in focus

from Westerville Magazine July/August 2021

by CityScene Media Group

fitness

Never Too Cool for School

Older adults excel at Otterbein classes

By Brandon Klein

James Dooley is a 1977 graduate of Otterbein University, but he’s been learning long after leaving school.

Even though his college days are over, Dooley thinks it’s important to continue learning through your entire life.

He heard about Otterbein's Lifelong Learning Community (LLC) and decided to register.

“I did not expect anything, but fell in love with it,” Dooley says.

For the last two years, Dooley has attended several Otterbein seminars on subjects such as ancient Ohio earthworks, the 1970s and art forgeries.

Dooley had the chance to be a moderator of a seminar titled “You and Your Microbiome,” a subject that, before attending, went completely over his head. "I knew nothing, but look what happened," Dooley says. "I've learned so much and that's part of the aspect of lifelong learning."

Program Background

The LLC celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, offering adults 55-plus another year of weekly seminars, volunteer opportunities and more.

The program is the brainchild of Alison Prindle, an emeritus professor, and Becky Smith, former executive director of Otterbein office of alumni relations. It builds upon the university’s longtime offerings of a free college course per semester for older adults.

“Lifelong learning community brings just that, a community,” says Dana Viglietta, Otterbein’s director of the special campaigns & initiatives, institutional ad-

vancement divisions says. “The program is really a bridge for what we call towngown relations.”

Part of those town-gown relations is the university acting as a contributing member to the community.

The program has several volunteer-driven committees that determine what topics and interests may be presented at weekly seminars. Some of the courses are broken down into multi-part series. For example, the seminar Dooley attended about the 1970s was four parts.

While some lifelong learning programs are offered through endowments and other universities, Otterbein’s program is a standalone.

“We’re really proud of that,” Viglietta says. “It’s uniquely Otterbein.” For All Ages

Otterbein has worked with three older adult communities to provide them access to video streams of lifelong learning seminars. These communities host the sessions in media rooms or on a cable channel that residents can access in their rooms.

Viglietta adds that some people joined the LLC because the seminars are available on Zoom. Such participants include former alumni from across the country. The program will transition to a hybrid model of Zoom and in-person sessions this fall.

The Voluntary LLC Scholars program helps students with expenses in their final year of school. Those students are invited to attend one of the seminars to share their college experiences with the LLC members.

The program selected five students earlier this year, awarding them a $500 for school expenses.

In the next academic year, the LLC’s pro-gramming will include an art show and seminars on U.S. immigration history,

race and education, segregation in central Ohio, hip hop music, civil rights, nursing and the secret service. Dooley will likely have a busy class schedule ahead of him and says it’s important to have a healthy Need a new read? Download amount of curiosity to a copy of “What You Otter thrive in the pursuit of

Read” Book Discussion lifelong learning. Recommendations at www. otterbein.edu/alumni/llc/ Upon retiring, Dooley heard several people make the usual claims calendar-course-information that retirement can be dull and boring. “I resolved to never have one of those days,” he says. To find out more about the LLC application process, visit www.otterbein. edu/alumni/llc or contact Joanna Cervi at jcervi@otterbein.edu or 614-823-1248. Brandon Klein is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.