Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Politics sparks interest in lifelong learning courses
South Florida’s lifelong learning programs are having a banner year, and at least some of the credit goes to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
The programs, which cater to seniors who love to learn, frequently have lectures by local political science and history professors. And the heated presidential campaign has provided greater fodder for classes and increased interest from students.
“In the fall, we had a blockbuster preview of the election and a post-election analysis, and both sold out 1,000 seats in 24 hours,” said Herbert Shapiro, runs the lifelong learning program on FAU’s Boca Raton campus. “They were the fastestselling programs in our history.”
The programs are kicking off their winter season Monday, with more political lectures, as well as sessions on the Middle East, jazz, Broadway shows and many other topics.
While normal student enrollment has been flat at schools like Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and Nova Southeastern University in Davie, lifelong learning programs are experiencing record growth.
The University of Miami and Florida International University, west of Miami, also have popular lifelong learning programs, as do several cities and libraries in the region.
Program officials say they are continuing to broaden the appeal of the classes and are keeping up with current affairs. Lecturers generally submit proposals that are reviewed by committees. Committee members often check out YouTube videos of first-time lecturers and review evaluations of those who pre
sented in the past.
At NSU, students can learn about Picasso, Florida tourism before Disney, race and nationality in the United States and crimes, criminals and spies.
FAU’s Boca Raton program includes topics such as “Divided America: American Democracy in Review,” “Religion and Politics in the Middle East” and “The New Normal: Emerging Sexual and Gender Identifies,” the first such class on LGBT issues.
FAU’s programs are the largest of their kind in the country. The Boca Raton program surpassed 11,000 registrations in the fall, more twice as many as the university had in 2010, Shapiro said.
Audrey Sterenfeld has been attending classes at FAU since she moved from Long Island to Boca Raton 18 years ago.
“Friends said to me, what are you going to do when you retire? You don’t play golf or cards?’ ” Sterenfeld recalled. “The lady who sold us the house told me there’s a wonderful program at Florida Atlantic University.”
And Sterenfeld said it’s only gotten better. Years ago, most classes lasted eight weeks, which she said was a long commitment. Today, she said there are plenty of four-week classes and single events. FAU has also started offering more classes at night.
FAU’s Jupiter program, run separately from the Boca Raton program, also has been growing in recent years, now exceeding more than 10,000 registrations a semester, said Kami BarrettBatchelder, associate director of the program.
“You have a lot of individuals who retire to South Florida, and this is a very affluent area,” she said. “They are very well educated and want to keep their minds stimulated and healthy. This is a generation that truly values education.”
NSU’s program is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and is offering a free preview of all of its classes Monday through Thursday.
The program is than ones at FAU, but enrollment has increased about 5 to 10 percent every year, said Linda Maurice, who directs the NSU program. Whereas students pay a per-class fee in the FAU programs, they paid a yearly fee at NSU and have access to all the classes. Last year’s enrollment was about 286 students.
“Our program is designed for people who want to come on a regular basis,” Maurice said. “You pay about $500 a year and there’s a social environment.”
Most NSU classes have about 80 to 100 students, she said. The university has also been expanding its reach, offering classes at community centers, city halls and residential communities. The program is now at 24 sites, Maurice said.