Julie L. Mitchell, who has been at UD for 38 years, is the executive director of special programs and continuing education. Mitchell has been there since the inception of UD’s Lifelong Learning programs in 1994, and she said that when she presented the idea of Lifelong Learning during a luncheon, a core group of 12 stepped in to make it possible.
“There were already people at that point that were interested in combining their love of learning with maybe travel, going to different places in the country or learning about a particular subject,” she said. “It’s usually just people interested in learning for the fun of it. That’s the joy of programs like these. No tests and no grades. You’re just learning.”
UDOLLI began in 1994 as the University of Dayton Institute for Learning in Retirement or UDILR. Since 2004, it has been a member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Network. UDOLLI offers seminars and special events throughout the year for the cost of $80 each for the fall, winter and spring sessions.
Credit: Chris West
Credit: Chris West
A committee selects the curriculum on the basis of member requests, the expertise of moderators, variety and balance. Moderators include UD professors and community professionals who lead peer-to-peer informal discussion seminars. Typically, seminars meet once a week for two hours over a six-week period, and the seminars can be on a variety of subjects.
“We tend to organize more around the academic,” Mitchell said. “We look at people’s interest in the humanities. That’s where our real interest is, so things like history, social sciences, literature, and then we have this opportunity to do fun kinds of things.”
One of the seminars this fall is a fun one; it’s called Jewish Comedians, which will be led by a retired business owner. The seminar will look at the sources of Jewish humor and weave history throughout. Other seminar topics include WWII Spies and Cybersecurity. While the main goal is learning, Mitchell said the events become more than that.
“They enjoy the seminars and the subjects that we offer,” Mitchell said. “But it’s the building of friendships and those relationships with people who are like-minded who just enjoy doing the same kinds of things or learning the same kinds of things. And then those friendships continue to exist outside the program.”
Mitchell said she really saw this during the pandemic when they weren’t able to get up and running on Zoom until the fall of 2020. Once they figured out the virtual world, members were so thankful to have the connection with others again.
The enrollment is rebounding nicely since the pandemic, she said.
In 1994, 98 people were signed up with UDOLLI. In 2019, that number had grown to 680 people. During the fall, there will be 84 seminars offered. While things are going well, Mitchell said there is always room for improvement in certain areas.
“We would like a more diversified group of people participating in programs like these, so that’s really something we are trying to figure out how best to make happen for our programs,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also said they are looking at offering some intergenerational learning since they are on a college campus. She said that the younger group of students at UDOLLI, ages 50-60, is growing, so they have added some seminars on Zoom and in the evening to accommodate as many people as possible.
UDOLLI will kick off its 30th anniversary on Sept. 15 with a prayer service to bless the upcoming year and an ice cream social. Mitchell said they are trying to revamp some of the special events offered throughout the year. One of the special events in October will be a guitar recital. She also said they hope to have a big party in June to celebrate the end of the year.
“My favorite part of my job is that I have the opportunity to work with adult students across the continuum,” Mitchell said. “Some of the work I do involves adults who are looking to come back to school. Maybe they’ve completed that undergraduate degree and they need prerequisites for a graduate program or professional development. I like having the opportunity to work with adults of all ages and help them achieve their educational goals.”
More details
For more information on UDOLLI, call 937-229-2347 or visit the website at udayton.edu/continuing_education/senior_programs/udolli.
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