TABLE OF CONTENTS

Upcoming UWC Events

President’s Message

UWC Notes

• Membership Update
• Lecture Luncheons

Scholarships

• Message from the Chair
• Donations to the Scholarship Fund
• Grocery Shopping in Support of Scholarships
• Tell Me More About…

Call for Nominations

• Elected UWC Board Positions
• Margaret Willard Award

What’s Happening at CU?

Member Acknowledgements

Interest Groups

• Information
• News

Executive Board

Calendar for 2026-2027

Upcoming UWC Events 

Lecture Luncheon #1: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Tuesday, October 6, 2026 – 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; UMC Room 235

Janet Ward Schofield, Award-winning Professor Emerita
Discovering Bhutan: Land of Gross National Happiness

Journey into the mystical Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where gods live atop mountains, mermaids inhabit sacred lakes, and spirits dwell in rocks, cliffs, and trees. Through captivating stories of encounters with everyone from the King and child monks to remote yak herders, discover the extraordinary culture, traditions, and legends of this fascinating and reclusive land.

Janet provides an enthralling portrait of Bhutan, a tiny, remote country that has won international admiration for its remarkable environmental policies as well as for originating the ground-breaking philosophy of Gross National Happiness. Join her as she examines what is being lost—and gained—as Bhutan, largely unchanged for 500 years, transitions to democracy and confronts the challenges of the digital age. Explore the challenges these dramatic changes bring while Bhutan continues its pursuit of Gross National Happiness.

Janet Ward Schofield is an award-winning professor emerita of social psychology. Her research was featured on the Discovery Channel as well as on radio and TV in Europe and Asia. She has given presentations on five continents, including at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford in the US. The most recent of her four books, Discovering Bhutan: Land of Gross National Happiness, is a travelogue and memoir introducing readers to this reclusive and fascinating Himalayan kingdom where she and her husband lived for over a decade as part of a 5-member team that established and developed Royal Thimphu College. With over 2,000 students in 10 areas of study, it is the only Bhutanese college to have twice received the highest possible accreditation mark, A+.

President’s Message

Showing Up at the Feeder

I added a bird feeder to my garden this summer and was delighted to see a growing community of finches, sparrows, and chickadees congregating around the bounty. Before long, others joined in—including elusive hummingbirds—creating a lively flurry of energy right outside my window.

Just as birds are drawn to a feeder, our board members tend to return year after year to perch together with satisfaction. Last year, when I flew off the Board to pursue other interests, I noticed my sense of connection to the club started to shrink. Serving on the Board truly expands my enjoyment of UWC membership, simply because I get to be part of planning everything that happens beneath the UWC canopy.

Our canopy is larger than ever. Now that our membership numbers are back on solid ground, my focus is to encourage every member to “show up at the feeder” and make the most of their membership through deeper personal involvement. The quality of your participation is what strengthens our club and helps our resilient community take flight.

Here are a few ways you can enhance your participation this year:

• Stay informed: Read MESSAGES whenever it hits your inbox.
• Expand your horizons: Join a new interest group or two—or step up to become an interest group chairperson.
• Branch out: Make a point to introduce yourself to someone new at the next lecture luncheon.
• Lend a hand: Offer a ride to a lecture luncheon or volunteer at the registration table to help pass out nametags.
• Share your perspective: Submit a photo for the website.
• Get involved behind the scenes: Join a subcommittee alongside our experienced board members to learn how our events come together.
• Answer the call: If a member of the Nominating Committee reaches out to ask for your help, please consider how vital every single member is to keeping our flock in flight.

Feeder Tip: If pesky squirrels keep dismantling your bird feeders, try a seed mix coated in hot chili pepper. It deters the squirrels, but birds can’t taste the heat—leaving you free to sit back and enjoy the flurry of activity!

Cheers,
Berry Todd

UWC Notes

Membership

Big news for UWC members!

We’re thrilled to share that UWC has been designated as a Google for Nonprofits organization. This upgrade strengthens our communication system and supports the work we do together.

As part of this transition, our main email address is now contact@boulderuwc.org
. Use this email for any questions you may have, such as membership status, or questions about lecture luncheons, events, and interest groups.

To ensure you continue receiving all UWC updates, please add this address to your safe sender list so that none of our email communications inadvertently end up in your spam folder.

More improvements are on the way. Thank you for being part of this vibrant community. And a special thank you to UWC member Katy Ginger, my partner in this work, who collaborates with me every step of the way as we bring these updates to life.

