In 2021, the Retired Faculty Association began offering an opportunity for retirees to participate in a four-session series of faculty conversations via Zoom. The four sessions concluded with a potluck dinner for current and previous group participants at the home of one of the moderators. The idea for the Conversations project responded to a perceived need by faculty from different parts of the university to get to know each other and to talk about a range of issues raised by retirement practices at UNC and personal experiences. The topics for discussion are based on a longer eight-week Retired Faculty Program (1.5 hours per week) offered by the Institute for Arts and Humanities in cooperation with the RFA. We have had seminar participants who have decided to continue in the program by taking the additional Conversations series.
The IAH Retired Faculty Program is typically offered in the Fall semester and Conversations in the spring. Participants have come in from Chapel Hill and beyond. Those interested in participating in future Conversations may contact one of the moderators, Joanne Gard Marshall (School of Information and Library Science, marshall@ils.unc.edu) or Robert (Bob) Peet (Department of Biology, Peet@unc.edu).