Have you ever wondered about all the enthusiastic older students who appear on the RWC campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays? They are students taking courses offered not by RWC but by the Institute for Learning in Retirement.Stephen Appel and Diane Decker co-direct the Institute.
Mr. Appel has had an interesting career in retailing, working for both the Federated and May department stores. At Federated he analyzed various forms of advertising to determine their effectiveness in creating business. While working for the May Company, Appel involved himself in marketing research along with site location.
After leaving a career in corporate retailing in 1988, Appel owned and operated the Scandia Down Shop until 1998. The Store sold fine linens and down products for the home.
These various retailing venues seemed to have prepared him for his current occupation.
During a recent interview, Mr. Appel provided a cryptic history of the Institute for Learning and Retirement.
Aaron Levine, a good friend of Mr. Appel, attended Harvard in the mid-1980’s. While enrolled there, Levine came upon an institute that was devoted to educating older and retired adults. Levine’s interest was piqued, and when he came back to Cincinnati, he hoped that he might form a similar organization.
He approached UC President Joseph Steger, who was enthusiastic about Levine’s idea. In the spring of 1989, the Institute of Learning and Retirement was developed under the auspices of the Continuing Education Group of UC. That first year there were 14 classes with 121 students, and it has since mushroomed to 270 classes with 1800 students.
One of the fascinating aspects of the group that teaches at the Institute of Learning in Retirement is that they pick courses that are frequently outside their professional calling. It appears that they have developed a passionate avocation of learning everything that they can on a particular subject and wish to share their knowledge with others.
Last summer, Bob Smith, an Emeritus Professor at the UC College of Medicine, taught a course on James Joyce and Irish literature. As a youth growing up in Dublin, Smith immersed himself in the great tradition of Irish fiction and poetry. Because of this, he has nurtured an interest outside of his chosen occupation.
The list of “moderators” who have taught for the Institute is indeed impressive: Henry Winkler, Emeritus President of UC, and Jack Gillingan, former Governor of Ohio, among others.
The Institute of Learning in Retirement has a “full plate” of offerings for the spring quarter, which begins on Monday, April 8. Among the courses offered: “Shakespeare in Film,” “Neuroendocrinology,” and “The Odyssey.” Mr. Smith is teaching another course on Irish literature, entitled “Anglo-Irish Writers, Their Lives and Works.”
Mr. Appel explained that RWC has helped the Institute from the very inception of the program. In particular, Debbie Miller and Debbie Herrick have given their able assistance, he said. Mrs. Miller has arranged for large enough seating capacity to accommodate the well-attended courses. Also, Mrs. Herrick is in charge of registration. Distinguished Service awards were conferred on both during a luncheon last fall.
Besides RWC, the classes are taught at several locations throughout Cincinnati. There are morning courses at Rockdale Temple, and in the afternoons, RWC serves as host. There are also subjects taught at the Edwards Center at UC.
Completing the instructional format are “Wednesday Wows” at the Union Institute on McMillan Avenue. For this, an approach has been developed in which five hours of lecturing will be devoted to a single subject.
The enormous success of the Institute of Learning in Retirement shows that education today is thought of as an ongoing process, and that college level instruction can be enjoyed at any age.
All of the courses are available to anyone over fifty for a one-time fee of $70.