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Greetings –
NEW EIN WEB POSTINGS FOR APRIL
Under MANAGING YOUR LLI
Mini Courses at Sacred Heart –
LLI, Fairfield, CT
Moses Greeley Parker Lectures –
LIRA, Lowell, MA
Failed Scientific Theories –
OLLI, Pittsfield, MA
Even More Sigs – Across the
Network
One Session Programs – ALP, Hartford,
CT
Under NEW THIS MONTH
ASPEC Director Position Available
Under LLI NEWS
LLI News for April
Under LLI CONGRATULATIONS
LLI Congratulations for April
NEW AFFILIATES
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Humboldt State University, Arcata,
California
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University of Illinois at Champaign
Urbana
FAREWELL
This month we say goodbye to Sara Skaggs, who has been the Director
of the Rock Valley College’s Center for Learning in Retirement
in Rockford, Illinois for the last 15 years. Under Sara’s guidance,
CLR has grown and is now a powerful draw within the community. Sara
says “It’s time for me to see what’s on the other
side.” Good luck, Sara. We will miss you.
ASPEC SEEKS NEW DIRECTOR
The ASPEC program at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida is looking
for a new director. See the job description and all contact information
under NEW THIS MONTH. If you know of anyone looking for such a position,
pass the job description on to them. Thanks.
NOBEL PRIZE WINNER SPEAKS AT WISE PROGRAM
Participants at the Worcester Institute for Senior Educations (WISE)
at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts were treated to a
very special event last October. Dr. Craig Mello, who last year was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine, which he shared with Dr. Andrew
Fire of Stanford University, addressed the group along with a large
audience from the college. He was greeted by the WISE president, followed
by a warm welcome from Assumption College’s new President. Dr.
Mello’s talk was aptly titled “How a Worm Won Five Nobel
Prizes in Medicine.” Along with video and slides, he described
his work with RNAi which resulted in a new technology which will help
scientists to understand the causes of various diseases.
OLLI PRIVATE TOUR
Members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University North
Florida, Jacksonville will be touring the historic city of St. Augustine
aboard the “OLLI Trolley”, a private trolley tour just for
OLLI members. They will visit sites such as the Oldest House, Mission
of Nombre de Dios, St. George Street and much more. After the one hour
trolley tour attendees will head over to the Castillo de San Marcos
fort for a guided one hour tour of this centuries old military installation.
BUSH’S FINAL YEAR
This spring, members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the
University of Virginia in Charlottesville are studying The Modern
Presidency: George W. Bush’s Final Year in Office. With less
than a year remaining in the current administration, this seminar will
explore the transition of domestic and foreign policy matters in light
of today’s presidential campaigns. This seminar is designed to
increase the participant’s knowledge of the modern presidency
and institutions at the top levels of the executive branch, and the
processes by which a new president will be selected and installed. Along
with that, his domestic and foreign policies, covering such topics as
the relationships between the president, Congress, and the courts, the
War on Terrorism, Iraq, the U.S. economy and the formal and informal
powers and authorities available to the president will be studied.
DRESS FOR SUCCESS OUTREACH
Last fall, the Minnesota State University for Seniors (MSU) Corrections
Club hosted a program to collect both male and female professional clothing
items. The items were donated to the Minnesota correctional facility
offenders who will be re-entering the job market. They also sold Corrections
Club shirts, candy bars during the clothing drive.
IRP USES A BLOG TO BUILD CURRICULUM.
For 45 years (yes, 45 years!) students at the New School IRP have considered
the curriculum to be the fulcrum of their program. During this time
they have tried myriad approaches to reaching out
and encouraging students to submit study group proposals. Workshop,
teas, brown bag lunches, class room announcements and small group meetings
- all have had their days - but no single program has proven to be the
ideal answer. "A combination seems to be most successful,"
according to Curriculum Co-chair Barbara Collins. The newest out-reach
activity is a curriculum blog. A couple of months ago, IRP Board member
Jan Adler sent an email to all IRP students:
"The IRP now has a blog called Study Groups in Progress where members
can post ideas and look at what other people are thinking about. If
you have an idea for a study group that you would like to
get feedback on, the blog is the perfect way to test the waters,"
Jan wrote. "You may be looking for ideas for readings, or whether
other students might be interested in the topic you have in your mind
and this is the perfect vehicle for doing that" he added. As of
this writing, eight new topics and 36 responses appear on the blog -
a good start. "And it does work" said IRP Director Michael
Markowitz. "You can see ideas send out roots and watch them develop.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of
Southern Maine are being called on to perhaps use their expertise out
in the community. Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) is looking for
people age 55 and older with significant professional experience to
be volunteers in the RSVP Capacity Corps, a research and demonstration
project funded by the National Council on Aging.
