|
The Retirees' Newsletter The Bi-Monthly Publication of the Retirees' Association (Faculty, Librarian, Administrator) The University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4 Vol X, No. 5, December 2000 First Published in July 1991 | |
| Issue # 40 | Editor : Datta Pillay |
Assumption University Confers Honorary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa on
EuGene McNamara
Assumption University has long been a formative presence in the spiritual and cultural life of this community. EuGene McNamara has been one of our most important voices in fostering those values.
Gene was born in Oak Park, Illinois. He received his BA and MA degrees from DePaul University in Chicago and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. In 1959 he joined the English Department at Assumption University. He taught American Literature and Creative Writing until his retirement in 1995. He founded the University of Windsor Review in 1965 and was Editor until 1987. He is now Professor Emeritus in the Department at the University of Windsor. He received the University of Windsor Alumni Teaching Award in 1994 and in 1998 the City of Windsor Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Literary Arts.
Eugene's achievements add up to 12 collections of poetry, five collections of fiction including this year's Waterfalls, a stream of scholarly journal pieces and books on topics ranging from Marshall McLuhan's literary essays to the film classic Laura. His poems and stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories, Best Canadian Stories; and in such magazines as Saturday Night, Ontario Review and Queens Quarterly.
He has given many readings in local high schools and art galleries, and elsewhere in Canada, United States and England.
As I write these words, we are preparing to meet once again with our Faculty Association counterparts and with the D7 Committee (on December 7) in order to discuss pension-design and health-benefit issues. Pension design, as you already appreciate, is complex and thorny, and we pay a lot of attention to it. Accordingly, I welcome the piece, in this issue, co-authored by past-President Bill Phillips and Peter Burrell--a piece that deals at some length with minimum guarantee (MG) and money purchase (MP) features of our Plan, and the issue of possible 'parity' in yearly increases between both these parts.
In the matter of health benefits, we will first be considering a proposed reconfiguration of provisions and premium rates that should cost you less. We have also made it our aim to push for the University increasing its payment share of these premiums. [The University already pays for 50% of the dental premiums; and some universities in Ontario and Canada pay for all benefit premiums.]
Our demands have already been presented to the WUFA Contract Committee. My sense is that the Faculty Association has gradually become more appreciative of, and sympathetic to, the Retirees' point of view. We will do everything we can to influence them to act - i.e., in negotiations - accordingly.
Let me take this opportunity to offer all of you season's greetings and my best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year.
Stan Cunningham
Page 1 Annual Meeting, President's Message
Page 8 Pension & Association News
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
Main index
Next page