2/26/2003

Contact: K.E. Schwab  -- 724-738-2199;  e-mail: karl.schwab@sru.edu

SRU’S LEARNING IN RETIREMENT PROGRAM TO KICKOFF CLASSES

AT NEW CENTER FOR LIFELONG AND COMMUNITY LEARNING

           SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University’sInstitute for Learning in Retirement, a program for mature adults interested in continuing their education, opens a fifth term of non-credit classes with a 3 p.m. Kick-Off Party March 14 in its newly renovated Center for Lifelong and Community Learning in downtown Slippery Rock.

The new center, which includes lecture facilities and a computer lab, is located at 165 Elm St., and serve as headquarters for both the ILR and the university’s continuing education programs.

The non?profit, member?run institute of mature adults is linked by their enthusiasm for learning, explains Larry Upton, chair of the membership and publicity committee and a member of the board. Classes are designed to provide on-going learning and cultural opportunities. The ILR is affiliated with SRU and the SRU Alumni Association as well as the Elderhostel Institute Network. There are more than 250 similar organizations nationwide.

The kickoff will provide opportunities to meet ILR facilitators/instructors, register for classes and events, and renew acquaintances, Upton explains. More than 130 regional residents participated in the fall program.

Classes open March 17 with course catalogs are available from the SRU Alumni House, the Center for Lifelong and Community Learning, the SRU Gallery 164 Bookstore in Slippery Rock or by calling 724-738-1604.

Some classes are single sessions, while others run eight weeks covering such topics as ballroom dancing, computer basics, Italian for travelers, promoting and advertising businesses and organizations, drawing and painting, and a book discussion group. Upton says there are sessions in creative writing, musical performance, Norse mythology, the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the theology of Karl Barth. The program also offers sciences courses covering the environment, astronomy, plants, as well as those in science and religion covering evolution and creationism. There are also sessions on current events, including a discussion group examining Islam and the West.

In addition, classes in crafts and recreation, including playing bride, crocheting, quilting, international cooking, exercise and sailing are offered. Money management, including practical retirement issues and estate planning are additional topics.

 A lunch and lecture series and a special lecture on the Slippery Rock connection between Eleanor Roosevelt and Emma Guffey Miller are planned along with day excursions to Amish country, Cleveland museums, the Gateway Clipper in Pittsburgh, a visit to the Resurrection Musical, a walking tour of Saxonburg, and a tour of the Wilhelm Winery and Antique Wine Making Museum. A spring wind up is set for May 17.

 ILR instructors/facilitators are drawn from the membership itself. Some instructors are retired SRU faculty while others come from a variety of non-teaching professions. Those willing to serve as instructors should contact Dr. Constance Smith, ILR president, at 724-738-1604. 

Retirement is not required for participation in the ILR. The membership fee is $60 per semester and allows an unlimited number of classes along with library privileges and parking permits at SRU.

PN, PgN, WPN, PR, S