Dear Lifelong Learners,
Welcome to the “Year of Civility” at Shepherd University! The Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at Shepherd University has inspired this year’s theme, which is woven into programming and messaging across campus. With another presidential election year upon us, we each have the opportunity to examine how we want to engage in shaping our local and national conversations, policies, and systems. This fall’s courses and lectures present an abundance of avenues to engage in our “Year of Civility.”
Ethel Horneck will kick off the season with a Brown Bag Lecture exploring how compassion can be a necessary tool to move towards world peace. You can also take her fall class to dive deeper into this topic! Michael Kemp and Carol Richmond are also offering classes focused on building the personal skills for navigating trying times. Ray Smock’s “Challenges to American Democracy” class will use this year’s Common Reading book, Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson, to examine past and present challenges to our democracy. You can also join weekly discussions of national and international politics through the two offered discussion groups. Meanwhile, Marty Amerikaner’s class will explore the psychological contributors to our never-ending volatile “political season,” and Eric Thompson’s apocalypse class will take a historical approach to unpack how religious apocalyptic thought has impacted past and present political climates. These classes promise to be lively, insightful, and engaging! Any Lifelong Learning class you take creates opportunities for connection through common interest with new people and new ideas, which is a step towards a stronger community and more civil world. So, whether it’s literature, science, history, music or beyond, I hope you enjoy this fall’s course offerings!
This season of lectures includes the President’s Lecture Series featuring three of the Stubblefield Institute board members sharing insights from their expertise. After a variety of Brown Bag lectures from energy technologies to face reading, we’ll close out the Brown Bag Lecture Series with Carol Richmond’s guidance for finding greater happiness no matter the election results, followed by Daryl Glenney and Mike Pieper’s bi-partisan analysis of how the United States fared this election season.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEMBERS
Marcy Bartlett
Roger Bernstein
Jim Broomall, Ed.D
Richard Casuccio, M.D.
Sandy Cavalier
Heidi Dobish, Ph.D.
Laraine Jimenez
Mark Kohut
Frank McCluskey, Ph.D.
Maylene Reisbig
Bob Smiles
COVER PHOTO
Artwork provided by Sheila Vertino
The Lifelong Learning Program is undergoing some exciting changes with our registration and payment systems. Please bear with us as we navigate these changes, including moving from an annual membership payment system to a subscription system, which will allow us to offer online registration. Read more about this in the membership/subscription section on page 2. Please refer to our website and the electronic catalog for the most updated information about our day trip offerings, national and international tours, events, and instructor and speaker bios. Want to receive email notifications of changes, new offerings, and weekly updates of local news and events? Join the Lifelong Learning listserv by emailing Lpowers@shepherd.edu with a request to add you to the listserv.
Seeking information on the Shepherdstown Film Society? The society is moving to the Shepherdstown Opera House! You’ll be able to find their fall schedule on our website and at the Opera House’s website www.operahouselive.com. To be added to the SFS email list, please email Sheila Vertino at sheilavertino@yahoo.com with a request to be added.
Finally, I want to thank the Lifelong Learning Advisory Committee, instructors, lecturers, and volunteers who so generously offer their time, skills, wisdom, and support for making this program a success. This is a strong community program because of you!
With Gratitude,
Lucinda
“Cindy” Powers
Director of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM
MISSION:
The Lifelong Learning Program at Shepherd University is a volunteer member-driven program dedicated to offering stimulating academic courses and activities to the community.
MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION:
We’re transitioning from a membership payment model to a simplified subscription model! Everyone who participates in our courses is a member —no more Silver and Gold levels. You can now simply pay for individual classes and lectures without purchasing a membership, or purchase a subscription for the semester.
Subscription: $185
Includes all enrollment fees for unlimited classes and all lectures for the semester, as well as a free parking decal for lots on East and West campus. Spouses and domestic partners are eligible to subscribe for an additional $93.
What this means for current Silver members:
If you purchased an annual Silver membership during the 2024 winterlude or spring semester, you will continue to have free access to lectures through fall 2024. Register for lectures during this transition by emailing Cindy Powers at Lpowers@shepherd.edu with a list of the lectures you plan to attend or mail in the paper registration form. For courses, you can pay for the semester subscription or pay the individual course fees.
What this means for current Gold members:
If you purchased an annual Gold membership during the 2024 winterlude or spring semester, you will continue to have free access to lectures and classes through fall 2024. Register online after August 1 or mail in the paper registration form.
SCHOLARSHIPS:
The Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program is pleased to be able to provide a limited number of scholarships to participants who would not otherwise be able to attend a course. Inquire about a scholarship by emailing Cindy Powers at Lpowers@shepherd.edu.
All classes and lectures are free to Shepherd University staff, faculty, and students.
BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR
Do you miss teaching? Share your passion here!
The Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program is looking for course instructors to help develop innovative, interesting, and compelling learning experiences. The Lifelong Learning Program is centered on classes developed and taught by volunteers who share their time and knowledge. The program is an academic cooperative that provides mature adults with opportunities for intellectual development, cultural stimulation, and social interaction. To show our appreciation, we are offering free courses, parking passes, and invitations to special events to instructors.
To apply to be an instructor, please email Cindy Powers at Lpowers@shepherd.edu.
BECOME A CLASS TECH ASSISTANT
The Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program is looking for volunteers to be class tech assistants. Class tech assistants help the instructors ensure that announcements are made, attendance is taken, hand-outs are distributed, and classroom technology is maintained (Zoom, PowerPoint, YouTube, etc.). Class tech assistants are essential to the smooth functioning of the Lifelong Learning Program and enjoy the benefit of becoming better acquainted with both instructors and fellow class participants, as well as invitations to special events. If you would like to volunteer to be a class tech assistant in one or more of your classes, please email Cindy Powers at Lpowers@shepherd.edu.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
Some of the courses require students to obtain books or material essential to the class. Four Seasons Bookstore is offering our students a 15% discount on most course books. Mention the Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program to receive a discount.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:
Should an extreme weather emergency, power or water failure, or executive order from the Governor warrant the closing of offices, events will be canceled for that day. Please refer to public notification via the Shepherd website. If this affects an event or course you have registered for, you will be updated via email from the program director or course instructors/assistants.
Course Locations: All in-person courses take place in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education, 213 N. King Street, Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25443. Courses listed with the classroom “& Zoom” are hybrid, meaning they are held in person and participants can join the class remotely via Zoom.
CHALLENGES TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
MONDAYS, SEPTEMBER 9, 16, 23, 30, OCTOBER 7, 14
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Ray Smock
LOCATION: Multipurpose
Room & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 9–10:30 a.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
RECOMMEND READING:
Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson
This course is inspired by Shepherd University’s Common Reading Program, which has selected Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America as the common read selection for the 2024-25 academic year. The course will be conducted by Dr. Ray Smock, director emeritus of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education and former historian of the U.S. House of Representatives. While reading Democracy Awakening is not required for the course, participants will benefit from reading it.
