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Looking back, we can wonder how the excitement and anticipation of our first day of kindergarten transformed into anxiety and dread as the first day of school arrived during our teenage years. But somewhere along the line as we aged, that yearning to learn returned and we found ourselves seeking new challenges, new opportunities to grow. To help satisfy the need for lifetime learning opportunities in the Cedar Valley, the University of Northern Iowa offered its first Lifelong University courses this fall. “The response was positively overwhelming,” said Stacey Christensen, community relations manager with the Office of University Marketing & Public Relations, “and we are excited to offer five more courses this spring.” Lifelong University is a university public service that offers non-credit programs for people interested in learning throughout life. Some programs are half-day workshops and others are three- or four-week courses, meeting once a week. Each program engages UNI faculty and staff with community members to promote educational and personalized experiences.
Marv Diemer and several of his fellow Rotary Club members attended the Iowa Tallgrass Prairie course together to learn more about prairie reconstruction for a Rotary Club project. Diemer heads the Rotary Club committee that has been reconstructing 13 acres of prairie for the past four years. “I was familiar with some of the material we covered,” he said, “but sometimes hearing it for the second or third time makes it sink in better.” For Marlene Schmidt, Lifelong University provided the opportunity to learn and to reconnect with her alma mater. She participated in two Lifelong University courses: “We’re Going to the Opera?” and Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie. “Lifelong learning is so important,” she said. “You hear about exercising your mind and Lifelong University fits right into that.” |
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Schmidt and her husband both participated in the Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie class and she said she “never learned so much in three hours in my life.” The Schmidts aren’t the only couple who enjoy learning together. Robert and Maxine Morrison participated in all five Lifelong University courses this fall. “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the classes,” Maxine Morrison said. “It’s fun to be back in a classroom and it’s probably fun for the professors, too, to have a classroom of people of a different age than a typical university course.” The Morrisons volunteer for a lot of community organizations but they thought fitting Lifelong University into their busy schedule was worth the time. “Continuing our education has sort of been our habit and this has been something that facilitates it,” Robert Morrison said. “We just always enjoyed learning.” Schmidt shared that same passion. “I love being in a classroom. I love learning,” she said. “There are no tests, so Lifelong University is very non-threatening. You just sit back, enjoy and soak up the knowledge.” |
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Spring 2006 coursesEarthquakes and TsunamisProfessor Ken DeNault Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and
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Christensen had to establish waiting lists for all five of the fall courses. “This proves that the community has been ready and waiting for this type of program,” she said. 