>> LEARNING LATER IN LIFE IS A PROGRAM BEING OFFERED AT
SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE FOR THOSE AGED 55 AND ABOVE WHO SIMPLY
LOVE TO LEARN AND NEVER WANT TO STOP.
CLASSES RANGE FROM LITERATURE TO POLITICS, OPERA AND MORE.
CONNECTING POINT CORRESPONDENT CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH
SOME OF THE FOLKS FROM THE PROGRAM TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
IT.
>> THIS IS A WONDERFUL PROGRAM.
IT WAS THE IDEA, ACTUALLY, OF TWO PROFESSORS, DR.
JEAN ROSS, A PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY, AND
DR.
JANICE ELDRIDGE, PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY, IN THE LATE
1980s.
THEY WANTED TO CREATING SOME FOR PEOPLE OVER 55 YEARS OLD THAT
WOULD BRING THEM BACK, YOU KNOW, TO BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT
LEARNING, SO THAT THEIR IDEA WAS THAT THERE WERE NO -- THERE IS
NO HOMEWORK, YOU KNOW -- >> WHICH IS GREAT.
>> YEAH.
>> THERE IS NOTHING THAT THE PEOPLE NECESSARILY HAVE TO DO
EXCEPT SHOW UP, AND IN SOME CASES THERE IS SOME PREPARATION
BUT THEY SHOW UP.
AND SO WE STARTED THIS IN 1989 AT THE TIME THAT I WAS THE
DIRECTOR OF THE SPECIAL PROGRAMS.
SO THIS BECAME PART OF SPECIAL PROGRAMS, AND NOW IT'S IN ITS
27th YEAR.
>> SO WHAT KIND OF CLASSES, I KNOW JEAN, YOU ARE A MEMBER AND
AN STRUCTURE, WHAT CLASSES CAN PEOPLE LOOK FORWARD TO?
>> MY CLASS IS CALLED, "TALKING BOOKS."
IT'S LIKE A BOOK DISCUSSION THAT YOU MAY BELONG TO YOURSELF, AND
I SELECT THE BOOKS, WE MEET FOUR TIMES.
>> YOU HAVE TO READ.
THIS ONE DOES HAVE HOMEWORK, RIGHT?
>> READING, YES.
>> BUT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME REALLY LOVE BOOKS.
I DO LIMIT THE NUMBER IN THAT CLASS TO 25.
JUST SO THAT IT MAKES FOR A BETTER DISCUSSION WITH A SMALLER
GROUP, AND I'VE BEEN INVOLVED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF LEARNING
LATER LIFE THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN A GROUP OF SOME KIND, AND I FIRST
GOT INVOLVED WHEN IT WAS IN THE BOOK REPORT FORMAT.
YOU WOULD COME IN AND PRESENT A BOOK.
AND I DID THAT, AND THEN THE PERSON THAT WAS DOING IT SAID I
AM GETTING TIRED.
WOULD YOU MIND TAKING IT OVER AND I DID.
AND WE CHANGED IT TO MORE OF A DISCUSSION GROUP, OF TALKING
BOOKS, SO IT'S A VERY POPULAR COURSE.
AND I REALLY ENJOY DOING IT.
YOU LEAN A LOT FROM THE PEOPLE THAT COME, AS WELL AS YOURSELF.
SOMETIMES YOU READ A BOOK.
YOU THINK WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF I REALLY LIKE THIS, THIS MUCH
BUT THEN YOU HEAR THE OTHER COMMENTS, AND --
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> AND YOU SAY I HAVE GOT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT AGAIN.
SO WE DO ALL KINDS OF BOOKS.
>> OK.
>> AND SO DAN, YOU JUST HAD A VERY INTERESTING CLASS.
TELL US ABOUT THAT RIGHT AFTER THE ELECTION.
>> WELL, I'VE BEEN DOING THE POLITICS FOR LEARNING LATER LIFE
FOR 17, 18 YEARS.
AND SO DURING ELECTION TIMES, PARTICULARLY NATIONAL
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, REALLY BEAR DOWN ON IT AND DO
PRESENTATIONS.
PRESENTATIONS GO AN HOUR AND A HALF, SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE
ELECTION THAT IT JUST OCCURRED.
I HAD IT PRETTY WELL PREPARED ON MONDAY AND ON WEDNESDAY I HAD TO
START FROM SCRATCH TO REDO IT.
>> OK.
>> AND I KNEW THAT MY AUDIENCE WAS NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT
THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION.
I WORKED PARTICULARLY HARD TO TRY TO PROVIDE A PERSPECTIVE.
>> SO WHAT'S YOUR REACTION FROM PEOPLE YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE
YEARS ABOUT THIS PROGRAM?
>> THEY LOVE IT.
IN FACT, IF IT'S A LITTLE LATE IN STARTING OR IF THINGS ARE NOT
AS WELL ORGANIZED, WE DO HEAR ABOUT THAT, BUT THE COLLEGE,
SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE IS ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO IT.
IT'S PART OF THEIR OUTREACH, AND REALLY THE HISTORY OF THE
COLLEGE SINCE 1885 HERE IN SPRINGFIELD HAS BEEN TO ENGAGE
THE COMMUNITY.