Explore past challenges to American democracy beginning with the Founding Era and the drafting of the Constitution to provide the background for understanding current challenges to democracy. Is American democracy “awakening” as Heather Cox Richardson suggests? Or are the current threats to democracy leading the nation into an unprecedented era of authoritarian rule? Benjamin Franklin said the new government created by the U.S. Constitution was “A Republic, if you can keep it.” Could we be on the verge of losing rule by the people?
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION: Strategies For Living In Uncertain Times
MONDAYS: SEPTEMBER 9, 16, 23, 30; OCTOBER 7, 14
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Kemp
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 10:30 a.m.-noon
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
In this class, explore ways of coping with today’s issues and crises within the context of mindfulness and meditation. Knowledge or practice of either is not required, while a certain amount of history and background on both will be provided. The approach is one of secular Vipassanâ Buddhism known as mindfulness, or insight meditation in the West, and spiritual in nature rather than religious. Each week, there will be a 20-30 minute presentation on that week’s theme followed by a meditation of 20-30 minutes based on that topic. Afterward, the class will discuss the theme, and class members may share their experience of the meditation or ask questions about related phenomena.
THE SYMPHONIES OF BEETHOVEN
MONDAYS: SEPTEMBER 9, 16, 23, 30; OCTOBER 7, 14, 21
INSTRUCTOR: David Rampy LOCATION: Multipurpose Room & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
Join an exploration of the nine symphonies of Beethoven that are the culmination of the classical symphonic form. Study how Beethoven perfects the symphonic form of Haydn and Mozart, takes inspiration from the geopolitical issues of his time, struggles with the meaning of life, sings the beauty of nature and the happiness in life, and proclaims the power of love for our fellow humans and nature. The class will watch live performances of all nine symphonies, discussing what makes them “tick” and how they affect the listener. The course’s primary purpose will be learning to listen to these masterpieces through our modern lives with modern ears.
COURSES
THIS IS ROCKET SCIENCE An Introduction To Space Propulsion
MONDAYS: SEPTEMBER 9, 16, 23, 30; OCTOBER 7, 14
INSTRUCTOR: Mike Binder
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 1–2:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
We’ve all heard the expression “well, it ain’t rocket science,”but what is it like being a rocket scientist? How do rocket engines work? In this course, we will look at these incredible machines and how they take us into space. We will also look at space vehicles from the past, present, and future, and discuss how the different components — nozzle, combustion chamber, turbopumps, valves, etc. — work together under the most extreme conditions. This course is not only for science and math geeks but is designed to be accessible to anyone interested in learning more about the subject.
BARBARA KINGSOLVER: Demon Copperhead
MONDAYS: SEPTEMBER 9, 23, 30; OCTOBER 7, 14, 21
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Linda Tate
LOCATION: Multipurpose
Room & Zoom (hybrid) TIME: 3:30-5 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
REQUIRED TEXT: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead has taken the American literary world by storm. The 2022 book — billed as the great Appalachian novel — was inspired by Charles Dickens’s semiautobiographical 1850 novel, David Copperfield. In this six-session course, we will read and discuss Kingsolver’s retelling of the Dickensian classic. It is not necessary to have taken the Spring 2024 course on Dickens’s David Copperfield, nor is it necessary to read David Copperfield, to enroll in this course. The Kingsolver course will stand on its own, though there will be some occasional references back to David Copperfield. The Kingsolver novel is 560 pages, and the class will read the novel together as the course goes along. The first class meeting will offer an introduction to Appalachian studies and Barbara Kingsolver, and in each of the subsequent weeks, we will read and discuss roughly 110 pages of the novel. Note that the class will not meet on September 16. Please be aware that the novel contains profanity and focuses on disturbing subject matter. Demon Copperhead is a compelling read, but it is not a light or emotionally easy book.
CAFÉ SOCIETY DISCUSSION GROUP
EVERY TUESDAY EXCEPT HOLIDAYS
FACILITATOR: Daniel Bennett
LOCATION: Zoom
TIME: 8:30–10 a.m.
COST: Free to the public
Designed to foster a more robust civil society, more cohesive and interactive communities, greater media literacy, and a more informed and engaged public through “coffee shop” conversations about contemporary social and political issues. By engaging in a meaningful exchange of ideas and perspectives, these conversations can enliven the core of democracy and empower communities and individuals.
ADULTS AS LEARNERS
TUESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 10, 17, 24; OCTOBER 1, 8, 15
INSTRUCTOR: Jim Broomall
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 9–10:30 a.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
During the past 50 years, adult participation in institution-sponsored learning has exploded. The trend is especially strong among “senior” or “mature” learners, defined in general as age 55 and older. Still, what do we really know about the adult learner? Designed for Shepherd Lifelong Learning instructors and students alike, this course will introduce the principles and practices of adult learning. Topics will include the learning imperative, farewell to pedagogy, climate and culture, course design, and developing a personal philosophy of adult education. The course focus will be on the mix of theory and practice in facilitating adult learning.
WORLD HISTORY IN MODERN TIMES
TUESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 10, 17, 24; OCTOBER 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
INSTRUCTOR: John Spears
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
In the last 250 years, the world has seen more changes in human life than in the past 300,000 years. This course will present a rapid international survey of many of these changes, including the technical, scientific, artistic, and political. Some of those changes will be familiar, but none of us has been able to pay attention to them all, especially their backstories. Discover new meaning from near and far, all of it important in shaping both the optimism and pessimism of the current day.
A (TRAGI-) COMEDY OF ERRORS:
Psychological Distortions, Biases, And Processes That Make America Crazy Again...And Again
TUESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 10, 17, 24; OCTOBER 1, 8, 15
INSTRUCTOR: Marty Amerikaner
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 1-2:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
Many of us are frequently amazed that our country—often referred to as the “greatest nation in the world”—can be so polarized and volatile while simultaneously being the wealthiest and most continuously democratic country in the world. There are many contributing factors to this stew, and they can be operating on different levels (e.g. national, local, familial, ethnic/ cultural, etc). In this course, we will focus on psychological contributors—the ways in which all of us can get tripped up and make psychological “errors” due to near-universal tendencies, vulnerabilities, and predispositions. Drawing on research and practice from personality, social, and clinical psychology, and examples from various media, we will discuss a range of concepts and explore how they may contribute to what we experience in our apparently never-ending political season.
AMERICAN STORIES: A Sense Of Place
TUESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 10, 17, 24; OCTOBER 1, 8, 15
INSTRUCTOR: Sara Smith
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 3-4:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
The short stories of Lauren Groff (1978), Allan Gurganus (1947), Percival Everett (1968), and Barbara Kingsolver (1955) provide a wealth of material for discussions. Each of these critically acclaimed authors has strong ties to the South and its literary heritage. In their stories, whether written about the South or elsewhere, place or setting is a powerful force that propels the plot, shaping the characters and their actions as well as the expectations of the reader. These stories merge history and myth along with fact and autobiography to create characters trying to find meaning in a world filled with forces beyond their control and the fragile web of interconnectedness that binds them together.
SKETCHBOOK STAYCATION
TUESDAYS, OCTOBER 22, 29, NOVEMBER 5, 12, 19
INSTRUCTOR: Kristen Lee
LOCATION: Multipurpose Room
TIME: 1-4 p.m.
