February 16, 2009

Retirement program offers day trips, courses

by Ashley McRaven

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement program, an offering from Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Division of Continuing Education, gives older learners the opportunity to participate in a pair of day trips and in six, five-week courses this spring.

The Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement (SILIR) program will travel to St. Louis for a “Symphony Coffee Concert” and luncheon at The Bevo Mill on Feb. 27. The $65 registration fee includes transportation, coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts before the concert as well as lunch. Members of SILIR can also enjoy a day taking in the region’s beauty during the April 17 “Wildflower Field Trip.” The wildflower trip cost is $30 per person.

Spring courses for SILIR include: “Spanish for Beginners,” “Modern Agriculture,” “Spirit Travelers of the Silk Road,” “Fiction by Thomas Pynchon and Poetry by E.E. Cummings,” “Memoirs Continues” and “Our World of High Technology.” Classes meet on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays beginning mid-March. Registration is $10 for each five-week course.

There’s still time to get a 2009 annual SILIR membership. The $25 yearly membership fee allows enrollment in SILIR-sponsored courses, participation in a variety of special events and social activities, and attendance at monthly meetings that are open to the public.

For more information, or to sign up, contact the Division of Continuing Education at 618/536-7751 or write to: Learning in Retirement, Division of Continuing Education, Mail Code 6705, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill., 62901.