Creating a Meaningful Retirement

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If you are a faculty member who is planning to retire in the next few years, or are a recently retired U-M faculty member, please join us for a discussion about planning for a meaningful and fulfilling retirement. This discussion will not concern finances, university procedures, or a post-retirement continuation of your academic career. Rather, we invite you to join us for a conversation with our panel of recent, and soon to be, faculty retirees who will share their own experiences and insights on how they approached this major life transition.

Following the panel, there will be a reception where you can connect with various organizations from across Ann Arbor to learn more about how to access volunteer opportunities and where to find programs for your own learning and enjoyment.

Panelists

Conversation will be moderated by Denise Sekaquaptewa, ADVANCE Director

Amy Stillman, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and Professor of American Culture and Musicology

Amy Kuʻuleialoha Stillman served as Director of two ethnic studies programs, Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies (2000–2007 and 2015-2018) and Native American Studies (2022–2025). A world authority on Hawaiian music and hula, she is also a two-time GRAMMY Award winner. Her scholarship on historical aspects of Hawaiian and Pacific Islander performance has had deep impact on thinking about histories of sound, dance, and identity. She has brought those traditions into the classroom and onto the stage through courses that blend rigorous scholarship with embodied cultural practice. A student favorite has been AMCULT 372 Hula Creative Practice, which has attracted students from across the university.

Avery H. Demond, Professor Emerita of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering

During her tenure at the University of Michigan, Professor Avery H. Demond developed the University’s first introductory course in Environmental Engineering, leading to the creation of the BSE in Environmental Engineering degree program (approved in 2012), for which she later served as advisor from 2015 to present. She also founded Michigan Engineering Transfer Support and directed the program from 2009–2013. In retirement, she has pursued her passions for travel, languages, and sailing. She earned an MA in TESOL, learned French and volunteered in Haiti, and earned Day Skipper certification through the Royal Yacht Association while sailing in New Zealand.

Ken Powell, Arthur F Thurnau Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering

Ken was born in Euclid Ohio, and attended the public schools there. He did his undergraduate work at MIT in Math and Aerospace, as well as his graduate work in Aerospace. He came to Michigan as an Assistant Prof of Aerospace Engineering in 1987. He served as Aero undergraduate Program Advisor, Aero department chair, head of the university-wide PhD program in Scientific computing, and Associate VP for research (research computing). He is an Emeritus Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, retiring in 2024. He is married to Sanne Krummel; they have three adult children; Jasmine, Ryan, and Nicole – and one grandchild, Natalie.

Terrence J. (Terry) McDonald, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Professor of History in the Department of History

Terrence J. (Terry) McDonald is Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Professor of History in the Department of History, which he joined after completing his doctorate at Stanford University. He is a prize-winning historian of the American city, has been a Guggenheim fellow, a fellow of the Michigan Humanities Institute, and a senior fellow in the Michigan Society of Fellows. From 2002-2013 he served as Dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and during that time he worked with many faculty on their retirement plans.

For questions, accommodations and more information, please contact ADVANCE Events at [email protected].