COST: Free | This class is limited to 12 participants.
“Sketchbook Staycation” will teach the fun practice of travel sketchbooking at home and abroad. Students will experience their everyday world through the fresh eyes of a traveler while learning the elements of art, development of a regular creative practice, and practical techniques of sketching, collage, and watercolor. They will also learn successful design layouts, planning, and page preparation. While the class encompasses a “staycation,” students will learn all they need to know to capture past, future, and even imaginary travels in a beautiful sketchbook. All materials are provided. This program is being presented with financial assistance from the WV Department of Arts, Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts.
MADNESS, TRUTH, AND IMMORTALITY IN PLATO’S PHAEDRUS
WEDNESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 11, 18, 25; OCTOBER 2, 9, 16
INSTRUCTOR: Frank McCluskey, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Multipurpose Room & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 9-10:30 a.m. .
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
REQUIRED TEXT: Plato: Phaedrus: A Translation
With Notes, Glossary, Appendices, Interpretive Essay and Introduction (Focus Philosophical Library), Hackett Publishing Company, translated by Steven Scully
Mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead famously said that all western philosophy is nothing but a footnote to Plato. But did Plato’s works contain a secret code, an esoteric puzzle for the enlightened? In this class, we will read about the madness of love, the caprice of the gods, and the secrets of memory. No previous philosophical knowledge is required.
APOCALYPSE: The End Is Near
WEDNESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 11, 18, 25; OCTOBER 2, 9, 16
INSTRUCTOR: Eric Thompson, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Auditorium & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 10:30 a.m.-noon
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
Why do American Evangelicals support Trump? Why is the Israel/ Palestine conflict so apparently intractable, and the United States’s role so fraught? The answer, at least partly and maybe mostly, lies in the Apocalyptic tradition that forms the most immediate background for the birth of Christianity. Since this tradition is embedded in the New Testament, it is a smoldering ember throughout the history of Christianity, flaring up periodically. American Evangelicalism has an especially close relationship with that tradition. In this class, we will discuss the invention of “Apocalyptic” thought in pre-Christian Judaism, unpack its presence in the New Testament, trace some of its flair-ups through Christian history, and explain its American permutations and how that frames American Evangelicals’ support for Trump and other leaders like Vladamir Putin and Victor Orbán. Finally, we will unpack the basis of Evangelicals’ policies regarding Israel.
MORE TALES FROM THE GALAXY
WEDNESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 11, 18, 25; OCTOBER 2, 9, 16
INSTRUCTOR: Wil Laska
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 1:30-3 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
This class will not be your typical Astronomy 101 course but will give you a better understanding of the night sky and our place in the universe. There will be six classes comprised of five discussions venturing into some introductory astronomy, telescopes/binoculars, the solar system, and beyond. Each class will begin with a presentation followed by discussions and guidance for locating current astronomical objects you can observe with your own eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. The sixth class will be a “Star Party” held in the evening at the end of the semester. Class members will be encouraged to bring their own telescopes or binoculars for this festive event.
POEMS INSPIRED WITH PAINTINGS
WEDNESDAYS: SEPTEMBER 11, 18, 25; OCTOBER 2, 9, 16, 23
INSTRUCTOR: Roger Bernstein
LOCATION: Zoom
TIME: 3:30-5 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
This class will study poems that focus and reflect on vivid descriptions of great works of art. The poets’ creativity bridges the gap between the visual and literary realms. Poems best amplify the soul of paintings when poems and paintings are placed side-by-side.
In our seven-week course, we add stand-alone poems, both profound and accessible. We will perform the poems to feel musical elements. Discussion will focus on what is working while avoiding torturous paraphrasing. Poets include Robert Frost, Wislawa Szymborska, Randall Jarrell, James Wright, Sharon Olds, Linda Pastan, Ada Limon, Kim Addonizio, W.B. Yates, and Lucille Clifton.
ACTIONS FOR HAPPINESS & CONSCIOUS LIVING
THURSDAYS: SEPTEMBER 12, 19, 26; OCTOBER 3, 10, 17; NOVEMBER 7
INSTRUCTOR: Carol Richmond, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 10:30 a.m.-noon
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription RECOMMENDED TEXT: Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out by Marci Shimoff
Happy people are more fulfilled, relaxed, and energetic; earn more income over the course of their lifetimes; and live longer, healthier lives. Based on Marci Shimoff’s Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out and Actions for Happiness Organization’s keys to happiness, you will:
• Identify what is most important in your life.
• Quickly raise your physical, emotional, and mental energy.
• Learn the research-based habits that support the biochemistry of happiness.
• Discover a natural state of peace and joy—no matter what is going on in your life.
• Explore how to grow your level of hope and live your life purpose.
• Understand the most important ways to enhance your relationships.
• Explore increasing prosperity and abundance in your life. This course will be facilitated by experienced and certified life and leadership coach and certified happiness facilitator, Carol Richmond, Ph.D.
CURRENT INTERNATIONAL ISSUES DISCUSSION GROUP
THURSDAYS: SEPTEMBER 12, 19, 26; OCTOBER 3, 10, 17
FACILITATOR: Fred Turco
LOCATION: Zoom
TIME: 9-10:30 a.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
This discussion group will cover current events around the world. Participants are expected to provide their understanding of the current discussion subjects. Materials will be sent for extra reading; however, more information is welcomed.
STRIDING ALONG WITH JULIA CAMERON
THURSDAYS: SEPTEMBER 12, 19, 26; OCTOBER 3, 10, 17
INSTRUCTOR: Dianne L. Roman
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 12:30- 2 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
REQUIRED TEXT: It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again by Julia Cameron
In 1992, Julia Cameron published The Artist’s Way, a personal method for unlocking and unblocking one’s creative development. By 2024, over five million copies have been sold and utilized by writers, artisans, and business persons alike. For Cameron, creativity is the natural order of life with everyone having creative abilities. In 2016, Cameron published It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again, focusing on retirees and later-in-life individuals. Overall, her methods involve a twelve-week commitment that may be overwhelming for many. This six-week course will embrace Cameron’s methods while also modifying them to fit our daily lives and needs.
We will use It’s Never Too Late, so purchase a copy before the first class and read the introduction. This is an interactive class driven by the students. As Cameron has stated in The Artist’s Way: “No matter what your age or your life path, whether making art is your career or your hobby or your dream, it is not too late or too egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity.”
OPPENHEIMER, THE ATOM BOMB, AND THE RED SCARE
THURSDAYS: SEPTEMBER 12, 19, 26; OCTOBER 3, 10, 17
INSTRUCTOR: Wolfgang Pordzik
LOCATION: Multipurpose Room & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 1-2:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
The 2023 blockbuster movie Oppenheimer is based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin. Christopher Nolan’s film chronicles the career of American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The cinematic drama unfolds during monumental events in world and United States history: the rise of Fascism in Europe and Asia, World War II, the United States emerging as the world’s superpower, and the McCarthy era during the Cold War.
