NEW EIN WEB POSTINGS FOR AUGUST
Under MANAGING YOUR LLI
Class Representatives – ILEAD Program, NH
A History of SOAR – SOAR Program, NY
ILEAD Summer Program – ILEAD Program, NH
Some Answers to a Question, Lyceum Program, NY
Culture by Design – Lifelong Learners, Fairfield, CT

Under UPCOMING CONFERENCES
Positive Aging Conference Announcement
Positive Aging Conference Sponsors

LLI News
LLI News for August

Under LLI CELEBRATIONS
LLI Celebrations & Congratulations for August

NEW AFFILIATES WELCOME
Please welcome the following programs to the Network.
Lifetime Learning Institute, SUNY New Paltz, New York
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University of N. Florida, Jacksonville
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Stonewall Communities Lifelong Learning Institute, Wheelock College, MA

POSITIVE AGING CONFERENCE
Be sure to check the new postings under UPCOMING CONFERENCES for information on the Positive Aging Conference being held December 6 - 8, 2007 at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Many national organizations are involved including AARP, Generations United, and the American Society on Aging. For lots more information go to the conference web site at www.eckerd.edu/positiveaging

FORMER WISE DIRECTOR STARTS NEW COMPANY
Charlene L. Martin, Ed.D., the former Dean of Continuing Education at Assumption College in Worcester, MA and the founding director of the Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE), the first Lifelong Learning Institute in Central Massachusetts is using her expertise as a specialist in older adult learning in a new and different way. She has established her company, Pathfinders Retirement Innovations, after almost thirty years of experience in the field of continuing education and older adult education. Dr. Martin presents seminars around the country on issues pertaining to older adults and the Boomer retirement and also assists institutions of higher education in the design of learning opportunities for older adults. Recent seminars include "What do Boomers Want? Programming Tips for the Retirement Revolution" and "A Boomer's Midlife Guide to the New Retirement." If your program is interested in learning more about the coming wave of Baby Boomers and what you need to do to attract them to your program you may want to contact Charlene. More information may be found at www.pathfindersretirement.com

ALL SPEAKERS BUREAU
The Academy for Lifelong Learning at Empire State College in Saratoga Springs, New York has a Speakers Bureau standing ready to help churches, social, professional and retirement groups fill their program slots with an interesting and informative program about the Academy. They ask members to recommend the Speakers Bureau to organizations they are familiar with in order to help spread the word about ALL.

MOVEABLE FEAST
Lifelong Learners at Coastal Carolina University enjoy a program called the Moveable Feast, a literary luncheon. This month participants will enjoy a special program with Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and historian Hank Klibanof discussing the book he co-authored with Gene Roberts entitled The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation. This is the story of how America awakened to its race problem and how the press came to understand the importance of the civil rights struggle. The Race Beat is an unprecedented account of one of the most volatile periods in our nation's history.

CREATIVE FUND RAISING
The MSU for Seniors program in Mankato, MN took advantage of a special opportunity to raise funds during the holiday season. According to Anita Dittrich, the MSU Office Manager, the local Barnes & Noble Booksellers offered clubs in the community an opportunity to serve their book-buying customers by gift-wrapping their purchases. Barnes & Noble furnished the wrapping paper and tape, clubs furnished the 'manpower.' There was NO CHARGE for the gift-wrapping, but donations were appreciated! Hardly any customers went away without dropping SOMETHING in the 'money basket,' and all the money was kept by the participating club. Some gave more, some gave less, but overall the donation rate was very gratifying. As you may expect, many clubs were eager to participate, there was a waiting list to be able to participate, and the closer to Christmas it got, the more giftwrapping needed to be done! Thanks to this effort, the MSU for Seniors coffers were $109.32 richer. It’s not too early to contact a Barnes and Noble and see if your program can do something similar.

HOW MUSIC SHAPED THE CONFEDERACY
This course, given at the Lifelong Learning program at Coastal Carolina University last month, explored the music most popular among Confederate soldiers, particularly the sentimental ballads, and considered the questions "What distinguished Southern from Northern cultural consciousness in the mid-nineteenth century?" How were these differences revealed in the songs sung by soldiers during the Civil War?

BERGEN ILR COURSE LEADS TO BOOK
Since 2003 the ILR at Bergen Community College in New Jersey has been running a very popular course entitled “Influential Characters Who NEVER Existed.” From that course the instructor, Dr. Allan Lazar, has developed a book, “101 Most Influential People That Never Lived,” which has now been published by Harper Publishing. Congratulations to Dr. Lazar. The book is available at both local and online booksellers.

CURRICULUM RESOURCES
Our thanks to the July 2007 issue of the U3A newsletter, “Signposts” for this resource. A teachers resource website - 3,000 Lesson Plans can be found and downloaded at HOTCHALK. Lots of good ideas to be found at http://www.lessonplanspage.com/
HARRY POTTER
The Harry Potter class of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York recently threw a Saturday morning party to celebrate the release of the last novel in the series. The class, on the myths, legends and themes in Harry Potter, has been running for eight years, covering one chapter a week. Members have also watched the films together, listened to the books on tape and even celebrated Harry's birthday every July 31. A story about this unique course appeared July 22nd in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the local newspaper.

