{"id":168861,"date":"2022-08-24T10:48:40","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T14:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webarchive.umw.edu\/eagleeye\/?p=168861"},"modified":"2022-08-25T12:26:42","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T16:26:42","slug":"mary-washington-elderstudy-encourages-lifelong-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webarchive.umw.edu\/eagleeye\/2022\/08\/24\/mary-washington-elderstudy-encourages-lifelong-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary Washington ElderStudy Encourages Lifelong Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

As each August rolls around, University of Mary Washington students are getting ready for the new school year.<\/p>

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Mary Washington ElderStudy, now in its 30th year, kicks off its new season of exciting lectures, book discussions, gallery tours, performances and social engagements in August.<\/p><\/div>

But they’re not the only ones heading back to class. Fredericksburg area seniors are gearing up for a new season of Mary Washington ElderStudy, or MWES. The lifelong learning program, celebrating its 30th year, offers exciting lectures, book discussions, gallery tours, performances, and social engagements to local retired or elder residents, including many Mary Washington alumni.<\/p>

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Lectures, now held in a hybrid format or on Zoom, are given by UMW faculty experts and accomplished outside speakers, covering a wide variety of topics: visual and performing arts, science and health, political science, business and economics, history, and much more.<\/p>

“ElderStudy helps nourish one’s intellectual curiosity,” says Carolyn Eldred ’66, whose bachelor’s degree in psychology set her up for success in her career as a social science researcher.<\/p>

She cites UMW President Troy Paino’s recent Mary Talk<\/em><\/a> on the value of the liberal arts in a changing world. “I’m a firm believer in that kind of educational experience,” Carolyn says. “I’ve found that ElderStudy satisfies my hunger for continuing learning and exposes me to topics I might not have ever thought about. Learning can be an exciting, lifelong pursuit!”<\/p>

Carolyn discovered MWES around the time of her 50th reunion at Mary Washington. A resident of the nearby Celebrate retirement community, which helps promote the program, she joined the curriculum and membership committees, helping curate each season’s activities, which are suggested by members.<\/p>

This fall’s events<\/a> include lectures on the history of education in colonial America, virtual reality, the issue of food waste, and the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House and the contributions UMW students made to the project. Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth will provide an overview of the midterm elections. Theatre and Dance Department Chair Gregg Stull will offer sneak peeks of UMW Theatre’s upcoming season, as well as a lecture on the life and work of Stephen Sondheim in Seacobeck Hall’s newly renovated Weatherly Wing.<\/p>

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