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Penobscot Valley Senior College


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It’s time to renew your Senior College membership for 2007-2008!

Penobscot Valley Senior College’s membership year begins on July 1. Dues continue to be $25/person or $40 for two people living at the same address. We look forward to welcoming both renewing and new members who want to enjoy the following benefits of membership. You can send your check to Penobscot Valley Senior College, PO Box 144, Orono ME  04473. (Download membership form)

Benefits of PVSC Membership

  • Two-week early notice of fall and spring classes
  • Invitations to one-day programs (6-8 each year)
  • Annual FREE members-only luncheon with guest speaker
  • Discount on annual Maine Senior College Network fall conference

Affiliated with the statewide Maine Senior College Network and the UMaine Center on Aging, Penobscot Valley Senior College offers non-credit courses and other learning opportunities for area residents 50 years and over. With “learning for the fun of it” as its motto, PVSC provides opportunities for learning, social interaction, and intellectual stimulation with no requirement for college degrees, tests, or grades. Volunteer members plan and teach weekly two-hour sessions for six weeks each fall and spring. Membership dues and course fees are minimal.

PVSC History

Established in the fall 2002 at the University of Maine in Orono and affiliated with the UMaine Center on Aging, Penobscot Valley Senior College serves the greater Bangor-Orono area. The college's mission, like that of other senior colleges, is to offer adults who are at least 50 years old opportunities to learn about a wide array of fascinating topics. The college's emphasis is on enjoyable learning in a relaxed non-competitive atmosphere. Socialization is an important part of all activities and programs. Senior College Members enjoy lunch at the 2005 Annual MeetingApproximately 200 adults attend PVSC classes during each fall and spring term, and more than 300 were PVSC members during 2005-06.

Senior colleges provide unique educational and social opportunities, and are largely volunteer-driven. Members volunteer to serve on their college's board of directors and committees as well as to plan and present all courses and special programs. Their interests are the foundation of all program planning. PVSC is one of 15 senior colleges in Maine, stretching from York County to Presque Isle and Machias, linked to the Maine Senior College Network, which is located at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine.

 

Membership

A college education is NOT a requirement for admission to senior college! Senior colleges have no educational admission requirements, require no tests and assign no grades. They stress "Learning for the fun of it!" PVSC courses are offered to its own members as well as to members of other colleges in the Maine Senior College Network. Similarly, members of PVSC may also enroll in courses offered by other colleges in the network. Annual membership fees at PVSC are $25 per individual or $40 for two people living at the same address. This fee provides membership benefits for up to 12 months beginning on July 1. (There are no part-year membership dues rates.)

Courses and Programs

A variety of non-credit courses, with topics ranging from the humanities and the arts to science and technology, are offered in the spring and fall of each year. Classes are presented by volunteer teachers who are experts in their respective fields and enthusiastic about lifelong learning. Courses are scheduled at the University of Maine, Dirigo Pines in Orono and at other Bangor area sites for two hours on Friday mornings or early afternoons. Tuition is $30 per person per course and includes all learning materials.

In addition, about 6 to 8 one-day special programs are offered on a regular basis and are announced to members via our newsletter. These programs are held at various locations and occasionally involve field trips.

We welcome opportunities to make presentations to local civic, social and retiree groups to provide more information about “Learning for the fun of it!” at Penobscot Valley Senior College.

Contact us by e-mail at seniorcollege@mainecenteronaging.org or call our message phone at (207) 262-7927.  

 

      
         

 

Spring 2008 Class Schedule

click here to view the Spring 2008 Course Catalog

 

Fridays, February 29th through April 4th*

*unless otherwise indicated

Most classes meet at the University of Maine in Orono. Exceptions are noted below.


Morning classes (10 a.m. to noon)


Constitutional Law: The Current Supreme Court Term


The Ecology and Management of Maine's Wildlife


Enhancing Personal Relationships and Growth


Hot Enough for You?


Living Well (at University College of Bangor)


Meet the Mystics


Short Poem, Short Story (starting March 7th)


Afternoon classes (1:10 to 3:10 p.m.)


The Art of Film Food (some classes go to 4:10pm)


Ethics When it Matters


Faiths of Our Neighbors (at University College Bangor)


Introduction to Memoir Writing


Understanding Mutual Funds (at University College Bangor)


Women of China

*UCB - University College of Bangor

Course: Constitutional Law: The Current Supreme Court term

Description: Few things have a more far-reaching impact than decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. This class, which also was offered in 2004, 2005, and 2007, will look at the issues the court chooses to confront, explore the legal and political viewpoints of the justices, and make some educated guesses about how cases will eventually get decided. It may be especially appealing to those who enjoyed "Judge Judy We Art Not: Your Courts in Maine" in the fall of 2007. Maximum 30, Minimum 10. Morning.

Instructor: Solomon Goldman has served as a staff attorney for Pine Tree Legal Assistance, directed the paralegal studies program at Beal College in Bangor and taught a variety of courses on law at Husson College in Bangor. He has a law degree from George Washington University.