In this course, we will explore the relevant questions and the historic setting: Nazi Germany’s military expansion, Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into the war, Albert Einstein’s letter to FDR, and Germany’s total defeat followed by Japan’s surrender after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Who was Oppenheimer and what qualified him to lead immigrant scientists in America during the war? Was he ever a member of the Communist Party? Does the movie depict the race to the atom bomb historically correctly? What specific cinematic characteristics and techniques in Oppenheimer stand out? What other movies portray Oppenheimer and his mission? Finally, we will review the undeniable moral and ethical issues: scientific freedom versus government control and if the use of nuclear bombs over Japan was justified.
MY
GODDESS GAVE BIRTH TO YOUR GOD (As The Bumper Sticker Says)
THURSDAYS: SEPTEMBER 12, 19, 26; OCTOBER 3, 10, 17
INSTRUCTOR: Eric Thompson, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Multipurpose Room & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 3-4:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
This class will survey the attributes, theology, and worship of goddesses in the ancient world, focusing on the ancient Mediterranean basin: Greece, Israel, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.
GREEN ARCHITECTURE
FRIDAYS: SEPTEMBER 13, 20, 27; OCTOBER 4, 11, 18
INSTRUCTOR: Mike Binder, Registered Architect
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 9-10:30 a.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
What makes architecture “green”? In this course, we will explore that question, including foundational concepts and goals for energy, water, materials, and community design. Regenerative design features will be illustrated by examining case studies at different scales, from a small home to large office buildings and entire communities.
CULTIVATING COMPASSION:
From Personal Wholeness To World Peace
FRIDAYS: SEPTEMBER 13, 20, 27; OCTOBER 4, 11, 18
INSTRUCTOR: Ethel Hornbeck
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 10:30 a.m.-noon
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
RECOMMENDED TEXT: A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives by Thupten Jinpa
Do you ever wonder how you will get through another election season and all the anger and violence that seems to be on the rise? Or how to stay present for loved ones in times of suffering? Or how to navigate one’s own pain, grief, and difficulties in a hopeful, healthy way? According to contemporary compassion science, cultivating compassion offers a powerful and effective means of meeting the suffering of the world, and in our lives.
In this class, we will explore this exciting new field that integrates the work of neuroscientists, psychologists, sociologists, and meditation masters. Each session will offer a combination of information, inquiry, group discussion, personal reflection, and meditation practice. Research suggests that this handson learning approach offers an effective means of increasing compassion and self-compassion, which in turn can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression and improve overall well-being and health. Nurturing the seeds of compassion in our own individual lives also has powerful ripple effects on the world around us. And, as the Dalai Lama has said: “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
MEMOIR SEMINAR BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
FRIDAYS: SEPTEMBER 13, 20, 27; OCTOBER 4, 11, 18
INSTRUCTOR: Pam Clark
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 1-2:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
Who knows your life story better than you? Nobody. But are you the only person interested in it? Of course not! When we capture and share the remembered details of our personal stories, they become universal. In this course, you will discover how to tease out the connecting threads of your individual memories and weave them into a tapestry. While you will learn about the memoir genre and read excerpts from current ones, this is a hands-on class, consisting of prompt assignments and workshops with peers — that’s not as scary as it might sound once you’ve learned what goes into creating an engaging memoir. There is room for humorous accounts as well as serious or informal ones. After all, it’s your life. And sign up early; the class is limited to ten students.
CHARLES TOWN, WV: Thoroughbreds, Washingtons, John Brown, And More
FRIDAYS: SEPTEMBER 20, 27; OCTOBER 4, 11, 18
INSTRUCTOR: Jim Surkamp
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid), and tours of Charles Town TIME: 3-4:30 p.m. (except October 11, see below)
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
The first three classes will be on campus and will feature: my hour-long adaptation of Tim Sinn’s film of Charles Town in the spring of 1941; videos and discussions of the Washington family in Jefferson County, leaders of the African-American community, and Charles Town’s race track stars: Billy Hartack, Lauren Hillenbrand (author of “Seabiscuit”), Barbara Jo Rubin (first woman to win a sanctioned horse race), and Jimmy Winkfield (won the Kentucky Derby twice back-to-back).
OCTOBER 11: 10 AM-NOON Participants will meet at the entrance to Claymont, the fabled 32-room mansion built by a grand nephew of George Washington and, for many years, the largest private home in the Shenandoah Valley. We will have free reign about the property as I recount stories of its owners.
OCTOBER 18: 3:00-5:30 PM. Participants will meet in Charles Town for a walking tour led by the instructor. Includes tales of the courthouse and JFK and Jackie’s visit, and visits to the County Museum and the home where Gen. Grant, Sheridan,Stonewall, and J.E.B. Stuart visited at different times. The class will also see the John Brown hanging site and experience an intimate tour in the Zion Episcopal churchyard, where more than eighty members of the Washington family were interred.
ANNA KARENINA TO THE MAX
MONTHLY:
NOVEMBER 2024-AUGUST 2025
(11/4, 12/9, 1/6, 2/3, 3/3, 5/5, 6/2, 7/7, 8/4)
INSTRUCTOR: Mark Kohut
LOCATION: Room 164 & Zoom (hybrid)
TIME: 3-4:30 p.m.
COST: $75 or free with the fall subscription
REQUIRED TEXT: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” is one of the most famous opening lines in literature. Anna Karenina was Leo’s “family novel,” he said. One full of love within and without families. This is a story of two major heroines, Anna and Kitty, and their men, the movements of the heart, adulteries and staying true, the aristocratic class and the peasantry, a sweep of nineteenth-century Russian life, tragedy and whatever is its opposite, and happiness.
As with George Eliot’s Middlemarch, which influenced Tolstoy, Leo’s arguably best novel will be discussed over months at 100 pages each month (just 25 pages a week to keep up!). It is encouraged to use the same translation as class discussion will often require specific reference to the text.
Much like the previous Middlemarch class, this class will meet monthly November throught August (skipping April) for lecture and discussion.
ADVANCED OPEN LAB
AUGUST 1 – DECEMBER 1
INSTRUCTOR: TBD
LOCATION: FASTEnER Lab
TIME: Open Lab Hours
COST: $260 or $200 with a fall subscription
This course is for returning students who have already taken a class in the FASTEnER Lab and are looking to continue learning a process through a self-directed project over the semester. Instructors will provide advisement in areas of casting, digital fabrication, woodworking, and metalworking. Students may use the lab during open hours and receive training from instructors during scheduled lab times. Lab fees go toward a variety of consumables and maintenance costs for students to use the lab for the entire semester. Depending on the depth and duration of the project, a student may be asked to purchase additional consumables for the lab.
RETIREMENT PLANNING TODAY
Session 1: THURSDAYS: SEPTEMBER 12, 19
Session 2: SATURDAYS: SEPTEMBER 14, 21
INSTRUCTOR: Matthew Kradel
LOCATION: White Hall, Room 133
TIME: Session I: 6–9 p.m.; Session II: 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
COST: $49
Learn how to: manage investment risks, use new tax laws to your advantage, make informed decisions about your company retirement plan, and adjust your estate plan to function properly under the new laws. Money is only one aspect of retirement planning. This course blends financial education with life planning to help you build wealth, align your money with your values, and achieve your retirement lifestyle goals. The goal is to provide high-quality, generic education without any mention of specific financial products or services. Couples may attend together for a single registration fee. Class sizes are limited.