The goal is to recruit volunteers with skills that can help nonprofit
organizations increase their capacity to meet their missions in the
community. SMAA is currently looking for volunteers to work on projects
in the area of Strategic Planning, Financial Planning, Marketing, Fundraising,
Volunteer Development, Community Relations and Information Technology.
SENIOR THEATRE FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE 2008
The annual performance festival of senior theatre groups from all across
the country will be coming to Baltimore from June 10-15, 2008. Pre-registration
deadline is May 10th. Programs in the area of Baltimore might want to
check this out. For more information contact Senior Theatre USA, 1508
Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 – phone 314-421-0325 –
www.seniortheatre.com
CELEBRATE PITTSBURGH
During the January Mini-Session, members of the Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute at the University of Pittsburgh spent three days celebrating
Pittsburgh. Lectures given over the three days included Women Reformers
in 19th Century Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh’s 150th Celebration
in 1908: What Do Such Celebrations Tell Us About Us? – Early History
of the Hill District – The History of Jewish Pittsburgh –
Theater’s Place in Pittsburgh’s Cultural Development - Getting
Around in Pittsburgh: An Exploration of Our Steps, Inclines, Trolleys
and Bridges.
HOW TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS EFFECTIVELY
Earlier this year members of the Lifetime Learning Institute in Annandale,
Virginia were treated to a program on conflict resolution. They learned
about the various types of conflicts, skills needed for effective negotiating,
ways to avoid conflicts, and promoting harmony. One of the sub-topics
was on the different ways men and women tend to fight in a conflict
situation.
SARATOGA READS
The Academy for Lifelong Learning in Saratoga Springs, NY is again taking
part in Saratoga Reads. The book selection for this season is Water
for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The Academy is a community partner
with the Saratoga Reads organization and has, in the past, scheduled
activities for their members and the public.
MEET THE MAYORS
The ILR at Bergen Community College in New Jersey recently entertained
mayors from various communities throughout Bergen County. They addressed
the members on their functions in their communities, what they hoped
to accomplish, and what they see for the future of municipal government.
Over the course of 9 weeks, two mayors each week talked about their
jobs and their communities.
QUEEN VISITS LOCAL U3A
Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visited and met members of
the East Lothian U3A where they took part in celebrations marking the
40th anniversary of the Lamp of Lothian Trust in Haddington. Members
were able to explain something of the purpose and activities of the
U3A to Her Majesty.
THE CHINESE LANGUAGE
Members of the L.I.F.E. program at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh,
NY are studying Chinese. This is a beginning level course in Modern
Standard Chinese (Mandarin) for students with little or no prior experience
in the language. Reading and writing traditional characters will be
introduced and practiced from the very beginning of the course. More
emphasis will be given to the training of standard pronunciation, listening
and comprehension, grammar, and conversational vocabulary usage. Chinese
history and culture will also be introduced as it relates to each session.
INNOVATION THRIVES AT OMNILORE
The creativity capacity of members of the OMNILORE program at California
State University in Dominquez Hills was evidenced in two Study/Discussion
Groups that took place last summer. One of the groups, “Ayn Rand
and Objectivism” used a new method of communication between classes.
The coordinator established a Yahoo Group for the class members. It
allowed the class to store documents, outlines, and presentations on
an internet site and also enabled members to have continuing electronic
discussion by sending blanket messages to the entire group. The second
study group, “Appreciating the Fruit of the Vine,” decided
to meet, not at the school, but in members homes so that in addition
to giving presentations on various aspects of viticulture, they can
also do wine-tasting to learn how to recognize the subtleties in various
grape varietals. They even had a guest-expert come to the house to teach
them about the growing wine industry in South Africa.