And if you haven’t already, renewing is easy — just follow this link.

Carol Etges
Membership Chair

Future Lecture Luncheons

We are excited to share our 2026-2027 lectures that will cover a wide variety of topics presented by exceptionally knowledgeable speakers. The location of all five lectures will be in the University Memorial Center (UMC), located at 1669 Euclid Avenue at the corner of Broadway and Euclid on the CU campus in Boulder.

Lecture Luncheon #2: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Tuesday, November 10, 2026 – 10:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.; UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom

Sarah Kozloff, Retired Vassar Film Professor
They’re Writing Big Studio Contracts, But Not for Me – Women Independent Directors

Sarah will explore both the promise and the challenges of independent filmmaking for women directors. Beginning with a historical perspective, she will show clips from the work of pioneering and influential filmmakers including Ida Lupino, Claudia Weill, Susan Seidelman, and Debra Granik. She will contrast their careers with those of male counterparts such as Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, and Paul Thomas Anderson, examining why talented women directors have often faced greater obstacles in achieving sustained success.

Special attention will be given to the Sundance Film Festival and its role as one of the most consistent institutions in supporting and nurturing women filmmakers. Sarah will conclude by looking at encouraging developments and hopeful signs for women directors in the present and future.

Sarah Kozloff holds a BA from Dartmouth College and a PhD from Stanford University.  She served as Professor of Film at Vassar College for more than thirty years, specializing in American film. As an academic, she wrote five books and numerous shorter pieces; as a novelist, she published a 4-book epic fantasy series. After moving from New York to Arvada, she has enjoyed teaching adult education courses through OLLI at Colorado State University.

Lecture Luncheon #3: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Monday, February 15, 2027 – 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; UMC Room 235
Please note change from usual day of the week. 

Thomas G. Andrews, Professor of History, Director of the Center for the American West at CU Boulder
The Great Horse Flu: A Forgotten Contagion and the Face of Reconstruction America

Imagine a world without cars, trucks, trains, or tractors—a world in which nearly everything depended on horses, donkeys, and mules. Then, in the fall of 1872, those animals began falling mysteriously ill. Over the next fifteen months, a remarkably contagious strain of influenza sickened as many as 90% of the equines across Canada, the United States, and parts of Cuba, Mexico, and Central America. The consequences were staggering.

Drawing on his 2026 book, The Great Horse Flu of 1872, Thomas Andrews will take us back to a moment when an animal epidemic brought transportation and commerce to a standstill, disrupted daily life, intensified social conflict, and even threatened the fragile progress of Reconstruction after the Civil War.

Andrews will explore the outbreak’s devastating effects and reveal how the Great Horse Flu paralyzed the American economy, intensified social conflict, and undermined the viability of Radical Reconstruction. This fascinating and largely forgotten episode offers a striking reminder of just how profoundly an epidemic can reshape a society, and how dependent nineteenth-century America was on the animals that powered it.

Thomas G. Andrews is Professor of History and Director of the Center for the American West at CU Boulder. A specialist in environmental and environmental history, he is the author of Killing for Coal: America’s Deadliest Labor War, which won the Bancroft Prize and Coyote Valley: Deep History in the High Rockies, which won a Colorado Book Award. One of just a handful of second-generation CU Boulder faculty members, he is the son of longtime UWC member Martha Andrews, who passed away in 2024.

Lecture Luncheon #4: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Tuesday, March 16, 2027 – 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom

Gail M. Beaton, Historian, Author, Retired Teacher
“We Just Did It”: Colorado Women in World War II

Four months before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Mildred McClellan Melville, a member of the Denver Woman’s Press Club, predicted that war would come for the United States and that its long arm would reach into the lives of all Americans. And reach it did. Colorado women from every corner of the state enlisted in the military, joined the workforce, and volunteered on the home front.

As military women, they served as nurses and in hundreds of other noncombat positions. In defense plants, they riveted steel, manufactured bullets, inspected bombs, operated massive cranes, and handled and stored dangerous projectiles – taking on dangerous jobs traditionally reserved for men. They staffed USO canteens, nursed patients in civilian hospitals, donated blood, drove Red Cross vehicles, and organized scrap drives. They processed hundreds of thousands of forms and reports. Colorado women wholeheartedly participated in a kaleidoscope of activities to support the war effort.