Course: The Ecology and Management of Maine's Wildlife

Description:The ecology, behavior and management of many of Maine's wildlife species will be explored in this course. Subjects to be examined include large raptors, waterfowl, wetlands, beaver, island nesting birds, and large carnivores. Maximum 40. Morning.

Instructors: Bucky Owen, professor emeritus and part-time instructor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Maine, has taught wildlife ecology for Penobscot Valley Senior College in 2004 and 2006. He served as commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife from 1993 to 1997. Other presenters will be Bill Krohn, of the Wildlife Ecology Department at UM, an expert in large carnivore ecology, and Jerry Longcore, a retired UM faculty member and specialist in wetlands and waterfowl; he taught Maine Wildlife Diversity for PVSC in
2005.

Course: Enhancing Personal Relationships and Growth

Description: Principles that contribute to enhancing human relationships and personal psychological growth, leading to a greater sense of fulfillment in life, will be discussed. Participants will have opportunities to raise issues in their own lives that they want to understand better. This class has developed a loyal following who take it every year, and has also attracted new members. Maximum 15. Morning.

Instructor: Max Hammer taught graduate and undergraduate courses in the Psychology Department at the University of Maine from 1961 to 1989. He has served as part-time clinical director of the Houlton Mental Health Center and has written a number of books and articles in the field of psychotherapy.

Course: Hot Enough for You?

Description: The important issue of climate change will be explored by University of Maine faculty, with sessions focused on the theory of human-induced climate change; forest soils, carbon, and climate change; the response of glaciers and ice sheets to climate change; paleoecology and the study ofclimates past; and carbon footprinting - what you can do to limit climate change. Maximum 40. Morning.

Instructors: Mark Anderson is senior instructor in the School of Economics and coordinator of the B.S. program in Ecology and Environmental Sciences at UM. A graduate of Bowdoin, he has studied at Durham University in England and earned his master's degree from UM. He has given courses for Penobscot Valley Senior College in 2004 and 2006. Other presenters will include Ivan Fernandez, professor of Forest Soils; George Jacobson, former director of the Quaternary Institute; and Leigh Sterns, Ph.D. candidate in the Climate Change Institute.

Course: Living Well

Description: Highly participative, this Living Well workshop enhances confidence in the ability to manage health and maintain an active, fulfilling life. The tools learned in this class are especially useful for those with chronic health conditions. The program was developed by Stanford University, and class members will be asked to give evaluation feedback to Stanford.Maximum 14, Minimum 6. Morning. At the University College Bangor.

Instructors: Amy Cotton is a registered nurse with a
specialty in gerontology and more than 20 years of practical and administrative experience. She is director of operations at Rosscare and adjunct faculty at Husson College, both in Bangor. Marcia Young
is a registered nurse with more than 30 years experience in a variety of healthcare settings, including senior health care and mental health care. She is administrator of Sylvia Ross Home, a 13-bed assisted-living retirement facility in Bangor.

Course: Meet the Mystics

Description: What makes a mystic? Who are they? How are they different? Do they have any relevance in today's world? Using the text Ordinary People as Monks and Mystics by Marsha Sinetar, these and other discussion questions will be addressed, and some of the answers may surprise us. An open mind, a tolerant disposition, a healthy sense of humor on the part of participants will nicely season the class content into a tasty intellectual, and perhaps spiritual, six-course meal. Maximum 22, minimum 6. Morning.

Instructor: A lay preacher in the United Methodist Church, Joyce Lovely has a master's in education from the University of Southern Maine and has worked as a teacher and administrator in schools in Maine and Connecticut. She has long had an interest in mysticism, and has engaged in reading, classes and retreats while exploring the contemplative movement.

Course: Short Poem, Short Story (starting March 7th)

Description: This workshop looks at haibun, a Japanese form now practice worldwide that incorporates short poetry, including haiku, into short story (poetic narrative). We'll first examine short poems, including haiku, and short stories, including prose poems. The remaining classes will concentrate on haibun, putting poetry and poetic narrative together in forms such as the diary, travel journals, and nature sketches. Maximum 20, minimum 6. Morning.

Instructor: Bruce Ross is a past president of Haiku Society of America. He is the author of one collection of poetry, three collections of haiku, and one collection of haiku and haibun, summer drizzles haiku and haibun. He has also written How to Haiku, A Writer's Guide to Haiku and Related Forms, and edited Journey to the Interior, American Versions of Haibun. He is coeditor of the annual Contemporary Haibun. He has taught haiku classes for Penobscot Valley Senior College in 2003 and 2007.

Course: The Art of Film Food (some classes go to 4:10pm)

Description: Food connects us to our deepest thoughts, senses and memories. This course will explore how we experience and talk about food in our culture and how filmmakers transform that experience and language into a metaphor for art, sex, and spirituality. In that context, an introductory lecture (1:10 to 3:10pm Feb 29th) will be followed by five three-hour sessions (1:10 to 4:10pm) during which we'll view and discuss The Scent of Green Papaya, Mostly Martha, Like Water for Chocolate, Tampopo and Babette's Feast. Maximum 40, Minimum 10. Afternoon.

