Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI)

Looking Ahead to Fall 2020 Programming

Given the ongoing concerns about public health and the additional risks that public gatherings present for older adults, we have decided to remain online through the end of the 2020 calendar year. This decision requires additional adaptations, explained below.

Membership Year & Fees: The new membership year begins on July 1. We are suspending the $20 annual membership fee for the coming year to increase access and participation. Students will automatically become members when registering for their first class or event.

Programming Schedule: Our fall semester will begin Monday, August 3 and end on Friday, December 4. The month of July will be dedicated to planning for the semester ahead and providing additional Zoom training for LLI instructors and students.

Zoomtime Knowledge: We plan to continue with this online lecture series. It will continue to be made freely available as a public education service. New events will be announced beginning in July.

Course Format: All LLI classes will remain online for the foreseeable future. Full details will be posted to our website in July with links for open registration. Classes are being modified to complete within a four-week schedule. Most classes will cost $35 - $40.

Other In-Person Events: We will continue to postpone plans for travel programs, in-person social gatherings, and field trips associated with classes until we can safely gather without concerns about compromising anyone’s health.

Office Operations: All Professional & Continuing Education employees transitioned to remote work in March. Although we continue to work remotely, staff are available during normal business hours by phone or email. We anticipate returning to our physical offices by August 3.

Any modification to these plans necessitated by COVID-19 will be communicated by email.

We encourage you to stay the course and continue to take precautions as states reopen. We also encourage you to continue to remain socially and intellectually engaged. Both practices are just as important as physical exercise when it comes to maintaining your overall health.

In fact, health experts at Harvard University suggest that the key to preserving brain tissue and function is embracing new mental challenges, which preserves areas of the brain involved in memory and reasoning and helps delay the onset of dementia while lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Even if you do not plan to participate in online learning, we hope you remain engaged in some form of offline learning to manage and mitigate the harmful effects that can result from inactivity and isolation.

We hope to see you again soon, either online or in-person. Until then, please take care of yourselves and one another.

With hopes for good health for all,

Rodney Wolfenbarger