Policy Manual

Effective February 12, 2025, this policy has been revised. For individual changes, see the redlined version.

1. Name. The name of this organization is University of Iowa Retirees Association, hereafter known as UIRA.
2. Membership. UIRA represents staff and faculty who are at least 55 years old and either have retired from the University of Iowa or have had significant employment-related ties to the university. All UI retirees shall receive an introductory membership upon retirement, provided at no cost. After the introductory membership period expires, the retiree may elect to continue membership by paying dues. Spouses or partners also are eligible to be members of UIRA.
3. Government. UIRA is governed by a Board of Directors and its officers, consisting of the president, president-elect, past president, secretary, and treasurer, all of whom are elected by the UIRA membership. The Board of Directors is led by a president who serves only one year, the immediate past president, and a vice president/president-elect elected by the UIRA membership. The UIRA is organized with a committee structure to accomplish the work of the association.
4. Mission and goals.
   1. Mission. The mission of UIRA is to facilitate support of the University of Iowa by retired faculty and staff members and to promote the interests and welfare of those retirees. UIRA strives to help members keep in touch with each other and with the social and intellectual life of the university. 
   2. Goals. The goals of UIRA are to: 
      1. Offer programs on topics of interest to retirees.
      2. Provide opportunities for social engagement and interaction of retirees.
      3. Provide advice and assistance to current and prospective members on matters of mutual concern.
      4. Support the university’s commitment to student success through initiatives mutually agreed upon by the UIRA Board of Directors and the Office of the President.
5. Meetings. The annual meeting of the association shall be held in June of each year, on a date and at a time specified by the Board of Directors. The membership may attend in person or virtually. Special meetings of the membership may be called by the president or the Board of Directors as deemed desirable for the good of the organization.
6. Duties of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall:
   1. Promote the purposes of the association and act for the membership between the association's annual meetings. The Board shall administer the property and funds of the association.
   2. Report on its activities to UIRA members at the annual meeting of the association and, to the extent feasible, by correspondence between annual meetings.
   3. Maintain and make public the records of its own proceedings, including monthly Board meeting agendas and minutes. Records may be accessed on the UIRA website.
   4. Maintain a relationship with the University of Iowa President’s office and with the University of Iowa Human Resources office, facilitated by regularly scheduled meetings.
7. Revision of the UIRA bylaws. The UIRA bylaws may be modified or adopted at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors at which a quorum is present. The Board of Directors must receive written notice of proposed changes to the bylaws at least 10 days prior to the vote. The motion must pass by a two-thirds majority. Notice of approved revisions shall be published in the next issue of The Gray Hawk newsletter.