 2011 Luncheon Meeting          (12/14/2010)
The Spring Luncheon Meeting of the RFOA has been set for May 19, 2011 at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington from 11:45am until 2:00pm.  Come early (between 11:00AM - 11:45AM) to pick up your 2011-2012 parking tags from UVM Parking Services personnel.