SO WHEN THIS IDEA CAME UP IN 1989, IT WAS JUST PERFECT FOR
SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE BECAUSE IT WAS ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY AND
GIVING PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE THEIR MINDS AND CONTINUE IN
STIMULATING ACTIVITY AS THEY GOT OLDER.
>> WHAT'S THE OLDEST STUDENT?
THAT YOU HAVE HAD?
>> IN THEIR 1980s.
>> THERE IS A COUPLE, 90.
>> 90.
>> REALLY?
THAT IS FANTASTIC.
>> BEEN THERE A LONG TIME.
>> THEY HAVE.
>> WOW.
>> WHAT HAPPENS ALSO, I THINK, AS WELL AS THE LEARNING PART OF
IT, YOU HAVE A SOCIAL PART OF IT, AND I KNOW MYSELF I MADE A
LOT OF GOOD FRIENDS THROUGH LEARNING IN LATER LIFE, AND WE
CONTINUE THAT OUTSIDE, AS WELL.
>> HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE AFRAID TO SIGN UP,
WHO MIGHT BE LIKE OH, MY GOSH, I CAN'T GO BACK ON A COLLEGE
CAMPUS.
LOOK AT ALL THESE KIDS.
MIGHT BE EMBARRASSED IN SOME WAY.
HOW WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE THEM TO REACH OUT AND TO SIGN UP?
>> WELL I HAVE ALWAYS TOLD PEOPLE JUST COME TO ONE THING AS
A GUEST.
SEE AND TALK TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE.
USUALLY MOST PEOPLE THAT COME AND SIGN UP STAY.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE CAN'T COME FOR ONE SEMESTER, OR FOR ONE REASON
OR ANOTHER BUT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW, I BELONGED
SINCE 1995.
>> WOW.
>> ARE STILL THERE.
YOU KNOW.
>> OK.
SO YOU HAVE BOOKS.
YOU HAVE POLITICS.
WE HAVE HEARD ABOUT POLITICS.
WHAT OTHER COURSES ARE OUT THERE FOR PEOPLE?
>> OPERA.
>> OH.
>> FOR INSTANCE.
>> REALLY?
>> TODAY -- YEAH, TODAY AT 1:00 --
>> IS SOMEBODY SINGING?
>> NO, NO.
THEY ARE DOING A STUDY OF PUCHINNI, AND SO THE OPERA BUFFS
ARE COMING AND SO THEY WILL DISCUSS ASPECTS OF DIFFERENT
OPERAS THAT HE DID, OR FOR INSTANCE, THERE IS THE HISTORY.
SO WE ARE DOING A SERIES ON THE NIXON YEARS.
THAT WILL MEET AGAIN IN DECEMBER SO THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN VERY WELL
REGISTERED FOR.
BECAUSE IT'S STIMULATING, YOU KNOW.
AND MOST OF THE PEOPLE, FOR INSTANCE, IN THIS CASE LIVED
THROUGH THE NIXON YEARS.
>> RIGHT.
>> OR IF WE TALK ABOUT JOHN KENNEDY, THEY LIVED THROUGH JOHN
KENNEDY.
MY CURRENT STUDENTS, THE FRESHMEN WERE BORN IN 1998.
>> I KNOW.
>> SO -- >> OH, MY GOSH!
YOU ARE RIGHT, WOW!
>> SO THEY REALLY -- >> THAT'S A GOOD YEAR.
>> THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE THE RECORD, OR AN OLD 45, OR RECORD,
I WILL BRING IN RECORDS OR A SONG.
>> AND THEY ARE LIKE WHAT'S THAT?
>> EXACTLY.
OR THEY THINK THAT YOU DON'T OWN ME, WHICH IS A CURRENT
COMMERCIAL ON TELEVISION, THEY THINK THAT THAT'S LIKE A NEW
SONG, SO I WENT BACK TO 1963 AND LESLIE GORE AND PLAYED IT FOR
THEM, AND IT'S LIKE REALLY?
SO IT'S THAT -- THAT'S VERY STIMULATING WITH THE YOUNG
PEOPLE, BUT FOR THE MORE EXPERIENCED PEOPLE --
>> I LIKE THAT WORD, "EXPERIENCED" GO ON.
>> FOR THE MORE EXPERIENCED PEOPLE JUST THE PERSPECTIVE IS
WORTHWHILE, AND SOME OF THE MEMBERS, IF THEY CHOOSE, COULD
SIT IN ON THE REGULAR CLASSES, AS WELL.
>> OK.
>> AND SO IT'S INTER-GENERATIONAL, IT'S VERY
STIMULATING.
>> REAL QUICK WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING UP?
POLITICS-WISE?
>> WELL, IN THE SPRING WHAT I ALWAYS DO IS SORT OF SAY WELL
HOW ARE THE THINGS PLAYING OUT?
WHAT DOES, IN THIS CASE, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PROMISE FOR
THE FUTURE OR HOW ARE THINGS GOING TO PLAY OUT?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR AMERICAN PUBLIC POLICY?
>> GREAT, SO JANE AND DAN THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING IN AND
SHARING WITH US ABOUT THIS GREAT PROGRAM.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> THANK YOU.