ABOUT ILEAD
Over this last year the ILEAD program at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire conducted a member survey, the results of which were printed in their Winter/Spring 2007 newsletter. Here is the first section (other sections will appear in later newsletters) of the survey results – Who We Are - Our organization is 62% female with 73% of the members residing in New Hampshire. Relative to age, 65% are at least 70 with 24% of those at least 80. More than half the members have education beyond the bachelors level. Most members are retired, but 8% are still working. More than half the members have been involved with ILEAD more than five year. Over 90% of members travel to class by personal vehicle. Approximately half the members make a 20 mile or more round-trip to class.

ONLINE NEWSLETTER
Be sure to check out Prime Times, the online newsletter of the LLI at Bard College in New York. It is an excellent example of how to keep in touch with your tech savvy members while saving money at the same time. You can find the newsletter at www.bard.edu/lli

MORE CURRICULUM IDEAS
Check out the new 40+ page Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at University of Maryland fall 2007 catalog. There are three types of courses for adults.
Lifelong learning for the sake of learning courses.
Lifelong learning with a passionate purpose courses.
Lifelong learning to create new career paths courses.
To view the catalog please visit www.hhp.umd.edu/health_services/osher

U3A & OPEN UNIVERSITY EXPLORE JOINT ACTIVITY
A ground-breaking agreement between the U3A and the Open University (OU) program in Great Britain is expected to lead to joint efforts to make learning available, and a smoother pathway for those who wish to learn both with the U3A and with the OU. The U3As in Britain already benefit from the OUs Flash Meeting technology, which allows for conference calling over the Internet and is used extensively by the AIUTA organization. Now the OU is encouraging U3A members to use its OpenLearn collection of free online learning materials and to report on their usefulness for U3A group activity. The future possibilities could help learners in both organizations. Possible areas of future cooperation include exchanges of information and expertise about online and distance learning, and joint research projects and funding bids. (Taken from summer 2007 U3A News)

NEW BOOKS FOR LLI COURSES
Members of the McGill ILR in Montreal are, according to their most recent newsletter, reading the following books:
The Book of Longing, by Leonard Cohen - A delightful collection of previously unpublished poems and various other writings, enhanced by playful and provocative drawings by the author.
Empire, by Niall Ferguson. Ferguson, who is generally acknowledged to be the leader of the current crop of British historians, subtitles his book, The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power. He examines the costs and consequences, both good and bad, of British imperialism.
The Victorian House, by Judith Flanders – A fascinating upstairs downstairs, room by room guide to the typical upper middle class Victorian house. Wonderful insights into Victorian life.
London: A Short History, by A.N. Wilson. Not to be missed for those planning a trip to London. It has been said of Wilson that he’s incapable of writing a dull sentence.

NEW WEB SITES FOR LLI COURSES

BEFORE VICTORIA: EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN OF THE BRITISH ROMANTIC ERA - http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/victoria/
This online exhibit features essays on some of the intrepid revolutionary women who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when women could not join professions and married women had no rights to property or to their own children. Offers illustrated topical essays on Mary Wollstonecraft and other writers, artists, travelers, and women of the Romantic era. Includes a reading list. From the New York Public Library.

FIRST LADIES' GALLERY - http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/
This site from the White House presents brief biographies of the current and past First Ladies. Some profiles include images. Also provides a link to information about life in the White House.

HISTORY EXPLORER: A TIMELINE OF STORIES FROM OUR EXHIBITS, COLLECTIONS, AND PROGRAMS - http://americanhistory.si.edu/explorer/
This interactive timeline from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History allows users to browse events by historical era or trace historical developments by themes such as Art and Culture, Politics and Reform, Home, Family, and Community, and Science, Medicine, and Technology. Images of objects from the museum's online collections and links to online exhibits entice the user to learn more about the shaping of America.

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH AND POLICY -
http://www.iserp.columbia.edu/
The mission of this institute based at Columbia University (New York) is to catalyze and produce pioneering social science research and to shape public policy by integrating knowledge and methods across the social science disciplines. The Web site provides articles from institute's publications, working papers, publication reviews, an e-mail newsletter, and related information. Includes an RSS feed. Searchable.

ARCHPEDIA: ARCHITECTURE ENCYCLOPEDIA - http://www.archpedia.com
This site contains introductory information about architectural styles, biographical information about famous modern architects, a brief dictionary of terms, and related information. Also features audio of interviews with selected architects, quizzes and games, and links to news stories, magazines, firms, architecture schools, and other related sites. Searchable. From an enthusiast, with additional contributions from site visitors.

That’s all for this month.
Nancy Merz Nordstrom, M.Ed., Elderhostel Institute Network
Nancy.merz-nordstrom@elderhostel.org
www.elderhostel.org/ein/intro.asp - 617-457-5564

“Learning is ever in the freshness of its youth, even for the old."
…Æschylus