Gail M. Beaton is a historian, author, retired teacher, and Chautauqua presenter who brings Colorado women’s history to life. She holds a BA in Education from the University of Colorado Boulder and master’s degrees in U.S. History and Public History from the University of Colorado Denver. She is the author of Colorado Women: A History, Colorado Women in World War II and Colorado Women Homesteaders, and coauthor of The Women’s Bank: A Denver Success Story. A past president of the Denver Woman’s Press Club, Gail is active in several Western history and writing organizations. Her work has received numerous honors, including two WILLA Award finalist recognitions and a Colorado Book Award finalist designation.

Lecture Luncheon #5: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Tuesday, May 11, 2027 – 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; UMC Glenn Miller Ballroom

Speaker and topic to be announced soon but you can still sign up!

Scholarships

Message from the Chair

The University Women’s Club is pleased to welcome Becky Batizy as the chair of the Scholarship Committee.

Becky is a proud University of Colorado alumna and the parent of a CU alum, giving her a deeply personal connection to the University and its community. Her commitment to scholarship work is rooted in a lifelong belief that education has the power to transform lives, families, and communities.

That belief began with her own family story. Becky is the child of two nontraditional students who returned to pursue higher education after she was born. Becky brings this perspective to her work with the Scholarship Committee, along with a deep passion for empowering women. She has spent years mentoring students at the University and coaching and mentoring high school students, experiences that have reinforced her belief in the importance of encouragement, advocacy, and support at pivotal moments in a student’s life. In her professional life, her work centers on helping people plan thoughtfully for their futures and navigate important decisions with care and intention. Her service with the University Women’s Club is a natural extension of that purpose. Giving back is central to who she is because she understands that opportunity often begins when someone else chooses to believe, invest, and open a door.

As Scholarship Committee chair, Becky is honored to support the University Women’s Club’s tradition of investing in education, resilience, and possibility for women in the CU community.

Thank you,
Becky Batizy

Donations to the Scholarship Fund

Scholarship Donations (through August 2026)

Support Scholarships Through Grocery Shopping!

If you shop at King Soopers, Safeway, or Albertsons, you can easily participate in their community award programs where 5% of your purchases will be donated to UWC to support our scholarships AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU! You can really make a difference.

With the King Soopers Community Rewards program, you can go online one time and link your King Soopers Loyalty Card to the UWC Account. UWC will automatically get 5% without your having to do anything else. Directions for signing up can be found here at https://www.kingsoopers.com/i/community/community-rewards.

If you shop at Safeway and/or Albertsons, you can use a Safeway Community Giving Card when making your purchases and UWC will earn 5% every time you reload your card. To request a Safeway Card be mailed to you or to seek assistance to register for this program, contact Board Member, Norma Portnoy at normaporrtnoy1112 at gmail dot com.

Please click here for instructions regarding both programs.

Thank you for participating in these programs to support our scholarships!

Call for Nominations

Cultural Events on the CU Campus

CU Presents

Fiske Planetarium

If star gazing or learning about our galaxy and beyond, the Fiske Planetarium on the CU campus may be the perfect answer to your intrigue. Click this link to discover what the Fiske has to offer. You won’t be disappointed!

fiske.vantixticketing.com

CU by the Numbers

The University of Colorado Boulder, the largest campus in the system, enrolls nearly 39,000 students. This includes roughly 33,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduate students. The broader University of Colorado system, which also includes CU Denver and CU Anschutz, has a total enrollment exceeding 66,000 students. At CU Boulder, the overall student body leans slightly male, with a guy-to-girl ratio of roughly 53% men to 47% women (or about 1.1 men for every 1 woman.)

At the flagship University of Colorado Boulder, undergraduate tuition and fees per year are roughly $15,014 for in-state residents and $46,058 for out-of-state students. Total estimated annual costs—including housing, meals, and books—range from $35,456 (in-state) to over $66,000 (out-of-state), depending on your specific major and campus.

(Information provided by Google search.)

