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| Returning to college to take courses can be rewarding |
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After retiring from a local manufacturing company, Craig Davis of Ligonier learned about the possibility of senior citizens auditing courses at Saint Vincent College and enrolled in a Religious Studies class.
That was twelve years ago, and since that time he has taken courses at Saint Vincent each semester, joining a number of community members who have found that auditing college classes as a mature student with the benefit of wisdom – and no tests or papers – can be enjoyable.
“I started with the course, Exploring Religious Meaning, taught by Dr. Mary Ann Getty, and I have to thank her for getting me started down this road and encouraging me to continue learning,” Mr. Davis says after having taken three dozen courses. “All my teachers have been great.”
He took two more courses from Dr. Getty, including Apostle Paul and Synoptic Gospels, before taking several classes with Rabbi Jason Edelstein and later a class on World Religions taught by Fr. Thomas Hart, O.S.B.
“History has always been an interest of mine so I moved on to that department and discovered Dr. Susan Sommers,” Mr. Davis says. “Susan has energy, and this energy carries over to her students and their willingness to learn. Over a seven-year period, I have audited five different subjects that she has taught – each one better than the last.”
Another class Mr. Davis recalls with fondness focused on the subject of Freedom and was team-taught by Fr. Rene Kollar, O.S.B., Dr. Brad Watson and Dr. Andy Herr. “This class met once a week for 13 weeks and was really designed to bring out the best in the students. They argued, discussed and challenged each other to the point where I am no longer wondering about the future of our country – it will be in good hands,” Mr. Davis says.
Another community member, Lou Steiner of Ligonier, who has been auditing classes for seven years, also has been impressed by Saint Vincent students. “The Saint Vincent students are always polite and serious about their work, and I’ve never felt like I’m too much of an outsider.”
Now retired from a career in banking, he had majored in English at Dickinson College and retained a love for reading so he has especially enjoyed a number of classes taught by members of the English Department faculty. “A course on Romantic literature taught by Dr. William Snyder got me started,” Mr. Steiner recalls. He has gone on to take a variety of literature classes, among them poetry, Victorian era literature and Greek literature. In addition, he also has enrolled in classes on Renaissance art, European history, even a music course.
“I work hard to get ready for class, and I’ve really enjoyed it,” he says, noting that he intends to continue taking classes.
When the new course schedule comes out each semester, Renee Holmes of Ligonier checks to see what might interest her. Since retiring in 1995 as a French teacher and librarian at Valley School of Ligonier, she has enjoyed auditing and felt welcomed in her classes at Saint Vincent. So far she has taken 20 classes.
“Every semester I look for something to take in the time period that’s convenient for me. I’ve chosen classes in literature, history, religion, fine arts, history and philosophy. Thanks to some literature classes I have read books that I never would have otherwise. The classroom discussion added so much to my understanding and pleasure of the well-chosen texts.”
Dr. Wylie Overly, a retired physician who resides in Latrobe, has taken six classes since he began taking courses each fall semester since 2000. Five of the courses have been in the Religious Studies Department and a sixth was in the History Department.
He began by taking a class on the U.S. Congress and has gone on to take courses focusing on subjects as different as Islam and the History of Religion in America. “They were all fantastic,” he says of the classes. “That Saint Vincent makes these courses available to the public is wonderful; it’s a tremendous outreach to the community.”
When Adelaide “Tad” Murphy, also of Ligonier, earned a degree in medical technology at Colorado College years ago, she had to focus on the sciences and didn’t have an opportunity to take as many courses in other disciplines as she would have liked.
Fast forward a number of years and at a time when some people enjoy their retirement years on the golf course or by getting involved in hobbies, she and her husband, John, began taking classes at Saint Vincent College.
Mrs. Murphy says she and her husband have taken a number of classes over the years in a variety of disciplines including psychology, religion, history and philosophy.
“We loved all the courses and all of the teachers,” she says.
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