Greetings from the committee to preserve Lifelong Learning in Chester County.
We are writing to you because you are currently involved in lifelong learning at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on the Widener University Campus in Exton or you have been referred to us by a friend or other contact.
Either way you should know we are at a crossroads in Chester County as to the future availability of lifelong learning for seniors in our community. If you are already involved in lifelong learning at Exton you probably already know from emails or hard copy mailings from Widener that the Exton campus of Widener will be closing as of July 1, 2016. The summer term will be held as scheduled at the Exton campus but after that Widener’s lifelong learning program will be transferred to the Widener Campus in Chester, Delaware County. The part of the program conducted in retirement homes will for now remain unchanged and Widener indicates it will endeavor to keep those offerings ongoing.
To many of us the participation in a lifelong learning program has become a vital part of our lives. Once you have enjoyed the intellectual stimulation, social benefits and camaraderie of a community like ours it is hard to imagine going back to a time when it was not available. Now some of you may find it possible to continue participation in the program which will be offered at Widener in Chester. We wish the University well in its program, especially since it is through their 11 years of support both financially and with vision and encouragement, that many of us got our first taste of lifelong learning as seniors.
However, for many of us the logistics of participating on a regular basis in a program 25 miles away from our current Exton base is impractical.
To address that issue we have founded the committee to preserve Lifelong Learning in Chester County, LLCC for short. It is the intention of this committee and its supporters to create an alternative lifelong learning opportunity in central Chester County which will be able to grow and thrive just as the current offering had done over the past 11 years.
We have over a thousand actively participating lifelong learners in our community currently and we have seen that number growing at over 10 percent a year. We believe that the local area and its educational, business and social organizations will step up to support this thriving and committed group of seniors. This is vital for our community health and well-being.
At this early point we are seeking to engage as much participation as possible in addressing this challenge. We will be holding a general meeting this Thursday, April 28th, at noon to discuss the opportunities already being explored and to get input from our existing lifelong learning community and other interested parties. The meeting will be at the current Exton campus for Widener, 825 Springdale Drive, Exton, Pa. Feel free to forward this email and invite friends who may not receive this communication.
To recap:
1) The Osher Lifelong Learning program at Widener University campus in Exton is being closed and transferred to the Widener campus in Chester, Delaware County as of July 1, 2016
2) The summer OLLI program with its 31 courses will be held in Exton as scheduled but the fall term will be held at Widener in Chester. Remember you still have time to sign up for the summer classes with registration beginning April 25,2016. Summer classes run from May 24th to June 22.
3) A committee to preserve Lifelong Learning in Chester County (LLCC) has been formed to preserve a lifelong learning option in Chester County.
4) The committee is working to be able to continue classes at some alternative site or sites in Chester County in the fall
5) The LLCC committee is holding a general meeting of existing lifelong learning members and friends on Thursday, April 28th at noon at 825 Springdale Drive, Exton, Pa.
Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you there,
Committee for Preservation of Lifelong Learning in Chester County, LLCC
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to email and communicate with us at the above email address or blog site.
