Belfast Senior College’s fall semester begins Thursday, September 15 with three morning and three afternoon classes which, after a hiatus of more than two years, resume in-person classes at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center.
Two of these courses will be “hybrid” courses, available on Zoom as well as in person, using interactive technology. There are also five free ‘Brown Bag’ lunchtime classes that are free and open to the public, covering topics of importance and interest to all Mainers. Additionally, there will be three Zoom-only classes beginning in October.
“This affordable program is entering its twenty-first year with a range of course materials that are sure to appeal to everyone,” Senior College spokesman Richard Koralek said in a press release.
Registration is open now for all classes. Registration fees for courses other than Brown Bag offerings range from $24 to $37. A $25 annual fee to Belfast Senior College is required to enroll, and courses are designed to appeal to anyone over 50. Membership and registration can be done online at belfastseniorcollege.org.
Classes will include discussions on Bob Dylan and Walt Whitman, Toni Morrison and Mark Twain, drawing, playing bridge, living frugally, bogs, Sears Island and a new documentary film about Maine artist Eric Hopkins. Other courses cover online dating “for mature beginners”, Plato, a virtual “mysterious tour” of the British Isles and the career of Maine poet laureate Stuart Kestenbaum.
Senior College fall semester instructors include Kestenbaum, Nancy Perkins, Chair of the Belfast Senior College Board, Susan White of Friends of Sears Island, Annette Naegel of the Georges River Land Trust, filmmaker Dale Schierholt, Wendy Kasten, Arlin Larson, artist Sandi Cirillo, Peter Reilly, Juliet Baker, Carol Gator, John McClenahen and Donna Telerico.
“We are very excited about the fall semester,” said board chairman Perkins. “Senior College provides stimulation, knowledge, social interaction and fun for people aged 50 and over. Spouses and partners of members of any age are also welcome to become members, and membership and course fees are deliberately kept low. Scholarships are also available.
The Hutchinson Center at the University of Maine provides Zoom services and classrooms for Senior College, which is an independent, all-volunteer nonprofit organization. Its winter semester begins in January, the spring session in April and the summer semester begins next June.
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