E-News August 2019

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Senior College members,

The nineteenth Senior College year will begin on Thursday, September 19. Senior College at Belfast opened in the fall of 2001, a brand new idea, born in Maine. A group at the University of Southern Maine came up with the idea a couple years previously. It quickly caught on in Bar Harbor and Belfast and then all over the state. There are now seventeen. Who would have thought that a program that relied completely on volunteer teachers, administrators, boards and committees, could have such success in so many places for so many years?

In 2002, we hosted the first state-wide meeting of Maine senior colleges at Point Lookout. This year, we are working with the Hutchinson Center to pick up the mantle to hold another state-wide meeting in the spring. The seventeen senior colleges have an awful lot in common and also face many common concerns about recruiting membership, raising money, recruiting teachers, deciding what courses to offer, how to handle administration, and the like. Nothing can replace face-to-face interaction.

Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will find the courses to be offered this fall and the details of registration. It is another exciting line-up with a wonderful diversity of offerings. The Curriculum Committee, headed by Nancy Perkins works year-round to provide fifty to sixty courses a year. We can’t thank them enough for the tireless effort. That many courses also needs that many teachers, all volunteers too, and we can’t thank them enough either!

We try to keep Senior College fees as low as possible so as to basically just break even. Even with reasonable fees, however, not everyone can afford to take classes. We don’t want anyone to miss out for financial reasons. Scholarships are available for the membership fee, course registration, and any required books or materials. To apply, just send an email request to president@belfastseniorcollege.org and we will make the arrangements. Please let others know if they express an interest.

Senior College is a membership organization governing itself, financing itself, and running itself. During noontime on the second day of classes, September 26, we will hold the annual membership meeting. At that meeting there will be a review of the past year and also the transaction of the important business of electing trustees and approving the financial report. I hope you will be able to attend. Information will be posted on the website as it becomes available.

Looking forward to seeing you,

Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee has been hard at work over the summer and is pleased that the fall line up of classes represents a spectrum of offerings that all will find appealing. Registration will begin shortly and remember to sign up early to assure you get the course you want.

Remember that all of us have something to share. If you are interested in sharing your knowledge or skill with others please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Trustees or a member of the Curriculum Committee. We need you and your skills to keep offering great courses to the membership.

Publicity

Watch for the September Issue of Maine Seniors with a story on Senior College at Belfast.

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