Lourdes program crafted for adults

4/9/2008

At Lourdes College in Sylvania, the benefits of higher education no longer are reserved for the college-aged.

The school is offering non-credit instruction in topics from Spanish to Shakespeare to individuals of all ages through its Lifelong Learners program.

Organizers welcome adult learners from throughout the region to take special courses, attend educational day trips, and hear lectures from college professors from Lourdes and beyond.

The goal is to offer mature learners a chance to enrich their lives through education, program coordinator Gloria Burke said.

"I think it's important at any age that we keep our minds open and our eyes and ears open," Ms. Burke said.

The organization includes about 175 members representing a wide demographic area.

"I've had participants come from as far as Adrian and Bowling Green," she said. "They come from the north end and the south end of Toledo."

Spring courses recently began, though registrations are still being accepted, Ms. Burke said. Topics include "Hollywood Does Shakespeare," "Practical Spanish," "Great Books/Great Conversations," and "Immigration Restriction, Nazism and The Refugee Crisis."

The program's monthly lecture for April will feature Michael P. French, director of the master education program at Lourdes, on "How We Know What We Know: Learning and the Brain."

The event will be at noon April 18 at Lourdes College's Franciscan Center, 6832 Convent Blvd. The lecture will be preceded by a monthly meeting for members at 10 a.m.

Lifelong Learners memberships are available for $30 for individuals and $45 for couples. Additional fees apply for programming.

For more information, call 419-824-3707 or e-mail: gburke@lourdes.edu.