President’s Message Many of you may have heard that Portland State has been recognized as one of the most innovative universities in the nation in the 2016 U.S. News and World Report rankings released this fall. We are fortunate to have Provost Sona Andrews as speaker at our October meeting. She will be addressing some of the major initiatives at PSU that have contributed to this ranking. Please join us to hear Provost Andrews share the latest news about the OHSUPSU School of Public Health, the expansion of on-line offerings, and other major innovations. Dr. Andrews is an enthusiastic supporter of the Retirement Association of Portland State and is looking forward to meeting with members on October 15. I am also pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has appointed Barbara Alberty as Interim PresidentElect of RAPS. Barbara is an Emeritus faculty member of the School of Business Administration and a Past President of RAPS, as well as an active member of our Scholarship and Program Committees. Thank you so much, Barbara, for being willing to serve in this key role. Finally, a committee of RAPS members headed by Past President Priscilla Blumel has reviewed and revised our organizational Bylaws in an effort to improve the leadership structure of the organization. In the discussion leading to the approval of these changes by the RAPS Board, members recognized the importance of strengthening our leadership team by introducing a new Co-President to the team each year, and limiting the terms of the CoPresidents to two years. Please read about the Bylaws change below, and please take the time to vote. I hope to see you at our October meeting with Provost Andrews --Eileen Brennan Changes to RAPS Board— Please Read Bylaws Revision and Vote he Retirement Association of Portland State Board of Directors has proposed a Bylaws change that creates a new form of leadership, acknowledging the fact that our RAPS members have active lives and travel a great deal. The three-year stream of President Elect, President and Past Presidentwould be replaced by a twoyear Co-Presidency of two officers. The terms of the Co-Presidents would be staggered to allow both the experienced officer and the new officer to serve together. This also makes it possible for Co-Presidents to work together so that when one is traveling or otherwise occupied, the other can be present. It is a collegial system that has worked well in other organizations. The change is planned to occur in spring 2016 when the membership votes in the new officers. You can vote to approve or disapprove the change in the Bylaws. RAPS must receive your response by Monday, October 19th. There are three options available to vote. (1) You can return your ballot in the return envelope enclosed with this newsletter. (2) You can pick up a ballot at the October 15th luncheon and vote there. (3) You can go the RAPS website at www.pdx.edu/raps and click on the voting link on the home page. We urge you to review the proposed changes to the Bylaws and to vote. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAPS BALLOT ( ) I support the proposed changes to the RAPS Bylaws. ( ) I do not support the proposed changes to the RAPS Bylaws. 2 T
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