Dear Retired and Retiring Colleagues,

Winter Greetings! 

Here are some important events and reminders for retired and retiring faculty.

Please RSVP and mark your calendars for these upcoming events!

REMINDERS: SCU PROGRAMS

Archives and Special Collections

SCU’s Archives and Special Collections accepts donations of faculty papers. Materials are digitized and made available for research and scholarship.  Newly acquired collections include the papers of Kandis Scott, Law; Simone Billings, English; and Eric Hanson, Political Science. Consider donating your conference papers, talks, presentations, etc. to the University’s Archives.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute   

Join us for winter quarter courses on literature, film, theater, law, science, politics, A.I., music, and more, offered by OLLI!  Courses meet on campus or by Zoom. Several instructors are SCU faculty, including Marilyn Edelstein who’ll teach a course in February on short stories on aging, focusing on love, loss, acceptance, and resistance. Learn more at scu.edu/osher, or email Olli@scu.edu. OLLI membership is open to all, and is free for new retirees.  

Law School Dean’s Democracy Series

Retired & Retiring faculty are invited to attend this ongoing series. Watch the Dean’s Democracy Series website for announcements of forthcoming lectures in the spring semester.

Faculty Lunchtime Conversations and Tours, De Saisset Museum

Join faculty  from different disciplines for a tour of current exhibitions, interpreting and highlighting objects that resonate with their own research interests. Tours are informal and conversational, inviting questions and comments from audiences. Visiting the museum is free. Watch the website for dates. Recent tours: Jessica Young, English; Lee Panich, Anthropology.  

MISSED A RECENT RETIRED AND RETIRING EVENT? 

FIND LINKS TO RECORDINGS BELOW 

The Aging Brain: Insights into Cognitive Health

Patti Simone, Professor of Psychology, and Andy Evans, Assistant Professor in Neuroscience.

On October 23 Patti Simone and Andy Evans discussed what happens at the cellular level in the aging brain and how everyday choices can foster resilience and cognitive health. Find the link to watch the recording here.  Note: an unfortunate tech glitch resulted in a visual recording of presenters’ slides and audience only. No visuals of the presenters. 

AROHE webinars on Estate Planning

In September and October, Harry Margolis, Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney, presented a series of webinars hosted by the Association for Retirement Organizations in Higher Education, focusing on Estate Planning, Long Term Care, and Tax Planning. Access the webinar Recordings here. 

Recordings of earlier Retired and Retiring Faculty Group events are linked here.

REMINDER: SCU Email Lists

After retirement, you will no longer receive messages from the "SCU-Faculty-Essential" email list. If you wish, you may subscribe to the "faculty announcements" or "faculty discussion" lists by contacting the technology help desk. If you are already subscribed (as a faculty member or as a retired faculty member) and you no longer wish to receive email from either or both lists, you may unsubscribe here.

What are you reading?  Let us know!

Some suggestions:  

Ian McEwan’s What We Can Know. An historian in dystopian 22nd century England attempts to find a lost poem written in 2014. The book addresses the nature of knowledge, truth, memory, and love, as well as the politics of academia in both the 21st and 22nd centuries.

Elizabeth Strout’s latest, Tell Me Everything. A beautiful, moving novel about love, friendship, and the power of stories to connect us. Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton--from Pulitzer-winning Strout’s earlier works--are back in this book (but the novel stands on its own if you are new to Strout’s stories of rural Maine).

Becca Levy, Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live, 2022. Professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale, Levy is a leading researcher in social gerontology and the psychology of aging. 

Lewis Richmond, Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser, 2012. Richmond is a Buddhist meditation teacher in the Zen tradition and author of several books, Trained by Shunru Suzuki, Richmond leads the Vimala Sanga.

Finished McEwan and you love academic novels?

Check out A.S. Byatt’s Possession, a Booker winner from 1990 that remains as riveting now as it was 35 years ago. Literary sleuthing, invented Victorian poets, connections across time and place, suspense, passion, plot surprises and unforgettable characters.

The world of Academe is often ridiculous, but you miss that and you need to read about it? Check out Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members, David Lodge’s Small World and Jane Smiley’s Moo. 

Are you looking for a book club? 

• The OLLI Reads Book Group meets regularly on campus. All members of OLLI are welcome to attend. Discussions are usually held the second Friday of each month.  Contact Liz Salzer, Salzbaum@sbcglobal.net for details.
• Retired and retiring faculty are invited to participate in the Alumni Book Club. Discussions are virtual. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawson will be discussed between January and March.

Are you looking for a time and space to write after all of that reading?

• Retired faculty are invited to participate in the regular Writing Retreats sponsored by Faculty Development. Check the FacDev Calendar for upcoming dates.

Interested in travel opportunities? 

• Road Scholar is collaborating with AROHE (Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education) to offer trips for retirees in higher education. 2026 trips include Ireland, Cuba, Costa Rica, and “New York at a Slower Pace”. Learn More Here
• Simone Billings recommends the 2026 Lifelong Learning Summer School at Girton College, University of Cambridge. Read about Simone’s experience here, and check out this brochure for more info.
• Watch the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute website for forthcoming travel opportunities for OLLI members.

