Learning in Retirement Boasts 91 Opportunities to Learn Something New This Fall

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured, from left to right, are Learning in Retirement officers and committee chairs (back row) Lynn Kilgard (Social Committee co-chairwoman), Sandra Dickson (Curriculum Committee chairwoman), Linda Crook (vice president), Beverly Long (treasurer and Finance Committee chairwoman), and Linda Davis (secretary); (front row) Julie Magruder (parliamentarian), Cindy Gallahan (Social Committee co-chairwoman), Carol Copeland (historian and Historical Committee chairwoman), Carol Jennings (president), and Joyce Aigen (Publicity Committee co-chairwoman).  Not pictured is Tommy DeVane (past president).

VALDOSTA — Men and women 50 years of age and older have 91 opportunities to learn something new during the Learning in Retirement 2014 fall term.

A member-led and Valdosta State University-sponsored organization that began in January 1996, Learning in Retirement “provides a unique opportunity for cultural growth, lifelong learning, and recreation,” according to information provided by the organization. The course offerings and curriculum are “chosen, designed, and often led by the members, encouraging peer learning and active member participation.”

Learning in Retirement capitalizes “on the strengths and experiences of older adults, empowering them to continue learning, expand their horizons, and enhance their personal development.”

Membership costs $45 per person per term — fall, winter, and spring — and allows members to participate in as many Learning in Retirement courses as they desire. A few courses and special activities require an additional fee, which is always noted in advance in the course catalog.

Learning in Retirement’s 2014 fall term kicked off on Monday, Sept. 8, with a course lineup that includes a variety of trips and tours, book reviews, topics that are simply “good to know,” and classes in the areas of health and fitness, fine arts, history and social studies, science and nature, leisure, and computers.

New members are always welcome.     

“I have always believed that learning is a lifelong commitment and is only restricted by your own imagination,” said Sue Lampert, Learning in Retirement member and a former administrative assistant for the vice president of Finance and Administration at VSU. “Learning in Retirement allows you to keep trying new things …. Also, I enjoy the opportunity to meet new people and continue to come back to the environment I love — and [it is] such a deal [at just] $45 per term.”

Learning in Retirement is located in Valdosta State University’s Regional Center for Continuing Education at 903 N. Patterson St.  

Contact Suzanne Ewing, Learning in Retirement program coordinator, at (229) 245-6484 or sewing@valdosta.edu to learn more.

On the Web:

http://www.valdosta.edu/academics/extended-learning/continuing-education/programs/lir/welcome.php

https://www.facebook.com/groups/177509944265/

Valdosta State University’s 2013-2019 Strategic Plan represents a renewal of energy and commitment to the foundational principles for comprehensive institutions.

Implementation of the plan’s five goals, along with their accompanying objectives and strategies, supports VSU’s institutional mission and the University System of Georgia’s mission for comprehensive universities. 

The university-sponsored Learning in Retirement program meets the following goal: 

Goal 3: Promote student, employee, alumni, retiree, and community engagement in our mission.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/administration/planning/strategic-plan.php to learn more.