Explorers & Adventures

DavidsonLearns Creates a Common Ground

BY » Jean Spangler PHOTOGRAPHY BY » Ken Noblezada

Nonprofit fosters a lifelong love of learning

’ve always enjoyed learning something new since I was very young. A career in marketing also continued to fuel my interest in learning as it was part of my job to learn as much about a client’s business – whether it was real estate, aerospace or new product manufacturing. When retirement came around, I missed the expanding knowledge that came with working in a variety of different industries.

After moving to Davidson, my neighbors and friends talked enthusiastically about DavidsonLearns, a lifelong learning program open to people of all ages. After reviewing the impressive roster of courses, I was hooked. At last count, I’ve taken several courses including: US Trade Policy, Jazz Essentials, Freakanomics, and others. The desire to learn The genesis of DavidsonLearns began with some well-known Davidson residents who wanted to create lifelong learning opportunities. This founding group included Andrea Caughey, Margo Williams and Bill Tiemann who brainstormed the idea and knew the need was great and the talent and determination to create a program existed. The initial task force included Deb Cameron, Cecil Clifton, Jennie Clifton, Megan Pillow Davis, Amy Diamond, Lisa Gray, Sherill Holland, Natasha Marcus, Tom Rynne, Connie Wessner, Margo Williams and John Woods.

DavidsonLearns held its first meeting March 22, 2012. In its first season, the program offered three courses. By the winter of 2020, 39 courses were offered – a growth of more than 600 percent.

Long-time Davidson resident Amy Diamond became the organization’s first executive director in 2012, followed by Jake Jacobs who assumed the position in 2017 and continues in that role today.

“DavdisonLearns is committed to the delivery of academically relevant courses with more than 70 percent of the courses taught by active and retired college professors,” says Jacobs. “In 2019, we renamed our International Affairs course to The Rynne Lectures In International Affairs in honor of Tom Rynne, who launched our international affairs courses through his personal contacts with leading experts in the field. Since DavidsonLearns was founded, we have had 33 highly professional experts share their knowledge and expertise in international affairs.”

Membership in DavidsonLearns is $30 a year and individual courses range from $44 to $66 on average. Classes are held in Fall and Winter/ Spring. DavidsonLearns has become so popular that classes often are filled within a few minutes after registration opens.

The Davidson- Learns Mission

Davidson resident Jake Jacobs assumed the role of Executive Director of DavidsonLearns in 2017.

A cornucopia of courses

It’s often hard to choose from all the available classes. Some of the most recent courses included: Behavioral Economics, Realism in MidNineteenth Century Art and Literature, Depictions of Race on Film, Democracy’s Enduring Quirk: The Electoral College, The Historical Origins of Modern Medicine, Advanced Poetry, Memoir Writing, Beginning Genealogy, Intelligence in the Cold War, Youth and the Civil Rights Movement, Short Stories of Flannery

O’Connor and 21st Century Grandparenting.

COVID-19 temporarily halted the program, but Jacobs and a team of volunteers are working to offer online courses and Spotlight events until the pandemic is over. Jacobs anticipates a reduced course offering with no more than eight to 10 courses for the upcoming Fall term.

Jacobs says he enjoys the opportunity to interact with a community of learners who are as passionate about lifelong learning as he is. “In addition to outstanding instructors our organization is blessed with so many participants that also bring an enormous breadth of knowledge to classroom discussions,” he adds. “Our volunteers are awe-inspiring.”

So, if you like the idea of learning more about a variety of relevant subjects without pop tests or exams, DavidsonLearns is a great way to fulfill and satisfy an inquisitive mind. To learn more about DavidsonLearns go to www.davidsonlearns. org or email questions to executivedirector@ davidsonleanrs.org.

“DavidsonLearns seeks to enhance the intellectual, social, and cultural life of adults by providing challenging, diverse, and relevant courses, events, and experiences; thereby, DavidsonLearns will create a common ground where people come together with shared interests, goals, and expectations to form a vibrant community of adult learners.”

Most of our classes are four to six weeks and meet once a week for 1.5 to 2 hours in length. Our volunteer instructors are motivated by their desire to share their knowledge and facilitate thoughtful discussion on academic topics.