Here, There and Everywhere – Lifelong Learning

National Lifelong Learning Day is October 15

GUEST EDITORIAL / OP-ED

Linda E. Maurice, M.A.

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – “Here, There and Everywhere” – while famously known as the title of a Beatles song, it is also the trend that is taking off relative to the world of retirement pursuits. Such pursuits were once mahjongg, bridge, golf, tennis, health and self-help focused lectures, and the like.  Today many retirees talk about going back to school. Intellectual pursuits are the catchy buzzwords.

Programs like Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) have been around for years at both NSU (since 1977) and other universities around the world. However, a newer phenomenon is bringing the classroom to folks who, for one reason or another, are unable to reach a main university campus. For more than ten years, the NSU LLI has established relationships with retirement communities in the tri-county area, bringing a new dimension to the otherwise traditionally based lifestyle choices once offered in these residences.

More recently, the NSU LLI began partnering with municipalities. In July 2015, the City of Coconut Creek became the first South Florida municipality to provide university-affiliated, humanities based, lifelong learning classes for all of its residents, regardless of age.  All are welcome to attend, and they do. At a recent lecture, “Pop Art of the 1960’s,” taught by notable Florida art director, prop master, and set designer Tyler K. Smith, people from all generations gathered to enjoy the class purely for the sake of learning and expanding their minds.

This trend of off campus expansion is about to reach the university’s regional campuses.  In collaboration with NSU’s Fischler School of Education and with support from LLI’s parent college, NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, a LLI program will begin this fall at NSU’s North Miami Beach campus.  The October 12, 2015 opening event will be an in-depth lecture on “Diverse Evaluations and Interpretations of Classical Music,” and is free and open to the community. This class – an exploration of varied approaches to diverse musical styles over different periods of time – will be taught by world renowned musicologist Judith Etzion, Ph.D.

Public interest is a key factor in the trend of mature adults pursuing educational options in their leisure time (try putting the term “lifelong learning” into a Google search). Still, kudos belong to creative professionals in the aging field who address this demand and think outside the old-fashioned proverbial box.  These innovators know that to keep up with the times, adaptability is not only a reality, but is also a business necessity.  For the world of lifelong learning, the challenge will be to continually evolve in the hope of satisfying the increasing academic demands of an aging boomer population.

Linda E. Maurice, M.A., is director of Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Lifelong Learning Institute.

 The views expressed in this guest editorial are that of Linda E. Maurice, M.A., and are not necessarily those of NSU, its President or Board of Trustees.

 More information about Nova Southeastern University’s Lifelong Learning Institute can be found by visiting www.nova.edu/lifelonglearning ● Telephone: 954-262-8471 ● Email: LLI@nova.edu
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About NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine:  The mission of the College of Osteopathic Medicine is to provide learner-centered education, both nationally and internationally, for osteopathic medical students, postgraduate trainees, and other professionals. Through its inter-professional programs, the college prepares competent and compassionate lifelong learners; supports research, scholarly activity, and community service; and advocates for the health and welfare of diverse populations, including the medically underserved. For more information, visit http://medicine.nova.edu/.

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.

September 16, 2015

Jeremy Katzman, M.B.A., APR | Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5408 (office)
954-661-7000 (cell)
j.katzman@nova.edu