WILD WRITERS RETREAT AT CAPON SPRINGS & FARMS
OCTOBER 14-17, 2024
INSTRUCTOR: Lee Doty
LOCATION: Capon Springs & Farms
COST: $485 or $455 for fall subscribers
The retreat offers a getaway for writers at all levels interested in developing their craft and expanding their writing community. This fall, as an experiment, the program will offer writing time without the usual workshops and critique sessions, so writers have uninterrupted time to write among supportive fellow writers. The spring program will include workshops led by award-winning authors, critique sessions for those interested in giving and receiving feedback on their work, and time to write in a Brigadoon-like environment. The low-key mountain resort is the perfect location not only for serious writing but also serious hiking, swimming, golfing, stargazing, fishing, and eating. Don’t forget the enjoyable cocktail hour on the writers’ porch where lively discussions prevail and close friendships begin. Please contact Lee Doty at rtdlwd@outlook.com on or after September 15, 2024, for a detailed schedule of the retreat. In the meantime, please email rtdlwd@outlook.com for additional inquires.
BROWN BAG LUNCHEON LECTURES
CULTIVATING COMPASSION: An Invitation
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
SPEAKER: Ethel Hornbeck
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
In this time of conflict, when powerful forces are working overtime to keep us angry, divided and afraid, compassion offers an antidote that we can all choose, study, and practice. Cultivating this most basic of human capacities can help us stay grounded, positive, and resilient— regardless of external circumstances. This presentation will explore some of the findings of contemporary compassion science and invite conversation around its basic questions. What is compassion (and what is it not)? Why is compassion important? Why is mindfulness such an important foundation? What is the role of self-compassion? What does practicing compassion look like in everyday life?
CHINESE AT WORK ON THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
SPEAKER: David Gordon, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: 12–1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
The effort to build the Transcontinental Railroad was like nothing that had ever been undertaken before: a track nearly 2,000 miles long, laid across a bewildering range of landscapes. The hardest part was building across the Sierra Nevada mountains, which included some of the coldest, snowiest places in the continental United States. Did you know that immigrants from China performed virtually all of the construction across the Sierras? In this presentation, we will take a look at these laborers: why they left China, what conditions they worked (and ate and slept) under, what they accomplished through their toil, and what became of them in the U.S. and Canada afterward. Though the “Railroad Chinese” weren’t permitted by the laws of the time to become U.S. citizens, they deserve an honored place in America’s history.
BETWEEN PEARL HARBOR AND MIDWAY: Turning Defeat Into Victory In The Pacific Theater During World War II
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
SPEAKER: Blane Ampthor
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: 12–1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
The six months between the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and Midway were a series of disasters for the Allied nations in the Pacific Theater. However, during several littleknown but important actions, heroes emerged and hardlearned lessons laid the foundation for later victory. This presentation will examine some of these key events and the personalities involved with them.
ENERGY IN THE REAL WORLD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
SPEAKER: James J. Eberhardt, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Auditorium
TIME: 1:10-2:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
The rapid evolution and rate of change that has occurred in our real world never ceases to amaze. This change is becoming more notable, noticed by everyday people across the planet, especially in the technological area of energy resource development and utilization — how these developments affect the growing population, and the impact on the environment in which we live.
In this Brown Bag lecture, Dr. James Eberhardt will lead and guide discussions about this rapid evolution of energy resources and end-use technologies. Utilizing the “Socratic Method,” Dr. Eberhardt welcomes participants to ask questions, exploring the wide-ranging topic that is energy and the potential and emerging technologies coming to the near future.
Some suggested technology areas for discussion include those most frequently mentioned presently in media outlets such as electric vehicles, solar and wind energy sources, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. (Please note: This is an after-lunch lecture in the auditorium. Please do not bring your lunch to this one!)
LIVING THE ELECTRIC LIFE: INTRODUCTION TO SOLAR ENERGY AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2
SPEAKER: Robert Fernatt
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
Learn about the basics of solar energy systems and electric vehicles for consumer use. This lecture will include a discussion about the types of equipment and what factors can make or break installation. The presentation will include real-life experiences of using both for many years, including costs, savings, and financial incentives that can make these technologies more affordable.
THE ART OF FACE READING AS A ROADMAP FOR LIFE
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9
SPEAKER: Natalie McGrorty
LOCATION: Zoom (or view in the Byrd Center Multipurpose Room)
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
Face reading is an ancient part of Chinese medicine. It is a powerful tool for health professionals worldwide and has many other lesser-known applications, such as hiring the right person for a job and matchmaking.
While our faces may show similarities to our family of origin, we each have a unique combination of features and markings that give clues to our personality, preferences, and unique gifts. The varying sizes and shapes of these features, their placement, symmetry, and coloration all reveal a great deal about our health, life preferences, and personality traits. Nothing is arbitrary. Equally, the lines, wrinkles, and other markings on the face show how we have expressed or repressed emotions throughout our lives and provide a map of significant life experiences that have occurred since conception. In this lecture, you will learn some of the potent ways in which face reading can help us make sense of life’s twists and turns and guide us to realize our fullest potential and most vibrant selves.
EARLY AMERICA’S FIGHT TO END SLAVERY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16
SPEAKER: Nancy Spannaus
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
Most Americans don’t realize it, but the revolutionary British American colonies and the young United States were the centers of the most vigorous anti-slavery activity in the world. Why did it not succeed? Could the Civil War have been prevented?
In her recently published book, Defeating Slavery: Hamilton’s American System Showed the Way (2023), public historian Nancy Spannaus argues that the crucial factor was the abandonment of the economic principles of Alexander Hamilton. Come hear Nancy discuss the often-ignored early anti-slavery movement and how Hamilton’s policies could have led to its success.
Spannaus is also the author of Hamilton Versus Wall Street: The Core Principles of the American System of Economics (2019). She has studied Hamilton’s political economy since the mid-1970s and believes they continue to be relevant today.
THE RIVER KWAI AND THE THAI BURMA RAILWAY
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23
SPEAKER: Jerry Collins
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
The 1957 film The Bridge Over the River Kwai is considered by many to be one of the best movies ever made, while others consider it a good movie, but bad history. The bridge depicted in the movie was one of 688 bridges of the Thai Burma Railway, a railway sometimes referred to as the “Death Railway.” To build it, the Japanese conscripted over 60,000 prisoners of war and roughly a quarter of a million Southeast Asian civilians. The railway extends 258 miles across treacherous mountainous terrain and crosses the Kwai River in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, the place where the film is set. Kanchanaburi today is a quiet town that contains three museums and offers tours of the surrounding area documenting the brutal treatment the conscripts endured. Jerry Collins has visited Kanchanaburi three times and, during this lecture, will attempt to tell the story of the railway and the men who built it. The story of the Thai Burma Railway is a story of deprivation, cruelty, and death, but Collins will provide an uplifting story that may surprise the audience.
