Super seniors: Auditors enjoy UWM classes Thirteen years ago, Russ Eisenberg took his first class at UWM. And then he took a history class. And a linguistics course. And a business ethics class. And then a class in political science. Today, he’s still not done learning. “You have to get out in the world and see what’s new,” Eisenberg said. “The world changes. There are different views. Professors can explain the newest research to you.” That’s why Eisenberg and his wife, Merzy, are senior auditors at UWM. The pair are happy grandparents, are retired, and love learning new things. Each enjoyed a long career; Merzy was the founding Hebrew/Jewish Studies teacher at Milwaukee Jewish Day School, and Russ was a lawyer and then a bankruptcy judge in the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. In addition to classes, they are busy with music Russ with piano, and Merzy singing in four choirs. Russ also does some pro-bono photography work. They’re taking advantage of Wisconsin’s senior auditors program. Any Wisconsin resident age 60 or older can audit classes at any UW System institution without charge. There are exceptions; some professors choose not to allow auditors in their classes. Homework? Tests? Not a problem – auditors are not required to complete them, though they can if they want. Russ Eisenberg was teaching a class at University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison when he first learned about the senior auditor program. Curious, he enrolled in a class at UWM and found himself impressed by the caliber of the professors and the quality of the classes.
10 • IN FOCUS • December, 2019
Merzy and Russ Eisenberg are enjoying their retirement after long, successful careers. These days, they enjoy auditing UWM classes. Seniors in Wisconsin may audit almost any class offered at UW institutions for free. Photo courtesy of Merzy Eisenberg.
“UWM has outstanding professors, fine education, and it’s nearby,” he said. “Both Merzy and I believe that people, especially those who reside in the greater Milwaukee area, are fortunate to be near UWM because UWM has some truly outstanding instructors.” Consequently, he and Merzy choose which classes to take based on the professors they find particularly interesting. Between the two of them, they’ve taken a linguistics class with Fred Eckman, a class on Russian history with Christine Evans, and a business ethics course with Mike Freimark, a lecturer in the Lubar School of Business. They began with a course in Jewish Studies taught by Rachel Baum.
“Now (Freimark) has me come back once a year to teach a class on business ethics and responsibility from the perspective of a bankruptcy judge,” Russ Eisenberg said. In fact, many professors find that senior auditors have a lot to contribute to classes. “It gives my instruction such a boost to have senior auditors participate in my courses,” said history professor Amanda Seligman. “Imagine: people who could do just about anything with their time choose to spend three hours a week learning about history from me! Senior auditors bring so much to the classroom: they model curiosity and excitement about life-learning, they ask great
