Events

The Towson University Retired Faculty Association (TURFA) offers many events throughout the year for the enjoyment, engagement and continued edification of members. 

dan rodricks speaking
Dan Rodricks speaking at a TURFA Fall Forum event.

Event Information 

TURFA events are wide ranging and include such things as: timely talks on current affairs, social get-togethers, informative talks by invited speakers and by members on their areas of expertise, virtual and live tours of both on-campus and off-campus facilities, conversations with university administrators and project directors, film discussions, non-fiction book group discussions, bicycle rides and many other types of events.

Events are open to all members and typically are held all year long. Upcoming events are posted below. Event announcements and details are also sent to members via email. Frequently, members are invited to bring guests.

Both TURFA members and non-members interested in attending additional events on campus are encouraged to explore Calendars & Events,  Department of Music鈥檚 Events Calendar,  College of Liberal Arts Events and .

TURFA has a special relationship with the Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning at Towson. Osher offers discounted membership and tuition fees for TURFA members giving discounted access to classes, lectures, trips and special events.

Members are encouraged to make suggestions for events or to create interest groups. Have an idea for an event?  Email the TURFA President to share your suggestion.

  Upcoming Events

 

Topics will include:

  • What is Via Benefits?
  • Overview of the steps you need to follow to find a new Medicare Part D prescription plan.
  • Demonstrations of the Via Benefits websites. You will need these websites to register with Via Benefits and select your Part D plan.
  • How to sign up for one-on-one counseling to help you choose a new prescription plan.
  • Explanation of how Medicare Part D is different from our state-sponsored prescription plan.
  • Discussion with State Senator Mary Washington (District 43B) about the legislative process that terminated our state-sponsored prescription program.
  • Updates on the Fitch vs. Maryland court case.
  • Other resources that may help you make the transition to a new Part D prescription plan.

There will be ample opportunity for questions and answers.

All retired Towson University faculty and staff are invited to participate in-person or online.  Parking is available in adjacent lots.  Parking is free with an annual permit for state employees who retired from Towson University.  You must obtain your free parking permit before you attend this event.  To get your permit, see /retiredfaculty/documents/free-parking-benefit.pdf.

Members of the UMBC Wisdom Institute and the University of Maryland Retired Faculty Association are invited to participate online via Zoom at the following link: 

For more information, please call Jim Roberts at 301-814-0332.

Important Information to Remember

  • Open enrollment for retirees currently enrolled in the state-sponsored Silverscript prescription plan is from October 1 through December 31, 2024. You must enroll in a Medicare Part D plan by December 31, 2024.  The State will not automatically enroll you.
  • Medicare announces the plans that are available for 2025 in your area on October 1st.
  • You can make an appointment with a Via Benefits counselor by calling 1-855-556-4419 or through the Via Benefits website at
 

 

Just Mercy鈥檚 author, Bryan Stevenson, is the founder of the 鈥淓qual Justice Initiative,鈥� which works primarily to release unjustly convicted prisoners on death row.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called Stevenson 鈥淎merica鈥檚 young Nelson Mandela.鈥�

In his review for the National Lawyers Guild Review, Alan W. Clarke says, "Just Mercy shines the clearest spotlight yet on our Jim Crow-style judicial pipeline to prison or death.鈥�  Clarke continues: "It is no longer reasonably debatable that our ... criminal justice bureaucracy wrongfully condemns and executes the wholly innocent.  That marks an astonishing reordering of opinion since the 1980s when nearly 8 in 10 supported the death penalty ... Riddled with race and class biases, the U.S. prison鈥搃ndustrial complex also ruins the lives of millions more鈥攇enerating the second highest imprisonment rate in the world ... and by far the largest total prison population of any nation on earth.鈥�

The book has also been the subject of Just Mercy, a biographical legal film starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson (released 2019 and available on streaming).

Please use this link to attend the discussion on Thursday, October 17, 2024, 2鈭�3:30 p.m.

If you have any questions or problems, contact book group coordinator Jo-Ann Pilardi, .

 

 

Details to follow.

 

 

Details to follow.

 

Additional Events Being Planned

  • Thirsty Thursdays
  • Discussion on topics of interest to members
  • Bicycle rides
  • Film group discussions
  • Non-fiction book group discussions

Recent Past Events

  • September 19, 2024, from 4 鈥� 6 PM: TURFA Thirsty Thursday Happy Hour at Mucho Gusto in the Shops at Kenilworth (where Trader Joe's is) on Kenilworth Drive, Towson, Maryland.
  • September 18, 2024, from 3 鈥� 4:30 PM: TURFA Film Club 鈥� Virtual discussion of the film Chungking Express鈥� (Hong Kong, 1994), directed by Wong Kar-wai.
  • September 12, 2024, from 2 鈥� 3:30 PM: Non鈥恌iction Book Group Virtual Discussion 鈥� 鈥淭he Accidental Mind:  How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God鈥�, by David J. Linden (Professor of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine).
  • June 24, 2024, 10 AM 鈥� 12 Noon: Annual Retired Faculty Brunch at the 快活视频South Campus Pavilion.

Groups

As the listing below shows, there are several active special interest groups.

TURFA Non-Fiction Reading Group

This group meets regularly each month. If you are interested in participating please contact the group facilitator, Jo-Ann Pilardi at .

TURFA Film Group

The film group has been meeting regularly. If you are interested in joining, please contact Peter Lev at .

TURFA Bicycling Group

The bicycling group plans short rides depending on the weather. If you want to get involved, contact Jim Paulsen at .

There are plenty of opportunities to take the lead and initiate a new group. Local theater, hikes, crafts, genealogy, etc., await a member with an interest to take the lead. TURFA will support your efforts and get the word out to members.