CONFUSED ABOUT MEDICARE?
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25
SPEAKER: Judie Marshall
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: Free
Come learn the Medicare alphabet of parts A, B, C, and D. Detailed descriptions will be discussed for each part, eligibility, and how it applies to you or someone in your family. Handouts will also be available. (Please note: This is a Friday lecture.)
DEATH CAFÉ – Compassionate Conversation About A Difficult Topic
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30
SPEAKER: Tracy Seffers
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
Tracy Seffers is a Death Café facilitator and an end-of-life doula. In both roles she is part of a growing movement to normalize conversations around death and dying, providing education and open-forum discussions without judgement, fear, or stigma. The Death Café’s objective “is to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives.” As a Death Café facilitator, Seffers brings no agenda of her own, no special presentations or guest speakers - the people around the table set the agenda for the day.
Join Seffers for a compassionate conversation and deep welcome, a surprising amount of laughter, and (because Death Cafés originated in the United Kingdom) tea and cake! Bring your favorite mug — as well as your stories, your fears, and your questions — and relax into the conversation, ready to learn and share your own wisdom with your neighbors.
FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7
SPEAKER: Carol Richmond, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Robert C. Byrd Center, Multipurpose Room
TIME: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
COST: Free
“The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given situation.” Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl
This interactive session will explore the Seven Pillars of Happiness as they relate to today and our choices. The basic science of happiness, based on Marci Shimoff’s book Happy for No Reason (2008), will be shared and discussed. Stress is harmful to ourselves and others. In these stressful times let’s come together for learning, support, and renewal as we choose our positive responses to life events for our growth and freedom. As Frankl said: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” In this lecture, you will explore ways to tap into this freedom and enjoy greater happiness. (Please note: This is a Thursday morning lecture.)
DID VOTERS SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY NOVEMBER 5?
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25
SPEAKER: Daryl Glenney and Mike Pieper
LOCATION: Zoom Only
TIME: Noon-1:30 p.m.
COST: $15; Free for fall subscribers, Shepherd students and employees
After many months of campaigns punctuated with anger and outrage, character assaults, threats of violence, and ceaseless shouts of “liar, liar, pants on fire,” American voters will go to the polls on November 5. There will be winners and there will be losers. But likely still undecided: How did our democracy fare?
Join fellow Lifelong Learning political groupies in celebrating or commiserating — your choice, all opinions are welcome and respected. We will look at an election cycle that will go down in history, one that will challenge our value systems, the wisdom of our forefathers, our Constitutional rights, and even our system of government itself.
Some provocative questions: Was the “white rural rage” alleged by writers and pundits a factor in the outcome of the presidential race? Did women across the country turn out to elect candidates who support reproductive rights? Was there a significant partisan shift among Black and Latino voters? What strategies and messages persuaded the “tuned out” young people and so-called disengaged voters we heard so much about? Most important, how can we heal the democracy we have wounded? (Please note: This is a Monday lecture.)
PRESIDENT’S LECTURE SERIES
Shepherd University President Dr. Mary J.C. Hendrix has created this distinguished lecture series for the campus and community, and it has become part of the Lifelong Learning Program.
All lectures, which are free and open to the public, take place in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium. These lectures will also be live-streamed on the Shepherd University YouTube channel.
SCIENCE FICTION OR FACT? Artificial Intelligence Risk and What To Do About It
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 | 6:30 p.m.
SPEAKER: Harriet Pearson, Founder & CEO, Axia Advisory LLC
AI-powered systems can boost human productivity, but they also may present biased or inaccurate results. In the hands of malicious actors, AI-enabled content and capabilities can also be used to disrupt elections and democracy itself. AI may even pose an existential threat to humanity, according to some experts.
What’s fact and what’s speculative? What can be done to protect our institutions and individuals? Drawing on more than three decades of technology, business, and regulatory experience, Harriet Pearson will present a birds-eye view of AI risk and reward, including:
• AI in action: Examples
• Implications of widespread use of AI
• What is being done now to promote responsible AI and protect against harm
WHAT DOES POLITICAL RHETORIC OWE DEMOCRACY?
MONDAY, OCTOBER 28 | 6:30 p.m.
SPEAKER: Peter Loge, Director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington University
American democracy is the process by which we decide how to divvy up the stuff and what to do next. People make the best argument for their ideas, we hold a vote, do what we voted to do, and then argue some more. Democracy isn’t the outcome, it’s the process. Democracy is both a means and an end. In this light, when we engage in politics — when we “do” political communication — we have an ethical obligation to politics itself. The broader and better the conversation, and the better those arguments are, the stronger our democracy is. The narrower and worse the conversation and arguments, the weaker our democracy gets. Join this presentation to learn about what our ethical obligations look like to ensure and improve our democratic conversation.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18 | 6:30 p.m.
SPEAKER: Scott Widmeyer, Founding Managing Partner, and Chief Strategy Officer at FINN Partners
Fresh off the critical November 5 elections, political and public affairs strategist Scott Widmeyer, who also co-chairs The Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications, will share his thoughts on how civility scored in the 2024 election cycle. He will tackle a series of key questions, including:
• Why are Americans tuned out and disillusioned with politics?
• What hopeful signs became more evident vis-à-vis civility coming out of the November elections?
• How can colleges like Shepherd and programs like Stubblefield change the equation?
TOURS AND TRAVEL
International Tours
GREECE ISLAND HOPPER:
PLEASE NOTE: Shepherd University travel insurance is required for all national and international tours. Premier World Discovery or Collette travel protection plans are also available.
Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini
APRIL 24 – MAY 4, 2025
This is Collette-guided travel. For more information, visit https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1198423
COST: Double occupancy: $4,999
Single occupancy: $6,299
Triple occupancy: $4,949
Book by August 25, 2024, for the listed rates. After August 25, call for rates.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Taverna Dinner Show
• Acropolis
• The Parthenon
• Mykonos Old Town
• Oia Village
• Ancient Akrotiri
• Wine Tasting
INCLUSIONS:
• Roundtrip airfare - IAD
• 14 meals: 9 breakfasts; 1 lunch; 4 dinners
• Transportation
• All Booking and tour fees
CANADIAN MARITIMES AND COASTAL WONDERS
JUNE 15 – 25, 2025
This is Collette-guided travel. For more information, visit https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1270509
COST: Double occupancy: $4,699
Single occupancy: $5,699
Triple occupancy: $4,649
Book by December 15, 2024, for the listed rates. After December 15, call for rates.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Halifax
• Peggy’s Cove
• Mahone Bay
• Lunenburg
• Choice of Tour: Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic or Walking Tour of Lunenburg
• Cape Breton Island
• Cabot Trail
• Prince Edward Island
• Anne of Green Gables Museum
• Hopewell Rocks
• Fundy Trail
• Grand Pré National Historic Site
• Wine Tasting
INCLUSIONS:
• Roundtrip airfare - IAD
• 16 meals: 10 breakfasts; 2 lunch; 4 dinners
• Transportation
• All Booking and tour fees
AFRICAN SAFARI: KENYA & TANZANIA
SEPTEMBER 2025
This is Collette-guided travel.
