ISSUED: 2 February 2016
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Lifelong Learning Program kicks off its spring semester March 14 with a series of classes, brown bag lunches, films, and tours that run through May 12.
Courses offered this semester include an exploration of emotional intelligence, the history of musical celebrations, exploring multiculturalism through film and dialogue, and an introduction to Quebec, Canada. Two classes will focus on the upcoming season of the Contemporary American Theater Festival, and Ray Smock, director of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, will share his memories of working many years on Capitol Hill. Two foreign policy classes will include discussions about ISIS and the United States’ largest discussion program on world affairs, the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions.
A Brown Bag Luncheon lecture series is also offered on Wednesdays from 12:30-2 p.m. at the Byrd Center that will include lectures on topics as diverse as Social Security, yoga, and Custer’s last stand. Brown Bag Luncheons are open to the public for $15 and are free for Lifelong Learning members. Three Brown Bag Luncheons are free for the public this spring. They include:
- Confused about Medicare?, April 6
- Human Trafficking, April 20
- Making Sense of the Social Security Process and Getting the Most from Your Benefits, April 27.
The film series at the Byrd Center takes place on Wednesdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and is also free and open to the public. The series includes socially and historically relevant films and documentaries along with post-viewing discussion. This semester’s films include:
- “Best of Enemies,” February 24
- “Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” March 23
- “Jay: A Rockefeller’s Story,” April 27
Several tours are also planned during the spring semester. The tours are open to the public. Lifelong Learning members receive a discounted price. Tours include:
- Philadelphia Garden Show, March 9, cost $99 for nonmembers, $90 for members
- Robert C. Byrd archives, April 1 and April 15, free and open to the public
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, April 1, $109 for nonmembers, $99 for members
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, April 22, $129 for nonmembers, $115 for members
- Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, May 12, $129 for nonmembers, $115 for members
The Lifelong Learning program is geared toward mature adults who are interested in taking academic classes and participating in other types of learning activities. There are two levels of membership: gold, which costs $325 a year and includes all the courses and lectures, discounts on tours, a Shepherd parking sticker, and a library card; and silver, which costs $85 a year, and includes tour discounts and free lunch lectures. Silver members pay $60 for each course they want to take. Anyone interested in trying the program can take classes for one semester at a cost of $99 per course.
For more information, contact Karen Rice, the program’s director, at 304-876-5135 or by email at krice@shepherd.edu. Information about the program is available online at www.shepherd.edu/lifelonglearning.
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