Membership Courtesy

Interest Groups

Interest Groups Information

• Book Group – Afternoon – Fourth Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. mostly at members’ homes or on ZOOM. Chairs: Mary Clough 303-522-8692; Carol Saunders 303-447-2893.
• Book Group – Biographies – Third Friday at 3:00 p.m., in person. Chair: Susan Planck 303-499-3916.
• Book Group – Mysteries – Third Monday of every month, except December, at 2 p.m. in the East Age Well Center. Chair: Betty Barnes 512-657-6584.
• Book Group – The Original Book Group – Formerly Evening – Second Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Meetings held in members’ homes. Chair: Frances Dahlberg 303-447-2893. This group has been meeting continuously since the 1950’s.
• Bridge Group – First Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. Chair: Karen Neff 303-494-0467.
• Crafting Group – This group meets monthly to socialize while working on our own projects or teaching each other new skills. Chair: Katy Ginger 303-827-6710.
• French Conversation 2 – More Members Needed! Chair: Zdenka Smith 303-330-2856.
• Games Group – It’s Anyone’s Game – Board and card games. First Thursday from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at home of Chair in Louisville. Chair: Kathleen Newton 720-548-8661.
• Garden Group – Third Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Chairs: Jyotsna Raj 303-447-8831; Jean Rohrschneider 720-542-9788.
• Golfing – For the Casual Golfer – 1:00 p.m. every Thursday at various golf courses, new members welcome. Chair: Susan Planck  303-499-3916.
• Hiking Group – Every Friday 9:00 a.m., September to May; 8:30 a.m., June to August. Meet at the north end of the east side of the main (new location) garage at 29th Street Mall. Chairs: Frieda Holley 303-499-3733; Joan (Joanie) Cardone 303-263-7823. Note: Dogs are not allowed on UWC hikes.
  
• Hiking Group – Slower Hikers – Fridays. Sept thru May at 9:00 a.m.; June thru August at 8:30 a.m. Meet either at the north end of the east side of the main garage at 29th Street Mall or at trailhead. This group usually hikes on irregular terrain for 1-1/2 to 2 hours in the Boulder area. Chair: Lois Linsky 720-939-5845. Note: Dogs are not allowed on UWC hikes.
• Italian Conversation – Wednesday, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Zoom. Chair: Maxene Wilson 303-530-4619.
• Music – Second Monday afternoon of most months in members’ homes, providing a venue for musical performers to meet and share their love of music in an intimate setting. Chairs: Tula Roberge 303-443-2509; Ellie Weldon 720-273-7222.
• On the Road Again – This popular group hits the road 6-8 times per year to enjoy activities, exhibits, and events that are located in Boulder County or surrounding communities. Chair: Barbara Steffin 310-892-9966.
• Out to Lunch – Usually Fourth Wednesday, at noon at various local restaurants. Chairs: Jean Rohrschneider 720-542-9788; Jyotsna Raj 303-447-8831.
• Readers’ Theatre 2 – Third or fourth Monday at the Boulder Library. Chairs: Patty Ludke 303-817-1020; Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
• Spanish Conversation – Contact chair for details. Chairs: Diana King 303-803-4583; Arlene Gerwin 303-349-8959.
• Sunday Afternoon at the Movies – Meeting once a month, early afternoon at the Cinemark Century Theater in Boulder. Chair: Sarah Kozloff 845-709-0025 (text please).
• Theater Goers – Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company Sunday matinees. Chair: Cindy Meyer 713-256-9185.
• Walking Group – Thursdays at 10 a.m.; Summer at 9 a.m. Walking for one hour on level trails in the Boulder County area. Chair: Marilyn Moses 303-775-9069.

Groups That Are at Capacity

• Book Group – The Bookies – Kathy Randall 303-746-4528.
• Book Group Small – Fiction and Non-Fiction, Joyce Bograd 303-250-7706.
• Book Group – Mysteries, Betty Barnes 512-657-6584.
• Book Group – Second Monday, Janet Evans 303-818-1530.
• French Conversation (Original group) – Dot Thompson 303-499-4423.
• Games Group – Kathleen Newton 720-548-8661.

New Chair Needed! Contact Lois Linsky, Interest Group Coordinator, 303-499-2689, if interested.

• Biking Group

Want to Start a New Group?
Starting a new interest group requires at least five members in addition to the leader.

• If you are interested in starting a new group, please contact the Interest Group Coordinator for more information: Lois Linsky, Interest Group Coordinator, 303-499-2689.
• To form a new book group, contact Kathy Randall, 303-746-4528.

Sunday Afternoon at the Movies

Meeting time: Once a month, early afternoon at the Cinemark Century Theater in Boulder
Chair: Sarah Kozloff; 845-709-0025 (text please). To learn more, contact the group Chair.

If you enjoy watching and discussing movies, this group is for you!