COST: Information coming soon! Visit the Lifelong Learning website for the final dates and cost: www.shepherd.edu/lifelonglearning.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• See how a local workshop empowers citizens with disabilities through the Shanga Project.
• Get a peek into the daily lives of two local tribes at Lake Eyasi.
• Seek out the elusive “Big 5” on 12 different game drives.
• Visit Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa farmhouse and feed the sanctuary’s Rothschild giraffes.
• Spend three nights on the legendary Serengeti, home to seemingly infinite wildlife.
• Gaze out at the legendary Mt. Kilimanjaro.
• Enjoy five picnic lunches on your game drives, taking in the natural landscape around you.
INCLUSIONS:
• Roundtrip airfare - IAD
• 38 meals over 15 days: 13 breakfasts; 13 lunch; 12 dinners
• Transportation
• All Booking and tour fees
GRAND HAWAIIAN ADVENTURE: Four Islands
NOVEMBER 9 – 20, 2025
This is Collette-guided travel. For more information, visit https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1270494
COST: Double occupancy: $7,999
Single occupancy: $10,499
Triple occupancy: $7,899
Book by May 9, 2025, for the listed rates. After May 9, call for rates.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Waikiki Beach
• Pearl Harbor
• Iolani Palace
• Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
• Polynesian Luau
• Kona Highlights
• Iao Valley
• Waimea Canyon
INCLUSIONS:
• Roundtrip airfare - IAD
• 16 meals: 11 breakfasts; 5 dinners
• Transportation
• All Booking and tour fees
MAGICAL CHRISTMAS MARKETS OF AUSTRIA AND GERMANY
DECEMBER 14 – 21, 2025
This is Collette-guided travel.
COST: Double occupancy: $4,399
Single occupancy: $4,899
Triple occupancy: $4,349
Book by June 16, 2024, for the listed rates. After June 16, call for rates.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• Innsbruck
• Choice of Tour: Innsbruck City Tour or Museum of Tyrolean Heritage
• Seefeld
• Carriage Ride
• Salzburg
• St. Peter’s Restaurant
• Linderhof Palace
• Oberammergau
• Munich
• Christmas Markets
INCLUSIONS:
• Roundtrip airfare - IAD
• 10 meals: 6 breakfasts; 1 lunch; 3 dinners
• Transportation
• All Booking and tour fees
Day Tours
Day trips are coming soon! Please visit www. shepherd.edu/lifelonglearning for updated day trips. For email notifications of new day trips being offered, join the Lifelong Learning listserv by emailing Lucinda Powers a Lpowers@shepherd.edu with a request to add you to the listserv.
To access the full brochures and registration forms, please go to the “Tours” section of the Lifelong Learning webpage: www.shepherd.edu/ lifelonglearning.
INTEREST GROUPS
Interest groups are an integral part of the Lifelong Learning Programs, providing opportunities to learn and socialize outside the classroom. Types of groups could include hiking, reading, sewing, dancing, and photography. We would like to incorporate additional interest groups into the Lifelong Learning Program. If you would like to volunteer to facilitate an interest group, please contact Lucinda Powers at Lpowers@shepherd.edu.
THE “LEGENDARY” PHILIP ROTH INTEREST GROUP
CONTACT: Mark Kohut | mark.kohut@gmail.com
For four years, a dedicated group has been meeting to discuss writer Philip Roth’s work with frequent trips to the Philip Roth Museum at the Newark Library and guest speakers. We are two books away from finishing his whole oeuvre, 29 novels and two works of non-fiction. We meet Monday mornings at 9 a.m., at 50 pages a week. Slow reading like slow drinking. Join anytime, leave anytime, come back anytime.
MINDFUL MEDITATION PRACTICE GROUP
CONTACT: Michael P. Kemp | jmk369@gmail.com
In this group, we explore strategies for coping with personal, social, and global issues within the context of mindfulness and meditation. No prior knowledge or practice necessary. The approach is secular in nature and based upon Vipassanā Buddhism, known as mindfulness or insight meditation in the West. A different topic is covered each week followed by a meditation of 20-30 minutes also based on that theme. Group members then discuss that week’s topic and the meditation. Led by MIchael Kemp, with a 45-year background in mindfulness and meditation, the group meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30pm in the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History & Education, room 164, with a Zoom option. Free and open to the public.
TRAVEL
CONTACT: Sheila Vertino | sheilavertino@yahoo.com
This is a new interest group for people who love to travel. We can explore things like destinations, tour companies, packing tips, and any other aspects of travel. Contact Sheila Vertino and let her know if you prefer to meet morning, afternoon, or evening.
GUITAR INTEREST GROUP
CONTACT: Marty Amerikaner | marty.amerikaner@gmail.com
This is a group for guitarists who simply enjoy (or think they might enjoy) getting together with others as we strum our way through favorite tunes. We meet every Monday at 3 p.m.. The format is simple — we take turns “calling” songs from our list of tunes (classic rock, folk, pop, etc.) and play through them. Lots of laughs, nothing too hard, and we learn from each other along the way. If you know the basic major, minor and 7th chords, you’re right with us. We keep our tunes in an app called Songbook Pro, so access to a tablet is useful.
SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY
Dates and times are subject to change. For current information, please visit www.shepherd.edu/lifelong-learning/
CONTACT: Frank McCluskey | Frankmccluskey11@gmail.com
Around the world, the hundreds of Holmes societies have been beloved for their mix of scholarship with tongue-firmly-in-cheek (as Dorothy Sayers said of her Holmes associations). We hope to meet four times a year for a spirited discussion of Holmes, Victorian literature, and all things London of 1895. We will toast, have a short presentation, and good fellowship.
Lecture Dates
BROWN BAG LECTURES
September
9/4 Cultivating Compassion: An Invitation
9/11 Chinese at Work on the Transcontinental Railroad
9/18 Between Pearl Harbor and Midway: Turning Defeat into Victory in the Pacific Theater During WWII
9/25 Energy in the Real World
October
10/2 Living the Electric Life: Introduction to Solar Energy and Electric Vehicles
10/9 The Art of Face Reading as a Roadmap for Life
10/16 Early America’s Fight to End Slavery
10/23 The River Kwai and the Thai Burma Railway
10/25 Confused about Medicare?
10/30 Death Café - Compassionate Conversation About a Difficult Topic
November
11/7 Freedom and Happiness
11/25 Did Voters Save Our Democracy November 5?
PRESIDENT’S LECTURES
September
9/24 Science Fiction or Fact? Artificial Intelligence Risk and What To Do About It
October
10/28 What Does Political Rhetoric Owe Democracy?
November
11/18 Where Do We Go from Here?
THANKS
Many thanks to our Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program volunteer course instructors, lecturers, class assistants, advisory committee and donors. Our hats are off to those individuals who have generously donated their money, time and talent in 2024 to the Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program. Please join me in thanking them:
Stephen Altman
Marty Amerikaner, Ph.D.
