E-News October 2019

I write this letter in the middle of another very successful semester. This semester’s course attendance is very good and that is a direct tribute to the work of our Curriculum Committee and a staff of extremely qualified instructors. This is my first letter serving as your president of one of the most successful senior colleges in Maine. Many would argue it is the most successful! As I watch the operations of the college what strikes me the most is the incredible number of volunteers who put in countless hours to make everything work. What I learned in my business career is that a business will surely fail unless it takes care of the back office operations. Sometimes what you don’t see is just as important (or more important) than what you see. Maintaining a professional and user friendly web site, staffing an office on a regular basis, recruiting teachers, doing publicity/newsletters, creating special events, fund raising, accounting etc are jobs that must be done or the final product never gets to market.

At Senior College there is no paid staff. Behind the scenes we outsource some accounting and computer work, but everyone else you see on Thursdays is an unpaid volunteer. Senior College at Belfast has always been very fortunate in that our slice of Maine has a pool of incredibly talented people – interesting people with diverse talents and a willingness to give back to their community. That said, to run properly the college always has a need for people to help out. I would ask that when you get your class evaluations this semester, please consider offering to volunteer in an area that works for you. Without volunteers, at all levels, the college simply will not happen. Senior College at Belfast has become one of the cultural anchors of our community. With your help and support it will always continue to be so.

Lastly, we would be remiss not to express our gratitude to our immediate past president, Arlin Larson. No one could have given more time and talent to our college than Arlin has done these past three years. Arlin, we are truly grateful and indebted for your leadership, insights and dedication. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Peter F. Reilly

October 10th, 11:45 a.m.
Nick Patides
A Family for ME

Nick Patides of A Family for ME will discuss Maine’s foster care system. There are over 2,100 children in our state’s foster care system, the highest it has ever been. Alarmingly, that number is steadily rising. These children all need guidance and companionship.

If you’re interested in helping, A Family for ME walks with you through the journey. Helping can be as simple as volunteering at events or occasionally watching children on weekends, and helping can be as committed as full time fostering or even adopting. That’s your choice. Here’s the most important thing: you can be the life changing hero in a child’s story.

Save the date

The Special Event Committee looks forward to greeting members of Senior College on October 16th. We especially urge new members to attend and enjoy camaraderie and conversation with long time members. If you don’t feel like making dessert come anyway for there will be plenty for all. Just let us know if you plan on attending!

Curriculum Committee

The Fall Session is well underway with a wide variety of course offerings. The Committee is in the process of receiving, reading, and reviewing course proposals for the upcoming Winterim Session. If you are interested in teaching a course please do not hesitate to fill out a course proposal and send it in as soon as possible. The deadline for class proposals is November 20. Remember, if you love a topic and enjoy talking about it or have taught it before, consider teaching at Senior College. The reward is great.

The Committee also want to encourage you to fill out the Evaluation form following the final class session. This information is very useful to the Committee and in particular the sections on classes you would like to see in the catalog as well as your interest in teaching a course.

In the meantime enjoy your class(es) and plan on coming to the Social on October 16.