Ветеран армии записалась на 18 курсов в рамках программы пожизненного обучения в Восточном университете Каролины

Gloria Schwartz has been taking courses at East Carolina University for more than a decade, sometimes six or more in a single semester. Still, she is nowhere near the finish line, which — in this case — is a win. For Schwartz and many other participants in ECU’s Lifelong Learning Program, the goal is never graduation. It’s getting the most out of their senior years. “I retired in 2011, and I started the classes in 2011,” said Schwartz, an Army veteran who spent most of her career in ECU’s information and technology department. “It’s fun camaraderie; it’s fun getting out, fun getting away,” she said at last week’s fall semester kickoff. “(There are) new things to learn.” New things like saltwater etching and how to make soap from goat’s milk are part of the latest offerings for the Lifelong Learning Program, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The fall semester catalog lists 18 courses ranging from practical offerings on brain health, fall prevention and elder law to courses for pleasure, including card-making, birding and music appreciation. In addition, there are eight special events and trips. About 100 people attended last week’s kickoff, resulting in some 355 course enrollments, a 3.5% increase over last fall. “We try to offer a good amount of programming that’s a little different for each individual,” Lifelong Learning Program Coordinator Heather Payne said. “I think that draws them in.” The program brings together many of the best parts of taking college courses while leaving off things that many consider to be the worst. Participants learn about interesting topics taught by knowledgeable instructors — including some current and former ECU faculty members — in an environment that allows participants to engage with their peers. But they pay a fraction of the cost of traditional college courses and are free from entrance requirements, exams or grades. “It’s all about the people,” Payne said, “and providing courses and special events and things that cater to the community.” Alice Keene has been part of the Lifelong Learning Program from the beginning. A former director of Pitt County Community Schools and Recreation, she has served as both a volunteer and a participant. “I thought for years prior to the 15 years ECU should have had a Lifelong Learning Program,” Keene, an ECU graduate said, noting that North Carolina State, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Asheville all began lifelong learning programs decades ago. “A lot of people in eastern North Carolina went to ECU, so this is a way the university can give back to graduates and alums,” she said. “They want to keep in touch with them. Why not give them something that enriches their life along the way?” Initially targeted toward retirees and seniors, LLP is now open to participants 18 and older. “We have some younger people who come and join,” Payne said. “Maybe they’ll come with with a grandparent or a family member. I would say the majority of our participants are probably between 60 to 80.” While classes (excluding trips) are held in Greenville, members travel from outside of Pitt County to participate. LuAnn Bryan, who is now in her second year in the program, makes the drive from Craven County and has met other LLP participants from Beaufort and Wayne counties. Bryan has longtime ties to ECU, with two degrees from the university. “I retired but I’m working part-time,” she said. “I was looking for something else to do. I like to still learn, but not in a college-structured classroom. You learn from college professors, but it’s different. Now I can take them as fun.” This semester, Bryan has signed up for book club, memoir writing, an art class and at least two trips. Last semester, she drove to Greenville to ride the bus with fellow LLP participants, even though the route would take them back through her hometown. “It’s fun to be on the bus; you meet people,” Bryan said. Keene, who has spent decades working with North Carolina Senior Games, said research indicates that continued socialization is a key factor in health and well being for seniors. “Once you retire, your whole social life changes,” she said. “At work, you’ve got your colleagues. Sometimes you don’t realize how important that is, just the communication with others, the caring about others and their families. This is a way for people to stay involved.” That is one reason that, when LLP faced threats from budget cuts and the coronavirus pandemic, supporters rallied to keep it. “There was one time, we were in real limbo,” Keene said. “(ECU) could have easily cut us. Several of us just got on the phone and talked about how important this is.” The program, which was suspended for about a year during COVID, is less than half the size it was in 2019 but has operated independently from state funding support since 2021. Courses that, at one time, met weekly for a semester have, in many cases, been replaced by single-day workshops. But for participants like Schwartz, that just means she can cram even more courses into a semester. This fall, she’s planning to take a couple of art classes, along with workshops on health, birding and reducing the use of plastics. Several of the topics are new to her. “If you’ve learned it and you know it and you just keep doing the same thing over and over again you’re not doing anything to help your mind,” she said. “You need to take something different now and then to help your brain work like it needs to.” Schwartz also has begun teaching for the Lifelong Learning Program, leading both memoir writing and the book club. Why such a full schedule? “I jumped in and probably took as anything and everything I could that I have interest in because, you know, when you work for 40 years or 30 years, you don’t get that chance to take these kind of classes,” Schwartz said. “All of a sudden, I can take an art class or I can take a science class or I can take a history class that I’ve always wanted to do, and now I can do it.” For more information, visit continuing-ed-registration.ecu.edu.