Blane Ampthor
Marcele Bartlett*
Stephen Bartlett
Daniel Bennett
Roger Bernstein*
Mike Binder
James Broomall, Ed.D.*
Cindy Calhoun
Edward Calhoun
Michelle Casuccio
Richard Casuccio, M.D.*
Sandy Cavalier*
Clare Chesnavage
Pam Clark
Jacquelyn Cole, Ph.D.
Jerry Collins
Pam Curtis
Ross Curtis
Rev. Terry Culler
Kay Dartt
Heidi Dobish, Ph.D.*
Lee Doty
James Eberhardt, Ph.D.
Robert Fernatt
Daryl Glenney
Stephen A, Goldman, Ph.D.
David Gordon, Ph.D.
Bill Hiatt
*denotes Advisory Committee member
Donna Hiatt
Ethel Hornbeck
Laraine Jimenez*
Susan Kern
Michael Kemp
Mark Kohut*
Matthew Kradel
Rachel Krantz, Ph.D.
Bruce Lapham
Carol Lapham
Wil Laska
Claudine Lebeau
Gregory Leck
Jonathan Locust, Ph.D.
Peter Loge, Ph.D.
Judith Marshall
Frank McCluskey, Ph.D.*
Natalie McGrorty
Peggy McKowen
Mike Mendez
Leslie Miller
Sytil Murphy, Ph.D.
Art Murray, Ph.D.
Harriet Pearson
Michael Pieper
Douglas Poole
Wolfgang Pordzik
David Rampy
Leah Rampy
Maylene Reisbig*
Carol Richmond, Ph.D.
Lynne D. Riley
Dianne Roman
Tracy Seffers
Kent Shaffer
Michael Sherwin, Ph.D.
Stephanie Slocum-Schaffer, Ph.D.
Bob Smiles*
Ellen Smith
The Honorable R. Grant Smith
Nicole Smith
Sara Smith
Raymond Smock, Ph.D.
Nancy Spannus
John Spears, Ph.D.
Lois Spreen
Jim Surkamp
Robert Szarka, Ph.D.
Linda Tate, Ph.D.
Eric Thompson
Lloyd Tomlinson
Fred Turco
Sheila Vertino
Robert Warburton, Ph.D.
Scott Widmeyer
Melanie Winter
Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
Contemporary American Theater Festival
Fall 2024 Registration Form
Please complete one registration form per person. For additional registration forms, please visit www.shepherd.edu/lifelonglearning.com.
NAME: _______________________________________________________________________________________________
EMAIL:______________________________________ ___ PHONE: ____________________________
O I would like to volunteer in the Lifelong Learning Program. Please contact me.
COURSES - $75 per course OR $185 for subscription to unlimited fall courses and lectures ($93 for a spouse/partner)
O Challenges to American Democracy
O Mindfulness and Meditation: Strategies for Living in Uncertain Times
O The Symphonies of Beethoven
O This IS Rocket Science - An Introduction to Space Propulsion
O Barbara Kingsolver: Demon Copperhead
O Café Society Discussion Group (FREE)
O Adults as Learners
O World History in Modern Times
O A (Tragi-) Comedy of Errors: Psychological Distortions, Biases and Processes That Make America Crazy Again….and Again
O American Stories: A Sense of Place
O Madness, Truth, and Immortality in Plato’s Phaedrus
O Apocalypse: The End is Near
O More Tales from the Galaxy
SPECIAL OFFERINGS
O Advanced Open Lab - $260 or $200 with a fall subscription
O Wild Writers Retreat - $485 or $455 with a fall subscription
O Poems Inspired With Paintings
O Current International Issues Discussion Group
O Actions for Happiness and Conscious Living
O Striding Along With Julia Cameron
O Oppenheimer, the Atom Bomb, and the Red Scare
O My Goddess Gave Birth to Your God (as the Bumper Sticker Says)
O Green Architecture
O Cultivating Compassion: From Personal Wholeness to World Peace
O Back by Popular Demand: Memoir Seminar
O Charles Town, WV: Thoroughbreds, Washingtons, John Brown, and More
O Anna Karenina to the Max
O Sketchbook Staycation
Retirement Planning Today Workshop - $49
O Session I – Thursdays
O Session II - Saturdays
BROWN BAG LECTURES - $15 each, or free with the fall subscription
O 9/4 - Cultivating Compassion: An Invitation
O 9/11 - Chinese at Work on the Transcontinental Railroad
O 9/18 - Between Pearl Harbor and Midway: Turning Defeat into Victory in the Pacific Theater During WWII
O 9/25 - Energy in the Real World
O 10/2 - Living the Electric Life: Introduction to Solar Energy and Electric Vehicles
O 10/9 - The Art of Face Reading as a Roadmap for Life
O 10/16 - Early America’s Fight to End Slavery
O 10/23 - The River Kwai and the Thai Burma Railway
O 10/25 - Confused about Medicare?
O 10/30 - Death Café - Compassionate Conversation About a Difficult Topic
O 11/7 - Freedom and Happiness
O 11/25 - Did Voters Save Our Democracy November 5?
PRESIDENT’S LECTURES - Free
O 9/24 - Science Fiction or Fact? Artificial Intelligence Risk and What To Do About It
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION
NAME: _____________________________________
O 10/28 - What Does Political Rhetoric Owe Democracy? O 11/18 - Where Do We Go from Here?
SPOUSE/PARTNER’S NAME: ____________________________________
ALUM OF SHEPHERD? O YES O NO CLASS YEAR: _______________________
ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________________________________
O Please add me to the mailing list for the Lifelong Learning catalogs.
How did you learn about these Lifelong Learning courses, lectures and trips? (Check all that apply)
O Email O Brochure in mail O Picked up brochure in community
O Newspaper article O Word of Mouth O Other___________________
PAYMENT
O I purchased a Gold Membership in 2024 (all courses and lectures are free for Fall 2024.)
O I purchased a Silver Membership in 2024 (all lectures are free for Fall 2024.)
O I am purchasing a fall subscription. - $185
O I am purchasing a spouse/partner subscription - $93 (Spouse/partner’s name: __________________________)
O I am paying for individual classes and lectures.
# of courses: _________________ x $75 = ___________ # of Brown Bag Lectures: _______ x $15 = _________
Total for classes and lectures = __________________
Total for special offerings = ______________________
TOTAL FEE = ______________________
O Check (Make payable to Shepherd University) OR
O Credit Card: O VISA O MasterCard O Discover O American Express Card #: _____________________________________ Expiration Date: ___________________ Security Code: ______________
Billing address: O Same as above. __________________________________________________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
O I would like to support the Lifelong Learning Program with my tax-deductible gift.
Your gift helps us provide excellent lifelong learning opportunities. Thank you!
O Check (Make payable to Shepherd University Foundation) OR
O Donation using the above credit card information for the amount of: _______________________
Mail registration form, course schedule, and payment to: Shepherd University Lifelong Learning Program Office of Continuing Education, Attn: Cindy Powers P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, WV 25443
