Todd Hunt stepped down as acting dean of Rutgers' School of Communication and Information in 1998 after three decades of launching generations of future journalists and public relations practitioners. Sally Kitzi celebrated her retirement with a dinner in 2003 after a similar 30-year run as a human resources and budget manager at the university, much of it on the G.H. Cook Campus.

Neither one is ready to call it quits with the university, thank you very much. "We have this collected wisdom, and we're willing to share it," Hunt says of the relationships he maintains with students, former colleagues and the university as whole.

But until recently, there was no designated place for people like Hunt and Kitzi to hang their briefcases when they returned to campus.

That changed on February 28 with the opening of the Rutgers Retired Faculty and Staff Association (RFSA) Center, an inviting and expansive space created for the men and women who have dedicated their careers to building the university and who want to continue serving it in myriad ways.

The center is housed on the first floor of the Administrative Services Building II (ASBII) on Route 1 in New Brunswick, the building that is headquarters for University Human Resources, the Center for Organizational Development and Leadership, and several units of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).

Glass windows enclose what used to be the building's reception area, providing a light-infused space for chairs, a conference table, computer stations and a desk with a full-time staffer. An advisory group appointed by former university president Richard L. McCormick oversaw its design and planned usage, with funds provided jointly by the university and a donation from Hunt.

The center is the most visible element of the new universitywide Retired Faculty and Staff Association (RFSA), an umbrella organization for existing retiree groups. The association aims to connect retiree volunteers to opportunities within the university; to inform retirees of events and programs; to issue a monthly newsletter; and to provide other services.

"The creation of the new association and the center is the realization of the dreams and hard work of many retired and current faculty and staff," says Brent Ruben, executive director of the Center for Organizational Development and Leadership and Distinguished Professor of Communications in the School of Communications and Information.

A website dedicated to retirees is being expanded. Vivian Fernandez, university vice president for faculty and staff resources, has assumed responsibility for the RFSA and the new facility.

Kitzi for one is delighted with the center's location in a high-visibility, high-traffic building.

"Most active staff and faculty pass through it regularly, and it shows them that the university recognizes and is committed to its retirees," she says. "They also see that when they get close to retirement themselves, there are activities that will keep them connected with the university."

The new facility gathers several disparate groups under one roof. They include the Silver Knights, which serves some 2,500 retired staff members throughout the country, the Retired Faculty Association, which Hunt was instrumental in forming in 1999 and now serves as director; and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Retired Faculty Association.

Other units of Rutgers, including the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, also have active retiree groups that are expected to take advantage of the center.

Gustav Friedrich, professor and dean emeritus at the School of Communication and Information, chaired the advisory group responsible for planning the center. "Our charge was to create a broad umbrella group that includes all campuses and creates synergy by focusing on what Rutgers can do for retirees and what retirees can do for Rutgers," says Friedrich, who in his retirement is volunteering as a docent at the Zimmerli Art Museum.

"I consider it a win-win situation," he adds. "Retired folks receive benefits from the university - for example, access to the library system, parking, etc. - and the university receives benefits from retired folks, such as volunteer activities and donations."

Kitzi, who also served on the advisory council, is president of the Silver Knights and helps out at commencement every year. She drives the five miles from her East Brunswick home to Rutgers at least two or three times a month, she says, either to attend one of the group's spring and fall luncheons or to work with the group's executive committee.

The Rutgers Retired Faculty and Staff Association Center is located at 57 U.S.Route 1 in New Brunswick, the university's ASBII building. To arrange to use the facility, retired faculty or staff members can contact Danielle Bechta at 848-932-3880 or dbechta@hr.rutgers.edu.