Contact us
Learning in Retirement, Inc.
P.O. Box 49182
Athens GA 30604-9182
Phone:
706-549-7350 to leave a message
Email:
lir_ga@yahoo.com
Website:
www.athenslir.org
An Affiliate of
ElderHostel, Inc.
LIR PROGRAM OVERVIEW |
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Begun in 1994, LIR in Athens has grown to more than 300 members, with an affiliate LIR in Washington, Georgia. Learning in Retirement, Inc., is one of more than 260 "institutes for learning in retirement" established at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada that are affiliated with Elderhostel, Inc. ILRs and LIRs may differ in style, but two basic premises define all such institutes for learning:
- The members develop and direct the intellectual life of their organizations.
- There is a well-defined organizational structure that distinguishes each LIR as a self-governing educational community of older learners.
LIR membership fees are $40 per year (July 1-June 30). The current membership form is always available here (see link at right to print it) and is included in the April and August newsletters.
LIR offers approximately 20 courses each semester. Course topics range from strength training to the medieval and renaissance papacy, from Taiwan and China today to French bistro cooking, and from rivers, estuaries, and marine fisheries to computer skills. Classes are held in the daytime, meeting once a week for two hours with two to six sessions between September and May, and cost $6 to $18 depending on their length. They are held in buildings that have adjacent parking provided. Special interest groups such as bridge, quilting, and conversational French meet throughout the year.
A lecture/lunch series is also offered each semester. For those events, members meet at 11:00 at the Athens Community Council on Aging to hear lecturers, experts in their areas, present topics ranging from taking leisure seriously to viewing a museum as a tool for literacy to a look at stem cell research. Lectures are followed by a leisurely catered lunch for further discussion or just visiting with friends until dismissal at 1:00.
The travel/study program features day trips such as going to an Atlanta Symphony concert, a visit to a special exhibit at Atlanta's High Museum, a tour of historic Milledgeville, or a fall leaf tour in the North Georgia mountains. These trips are offered at cost and provide learning experiences of a different kind.
Special social events give members a chance to meet in a casual setting conducive to good talk and good food. These include dinner out at a local restaurant, a holiday dinner with entertainment, luncheons, and sitting as a group at sports events.
Summertime offers further opportunity for interaction and activities such as morning coffee breaks, a Sunday morning brunch, dinner at a fish camp, tours at the Georgia Museum of Art, a trip to Atlanta to the Fox Theater for a musical, a wine-tasting with appetizer gathering, and lunch at the Georgia Club.
The primary source of LIR news is the newsletter, which comes out six times a year. It describes upcoming courses and activities and includes course registration forms as well as reservation forms for the travel/study program and specific social events. Email messages and reminders, with a system of partners for those who do not have email access, are sent regularly. The membership directory, which is updated annually, not only lists members with their contact information but includes the LIR "Bylaws," "Policies and Procedures of LIR, Inc.," and a history and description of the organization.
CURRENT LIR INFO Current Newsletter |
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