While some students are at Sinclair Community College to get the training they need to start a career, an older group of students are using the institution to keep their brains healthy, active and strong. Lifelong learners, mostly from the baby boomers generation, make up almost 30 percent of the college’s 26,000 enrollment, according to Anne Holaday, coordinator of the College for Lifelong Learning.
The College of Lifelong Learning at Sinclair offers a variety of credit classes that cover everything from accounting to theatre, as well as seminars and workshops that are non-credit during the year that anyone can attend. More than 25 senior and community centers in the Dayton area offer courses and people who have reached the age of 60 or better can attend tuition-free by auditing the classes. Seminars and workshop prices range from free to $75.
“Our students who have reached that magic number of 60 they don’t pay tuition, but they do pay lab fees, purchase the books or whatever other fees are associated with the class. We have about 2,200 to 2,400 students who audit classes each quarter.” Holaday said. “We try to at least offer some things (seminars and workshops) that are free so that people who are on a very limited budget or fixed income still have the opportunity to be a part of the program.”
The workshops and seminars are broken up into five categories: New Directions, Health & Well Being, Computers & Technology, Art & Entertainment, and History & Culture. Wrinkle Busters, Laughter Yoga, James M Cox: The Homestead and Starbucks tasting are just a few different things offered within those categories.
“New directions is for people who are thinking about a new career or going back to work – recognizing your value. So much of the time folks at our age who are trying to find another job feel a little intimidated, feel a little discouraged,” Holaday said. “So in that class people learn what the value is that they bring to the table and how to let a potential employer know that ‘well what I can give you is I can give you a lot of experience. I can give my keen sense of responsibility.’”
Classes that are popular with lifelong learners include self-defense with a cane, Dayton’s rich culture and history, and computer classes.
“The computer classes are popular because people are trying to figure out how to use these machines. We didn’t grow up with these things,” Holaday said. “But people want to be able to communicate with their children and grandchildren, see pictures and mail pictures. We have had a gentleman who was 102 taking the beginning PC and beginning word class.”
While most classes are aimed for an older age group, Holaday does encourage intergenerational opportunities by attending classes or workshops with a child or grandchild.
“I want people to realize that age is just a number,” Holaday said. “There’s nothing to say that we can’t learn; we can learn at any age.”
The College of Lifelong Learning holds an annual SEEK conference during the summer that allows students to register for classes and attend several workshops throughout the day. This year included guest speaker Jim Baldridge, retired news anchor from Channel 7 and sessions that covered using social media tools and budgeting for financial freedom. To see photos and video from the conference go to www.sinclairclarion.com.
To learn more about lifelong learning and see their schedule go to www.sinclair.edu/lifelong.
Check out the gallery under SEEK Conference for more pictures.