Ignatian Formation

• Interested in learning more about Ignatian practices or the Global Jesuit Network? Check out the array of offerings from the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education.

COLLEAGUES:  What are your retired colleagues doing? Here’s a sampling*:

Rosemarie Beebe, Emerita, Modern Languages, and Bob Senkewicz, Emeritus, History, Write Long and Beautiful Letters:” The Vallejos’ Californio Correspondence, 1846-1888, Translated and edited by Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz, Volume 9, Before Gold:  California Under Spain and Mexico, University of California Press, 2025.

Marilyn Edelstein, Emerita, English, reports on a book award!  Race in the Multiethnic Literature Classroom, Ed. Cristina Stanciu and Gary Totten, 2024, has been awarded the South Atlantic Modern Language Association Book Award for edited collections. The volume contains a chapter by Marilyn, "Empathy for the Other: Multiethnic Literature and the Possibilities of Empathy across Racial, Gender, and Cultural Differences.” 

John Farnsworth, Emeritus, Environmental Studies and Sciences, was recently appointed to a second three-year term on Washington State’s Wildlife Diversity Advisory Council (WDAC). He has been elected to serve as the council’s vice chair for the 2025-26 year, and will subsequently transition to chair. He continues to chair a committee revising the WDFW State Wildlife Action Plan for 2025-35

In addition, John published a chapter, “Optimistic versus Ominous: Competing Rhetorics of Ecological Crisis," in Narratives of Hope and Despair: Ruin and Regeneration in Literature and Culture. According to a pre-publication review, the book "is a meticulously researched, highly original, and compelling volume that will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of academics who represent many fields from across the arts and humanities.”

Francisco Jimenez, Emeritus, Modern Languages, was honored by La Raza Historical Society (LRHC) of Santa Clara Valley with the 2025 Celebrating La Raza Award on September 20. The award “recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the Latino community in the Santa Clara Valley and beyond.” Francisco also received a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, acknowledging “his extraordinary contributions as an educator, scholar, and acclaimed author,” signed by Senator Dave Cortese; a commendation from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors recognizing his “exceptional dedication and enduring contributions to enhancing the lives of Santa Clara County residents”; and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for “outstanding and invaluable service to the community,” signed by Congressman Sam Liccardo.

In addition, Francisco spoke at two events in September focused on the transformative power of education and storytelling, one at Hartnell College in Salinas and one at Cal State Monterey Bay. His remarks addressed the value of storytelling to foster empathy and respect. The events also featured a screening of The Unbroken Sky, a short film based on Francisco’s memoirs. Francisco also had a special edition of his book Senderos fronterizos published by the prestigious Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE) in Mexico, one of the most respected and influential publishing houses in the Spanish-speaking world. He also spoke, in October, at the San Francisco Public Library, the Dolores Huerta Elementary School in SF, and at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.

And there’s more: Francisco’s The Circuit: Graphic Novel Edition has been selected as a 2025 Américas Award Commended Title. According to the Selection Committee, “The book exemplifies distinctive literary quality, sensitive cultural contextualization, exceptional integration of text and illustration, and strong potential for classroom use. It is a remarkable book.”

In addition, on Nov. 6, he served as the guest speaker, via Zoom, for Family Literacy Night at Mayacamas Countywide Middle School in Napa. Students had read Breaking Through, while their parents read the Spanish edition, Senderos fronterizos. His presentation emphasized the value of reading and education and the significance of honoring one's cultural heritage.

David Pinault, Emeritus, Religious Studies, published a novel: Earth Dragon Run: A Spiritual Entertainment, Ignatian Press, 2025.  Well known for his contributions to the study of Christian communities in Muslim-majority societies, David’s new novel is an “urgent, timely” narrative involving religion, politics, and the environment interwoven in a global conspiracy.

Enrique Pumar, Emeritus, Sociology, recently published “Inclusive Development: Lessons from the Dominican Republic" in Sociology of Development.  He is currently working on the Handbook of Contemporary Sociology of Development, forthcoming from DeGruyter Brill in 2026. In addition, he has been awarded a Fulbright, the second of his career. 

Nancy C. Unger, Emerita, History, presented "More than Orchards: Mountain View in Gilded Age America, 1880s-1920," to a packed house at the Mountain View Library on Nov. 2. The event was sponsored by the Mountain View Historical Society.

Please let us know here what you are up to so we can share it in the next Retiree Update. What are you reading? Where are you traveling? Do you have a new project or passion? A new publication or presentation? Please tell us, and we’ll share it with the group. 

RIP

Fred Parrella, Professor Emeritus, Religious Studies, passed away in October 2025.  Fred retired in 2020 after teaching at Santa Clara for 43 years. 

Drago Siljak, Professor Emeritus, Electrical Engineering, passed away in November 2025.  Drago retired in 2012 after teaching at Santa Clara for 48 years.

We mourn the loss of these beloved colleagues. 

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Warm regards,

Diane Jonte-Pace, Professor Emerita, Religious Studies

Eileen Razzari Elrod, Professor Emerita, English

Retiree Liaisons for Faculty Development

*We are grateful to the “College Notes” of fall quarter 2025 for much of this information. We welcome updates from faculty retirees throughout the University.