USF Sarasota-Manatee Senior Academy announces Winter 2006 course schedule

SARASOTA, FL, (December 1, 2005) – USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Senior Academy, a continuing education program for mature adults, will add 15 new courses for the Winter 2006 session. This brings the total number of Senior Academy courses to 31 offered for the upcoming session.  

Senior Academy courses for the Winter 2006 session will be held January 9 through March 2, 2006 on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus at 5700 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. 

For example, one of the new Senior Academy courses offered is “Health Care for Senior Adults: Advice for the Perplexed.” In this course, Dr. Sam Gross will discuss the making of a physician and how to stay healthy.  

A healthy, open mind is the only prerequisite, according to Senior Academy Director Dr. Jerry Meketon.  

“We require a love of learning,” explained Meketon. “An individual’s education doesn’t stop once he or she earns a degree. We believe learning is a lifelong pursuit that opens minds and enriches lives. We believe that sharing new ideas, challenges, and experiences is rewarding in every season of life.”   

Senior Academy’s new courses examine topics ranging from the historical (The Great Debate; The History of American Imperialism; and The Renaissance and Reformation) to the contemporary (the American Family in Transition; Stress-free Living; and Reef Ecology). 

Senior Academy offers a variety of educational experiences infused with a spirit of camaraderie that enhances the lives of its participants. Lively discussions with faculty and fellow participants illuminate issues and broaden horizons.  

“My classes at the Senior Academy for the last four years have changed my life. My interest in writing has gone far beyond what I expected, and the many friends I made at the classes have enriched my life,” noted Senior Academy member Arlene LePon.

The USF Senior Academy at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is a continuing, non-credit education program for mature adults, designed to stimulate members to pursue a broad spectrum of intellectual interests; to foster a lifelong commitment to learning in an atmosphere of conviviality that supports a social as well as an intellectual bond; and to engage in outreach activities with USF and surrounding communities.

Housed on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus in the Sudakoff Conference Center, the Senior Academy is part of a consortium of programs held at more than 300 major colleges and universities throughout the United States, and is affiliated with Elderhostel Institute Network headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The Senior Academy is administered in a collegial environment "by the members for the members" under the auspices of the university’s Office of Academic Affairs.

For more information about Senior Academy, call (941)359-4296 or visit www.sarasota.usf.edu/senioracademy.