UIRA University of Idaho Retirees Association

UIRA Summer Picnic at PCEI Palouse Nature Center
Get ready for our annual summer picnic on July 8th, starting at 4:30 p.m. We'll be at the beautiful PCEI Palouse Nature Center, located at 1040 Rodeo Drive in Moscow.
If you'd like to explore, PCEI will offer short tours of the Nature Center beginning at 4:00 p.m. And yes, Panda Express will be providing the delicious picnic entrees again this year! We'll have water available, and feel free to bring your own favorite beverages.
Picnic registration is $15 per person. Please register by July 6
Register now:

UIRA Summer Picnic 2026 Join us for UIRA's Summer Picnic at PCEI Palouse Nature Center

Wednesday, May 13, 2026: UIRA Tour of the Pitkin Forest Nursery

Join us for a special UIRA tour of the Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 1025 Plant Science Rd. in Moscow. Attendees will explore the nursery and learn about its history, operations and educational programs. As a fully operational production container nursery, Pitkin produces nearly 500,000 seedlings each year, representing more than 70 species of conifers, hardwoods and shrubs. The facility also serves as a hands-on teaching environment where student-employees gain experience in all aspects of nursery production and seedling selection for restoration, reforestation and conservation projects. Registration is required, but there is no cost to attend. We hope you’ll join us for this informative and engaging tour!

Please Register by May 11.

UIRA Tour: Pitkin Forest Nursery Join your fellow retirees for a tour of the Pitkin Forest Nursery, Wednesday, May 13.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026: UIRA Tour of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Join UIRA for a guided tour of the new Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories printed circuit board (PCB) factory from 10:30 a.m. to noon on April 15, 2026. This tour offers UIRA members an inside look at SEL’s state of the art, 162,000 square foot PCB facility — one of the few of its kind built in the U.S. in the past decade. The event is free. Registration is required and limited to 20 attendees. If you attended the previous SEL tour, please allow others the opportunity to participate.

Please register by April 13.

UIRA Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Tour Join us April 15 for a tour of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL)

Thursday, April 16, 2026: Senior Moments with UIRA
We are looking forward to seeing you at our April “Senior Moments with UIRA” at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, at Shattuck West & Brewery.

Our April topic will focus on gardening in the Moscow area. There’s no need to register — just show up with your experiences and questions.

Please email Ken Hart [email protected] with any questions.
We hope to see you at 4 p.m. on April 16 at Shattuck West & Brewery, 630 N. Almon St., Suite 130 in Moscow.

Thursday, April 9, 2026: UIRA Spring Luncheon
Join your fellow retirees for the University of Idaho Retiree Association (UIRA) Spring Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the Best Western Plus University Inn in the Silver Room. Enjoy a delicious lunch, reconnect with friends and hear from our guest speaker, Leslie Edgar, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The program will also include a brief update from the University of Idaho Foundation on our historic Brave. Bold. Unstoppable. fundraising campaign.

Please register by April 6

UIRA Spring Luncheon Join your fellow retirees at the University of Idaho Retiree Association (UIRA) annual spring luncheon.

Retirees,

Please join us for our March “Senior Moments with UIRA” at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at the Garden Lounge in Moscow.

Our March topic will be “Volunteerism & volunteering opportunities.” There’s no need to register — just show up with your experiences and questions.

We plan to rotate these meetings among different watering holes in Moscow with a new topic each month, so watch for announcements of upcoming “Senior Moments!”

Please email Ken Hart [email protected] with any questions.

We hope to see you at 4 p.m. March 12 at the Garden Lounge

Hello Retirees, Please join us on Sept. 18 for our first program of the fall:

Sonya Meyer, Emeritus Professor of Apparel, Textiles and Design, will present “The Things They Wore: Historic clothing items from the Leila Old Historic Costume Collection and the people who owned them.”
One subject will be UI librarian Belle Sweet who led the rebuilding of the university’s library collection after the 1906 Administration Building fire decimated it.
The Thursday Sept. 18 program begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge in Hays Hall (Across from Farmhouse Fraternity). The program is free. Seating is limited so please reserve your spot early. Note: UI retirees and spouses will receive priority.

UIRA Historic Clothing Program Sonya Meyer, The Things They Wore: Historic clothing from the Leila Old Historic Costume Collection and the people within them.

Hello retirees!

Get ready for our annual summer picnic on Tuesday, July 16, starting at 4:30 p.m. We'll be at the beautiful PCEI Palouse Nature Center, located at 1040 Rodeo Drive in Moscow.
If you'd like to explore, PCEI will offer short tours of the Nature Center beginning at 4:00 p.m. Panda Express will be providing the delicious picnic entrees again this year! We'll have water available, and feel free to bring your own favorite beverages.

Picnic registration is $15 per person.
Register now:

UIRA Summer Picnic Join us for UIRA's Summer Picnic at PCEI Palouse Nature Center

Hello Retirees,
We have the Schweitzer engineering lab tour coming up this week and wanted to share some information.

For those registered to attend:

General Tour reminders:
• If you have a pacemaker or another high-voltage sensitive device, please let your Tour Guide know. They are not allowed inside of parts of our factory.
• Guests will need to check in our lobby at 2615 S. Main St, to receive their badge, unless they have checked in at the ONE building.
• Active chemistry is in use - please do not touch anything unless directed.
• Please avoid wearing shorts and wear closed toed shoes on the manufacturing floor
• Eye protection is required, and will be provided before the tour, including safety glasses that can fit over glasses. Ear plugs are available if needed.
• SEL’s processes and products are considered confidential.
• Pictures are not allowed, as well as sharing specific details, and processes, about SEL business.

For those who are not registered:

Strict capacity limits mean that UIRA members who are not registered will be unable to attend the May 21 tour. We will not be able to accommodate walk ups.

If there is sufficient interest among UIRA members, we can work with Schweitzer and attempt to schedule another tour later. Schweitzer was very accommodating and devoted substantial resources to make the May tour possible, so we are hopeful we can schedule another tour later. Please contact UIRA at [email protected] and Bill directly at [email protected] if you would be interested in a future tour.

Hello Retirees! Today is the start of Vandal Giving Day!

Vandal Giving Day (VGD) is a two day annual event where the entire U of I community promotes
giving opportunities online. The overall goal is to raise money, awareness and engagement that
supports the work U of I performs in service to all Idahoans.

The Alumni Office has worked with the UIRA Leadership Board to set up a giving challenge for the UIRA Scholarship Fund. When the University of Idaho Retirees Association fund receives its 10th gift it will unlock $7,000!

Follow this link to give to the UI Retirees Association Scholarship Challenge!

https://vandalsgive.uidaho.edu/amb/Daily
Vandal Giving Day 2025 is 10:00 a.m. on April 1, 2025, to 5:48 p.m. April 2, 2025.