Sunday Afternoon at the Movies meets monthly, usually in the early afternoon at Cinemark Century Boulder Theater. About a week beforehand, the chair chooses a film and emails the group with the title and showtime. Members RSVP by email so the Chair has an approximate headcount.

We meet in the lobby 10 minutes before the screening to greet one another and sit together, if desired.

Afterward, anyone interested in a snack and conversation chooses a nearby restaurant, such as Cantina Laredo, California Pizza Kitchen, BJ’s, or Panera Bread.

On the Road Again: Exploring Local Treasures Together

Are you looking for a way to get out, learn something new, and enjoy the company of others? Consider joining On the Road Again, a popular interest group that explores cultural, historical, and entertaining destinations in Boulder County and beyond.

The group schedules six to eight outings each year, traveling to nearby communities to take in a wide variety of activities and events. A highlight each year is the Holiday English Afternoon Tea in December, a festive tradition that brings members together to celebrate the season.

Each outing offers opportunities to learn, laugh, and connect. After each event, members often gather for coffee, snacks, or a light meal to share impressions of the day, turning each trip into a shared experience that is as social as it is entertaining.

Scheduled Tours:

9/29/26         Tour of Capital in Denver; Lunch Location TBD

10/3/26         Noon “Meet the Spirits”; 3:30 p.m. Happy Hour West End Tavern

2nd week       Holiday Tea (Time and Location TBD)
December

Go to https://boulderuwc.org/interest-groups/interest-group-sign-up-sheet/ to join On The Road Again and receive email notifications about upcoming events, or contact chair: Barbara Steffin 310-892-9966.

Let’s Go See a Play Together!

The Theater Goers group will see Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (BETC) plays together in 2026-27. Please join us for these Sunday 2:00 p.m. matinees followed by conversation and reflection at the Dairy (and in March at The Nomad Playhouse). You and a friend/partner may purchase individual tickets from the BETC website, or you may schedule your season subscription for these dates:

October 18: The Weir (Tickets available, but it is in the smaller Carsen Theater at the Dairy, so is likely to sell out before October.)

December 6: Fair Maid of the West (Tickets available, but likely to sell out in advance.)

February 21: Once Upon a Bridge (SOLD OUT)

March 21: Liberation (at the Nomad Theater in North Boulder. Tickets available, but don’t wait! SPECIAL NOTE: Liberation is the winner of the 2026 Tony Award on Broadway for BEST PLAY!)

April 18: The Effect (Tickets available)

Please refer to the BETC website at betc.org for information about each play so that you can find which plays fit your specific interests. (If you want to purchase tickets on our dates, you can get a single ticket discount of $5 by using the code UWC26.)

After each play, we will meet in the lobby to discuss the performance.

For additional details, please contact interim chair Cindy Meyer to be added to the email list or if you would be willing to help organize additional plays for the fall. Contact information: 713-256-9185 or cfmeyer at sbcglobal dot net.

Happy Hour/Tea Time Conversations via Zoom

Interest Group News

Games Group 

On the Road Again 

Executive Board

Officers
President – Berry Todd
Past President – Andie Kutinsky
President-elect – Carol Etges 
Secretary – Betty Johnson
Treasurer – Frieda Holley

Board Members
Acknowledgements – Kathleen Salzberg
Advisory/Parliamentarian – Frieda Holley
Copy Editor – Kathleen Salzberg
Interest Groups Chair – Lois Linsky
Margaret Willard Award Chair – Andie Kutinsky
Membership Chair – Carol Etges
Membership Coffee – Lynne Barnett
MESSAGES Co-Chairs

Editor – Tam Van Spriell
Copy Editor – Kathleen Salzberg
Technical Editor – Carol Etges

New Member Event – Shirley Harkess
Opera Brunch – Sandy Johnson
Programs

Chair – Norma Portnoy
UMC Liaison – Tam Van Spriell

Registration – Lynne Barnett
Scholarship Committee – Becky Batizy
Scholarship Luncheon – Ina Nenninger
Software Technical Support – Carol Etges
Website – Joyce Spencer

Non-Board Positions
Document Repository – Diana King
Email Communications – Berry Todd
Google Admin – Katy Ginger
Historian/Yearbook – Karen Neff
Nominating – Andie Kutinsky, Arlene Gerwin
Photographer – Sydney Hoerler

Calendar

UWC Calendar for 2026-2027