Instructor: Retired as vice president of Bangor Theological Seminary, Esther Rauch has master's and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University, as well as an honorary degree from Husson College in Bangor, where she inaugurated the Constance H. Carlson Distinguished Lectureship in the Humanities. She has also taught at the University of Maine and the Maine Maritime Academy.

Course: Ethics When it Matters

Description: Recent catastrophic and widespread failures by our business, political,military and religious institutions have led to substantial economic and human costs. What are the factors
contributing to these failures and what needs to change? After a brief introduction to four moral theories often used for addressing ethical issues, we will discuss some of the factors that led to personal and institutional ethical failures. Essays by a variety of writers will be used to focus discussions. Maximum 15, Minimum 7. Afternoon.

Instructor: John Alexander, who taught this course
for Penobscot Valley Senior College in 2007, has had a long time interest in the importance of ethics to business and political discussions. He's taken several ethics courses and has taught professional ethics to undergraduate engineering students for over 25 years. He has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from M.I.T. and most recently served as vice president of academic affairs and provost at the University of Maine.

Course: Faiths of Our Neighbors (at University College Bangor)

Description: Guest presenters will describe their faith traditions and how they exist and interact in our locality. Among faiths to be presented are Judaism, Evangelical Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, Anglican Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. A variety of views and interplay between religious faith and broader social and cultural issues will emerge from presentations followed by question and answer dialogue. Relevant readings will be suggested. Maximum 40, Minimum 15. Afternoon.

Coordinator: James L. Haddix has been pastor and teacher at All Souls Congregational Church in Bangor since 1990. He has a doctorate from Boston University in biblical studies and is an adjunct professor of Old Testament at Bangor Theological Seminary. He holds numerous directorships and plays saxophone in the klezmer band Tzena! Tzena!

Course: Introduction to Memoir Writing

Description: Memoir, a form of creative nonfiction, is about gathering pieces of memory and illuminating their meaning on the page. This course is for the novice inerested in trying out the genre of memoir writing. We will read and discuss examples of excellent writing and explore exercises designed to help you write down your memories creatively and effectively. Students will be invited to share and comment on one another's work. The class will be informal, relaxed and confidence building. Maximum 12, minimum 4. Afternoon.


Instructor: Elizabeth Johns has worked for many years as
an editor in the book publishing industry, and she is a former director of the University of Maine Press. She is working on a Ph.D. in gerontology from the University of Massachussetts Boston, where she has been a graduate research and teaching assistant since 2003.

Course: Understanding Mutual Funds (at University College Bangor)

Description: Successful investing requires understanding long and short-term objectives, and how accepting risk affects the likelihood of realizing financial goals. Mutual funds help to control risk without requiring knowledge of specific securities investments. Anyone who understands the characteristics of stocks, bonds and cash, along with the choices made available by mutual funds, can manage investments, or better understand the advice provided by advisers. This class will focus on the "big picture" that accounts for 80% of investing success. Maximum 25, Minimum 5. Afternoon. University College Bangor.

Instructor: Stan Marshall began investing more than 40 years ago with no great success. Through study and experience as a trustee for several nonprofit endowments, he has learned basic investing principles and subsequently has achieved better investment results, some of them through good luck and some from understanding how to manage risk.

Course: Women of China

Description: In just a few decades, China has gone through tumultuous upheavals, with many changes aimed at improving the position of women. This course will explore these efforts, focusing on kinship, ethnicity, marriage and the family, ritual and religion, work, health and sexuality. Readings will include women's stories as well as scholars' and observers' accounts. Discussions will provide an opportunity to reflect on gender in the U.S. as well as in China. Maximum 30, minimum 6. Afternoon.

Instructor: Sociologist Dair Gillespie (Ph.D from the University of California at Berkeley) has taught a number of courses for Penobscot Valley Senior College. Passionate Pastimes (2004), Women of the Middle East (2005), Women of Africa (2006) and Women of India (2007). Before coming to Maine, she held administrative positions and taught at the University of Utah, offering courses on international gender systems at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Penobscot Valley Senior College Board of Directors

Officers and Directors

President                              Paul Reagan
Vice President                     Dair Gillespie
Secretary                              Lois Soule
Treasurer                              Elsa Sanborn


Committee Chairs

Curriculum Committee       Madeleine Freeman
                                              Elaine Gershman

One-day Events                  Diane Cutler
                                              Bobby Ives


Member Services              Jan Klitch

 

Directors at large

        Mel Braverman            Connie Kelsey
        Marge Paul                  Hank Metcalf

       Ann Weisleder            


                  

Lenard Kaye ex officio UMaine Center on Aging

 

Administration

Executive Director               Patricia Kontur
Administrative Assistant     Margaret Russell

 


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UMaine Center on Aging, Camden Hall 25 Texas Avenue, Bangor, ME 04401-4324; Phone: 207-262-7920; Fax: 207-262-7921