THE MARRANO HERITAGE: LITERATURE OF MASKED LANGUAGE
IRP members in New York City recently looked at this stimulating topic.
Inquisition Spain spawned literature that manifested the split identities
of Marranos and their children. Existential and spiritual duality hover
as psychosocial background to Spinoza and others – neither Catholics
nor Jews but some of both. For philosopher Yovel, La Celestina,
the monumental and sparkly fifteenth century tragic comedy, is a paradigm
of the masked language, distorted mirrors, and sneaky linguistic inversion
that were associated with the Marranos and their special hybrid disposition.
Celestina, the old whore, is herself a mediator between desire and consummation,
but those very concepts suggest hidden innuendo. They dug into Yovel's
arresting theories and, whether they agreed with him or not, they savored
this bawdy classic. Reading 25 pages per week. Students are required
to give brief summaries of assigned readings.
INDUSTRIAL TOURS
Industrial Tours is the name given to a program at the Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. This program
tours local manufacturing facilities to see what is produced up close
and personal. Participants recently visited a compressor manufacturing
company.
CYDONIA AND THE FACE OF MARS
The Frances Pew Hayes Center for Lifelong Learning at Hodges University,
Naples, FL is offering its members a chance to study this unique topic
during their spring semester. In July 1976, the NASA reconnaissance
spacecraft “VIKING-1” photographed a series of images on
the Planet Mars. In several shots an alarming image appeared which resembled
that of a sphinx-like face staring into space. Some say this is proof
that there was an intelligent race on Mars. Participants will also learn
about the Cydonia Region that appears to have pyramids and structures
close to the reputed “face.” They will discuss the possibilities
of this intriguing discovery which still has scientists and researchers
debating on what the “Face of Cydonia’ truly is…alien
construction, or natural formations.
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE GROUP
Some of the members of the Encore Center for Lifetime Enrichment at
North Carolina State University in Raleigh have formed the Encore Energy
Independence Group to promote North Carolina energy independence. The
group meets with public policy leaders and assists groups such as the
NC Energy Office, the NC Solar Center, and the Triangle J Council of
Governments on their projects and initiatives. The group is facilitated
by a NC State professor.
NEW BOOKS FOR LLI COURSES
Thanks to the McGill Learning in Retirement program in Montreal for
these suggestions.
The Door, by Margaret Atwood is her latest book of poetry.
Murder in Amsterdam, by Ian Buruma, a highly respected journalist.
How Doctors Think, by Jerome Groopman, an important book.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan forces us to
think seriously about the food we put on the table.
The Judgement of Paris, by Ross King is a detailed and meticulous
art history that explores the decade that gave birth to Impressionism.
NEW WEB SITES FOR LLI COURSES
Imagining Ourselves:
A Global Generation of Women
This online exhibition, based on a project begun in 2001, features "film,
photography, music, poetry, and personal essays -- all responding to
the question 'What Defines Your Generation of Women?'" Explore
the exhibit by selecting a theme such as love, money, war and dialog,
motherhood, and image and identity. Also includes material about activism
opportunities. Available in several languages. From the International
Museum of Women.
The
Great Salmon Run: Competition Between Wild and Farmed Salmon
This 2007 report "examines economic and policy issues related to
wild and farmed salmon in North America." Two trends are considered:
"the rapid and sustained growth in world farmed salmon" and
"a steep decline in the value of North American wild fisheries."
Includes a summary and the full report, which cover topics such as salmon
hatcheries, farming, consumption, marketing, and outlook. From the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Background: Salmon
Information about salmon and salmon fishing from the organization
that is responsible for fisheries off the coasts of California, Oregon,
and Washington. "Chinook and coho salmon are the main salmon species
managed." Topics include the fish, fishery and gear, and the current
salmon season. From the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
That’s all for this month.
Nancy Merz Nordstrom, M.Ed.
Elderhostel Institute Network
Nancy.merz-nordstrom@elderhostel.org
www.elderhostel.org/ein/intro.asp
617-457-5564
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether they are twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning is young.… Henry Ford
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May 11, 2008
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