Last month marked the launch of Tufts Institute for Learning in Retirement (TILR), a program designed to provide intellectual stimulation and academic experiences to retired and semi-retired graduates and local community members. The program, through which close to 70 senior citizens gather for discussion groups on various topics every Friday, is part of an ongoing process to increase the life-long learning opportunities available to Tufts alumni.
"We're trying to inform the alumni as best as we could about what really exists here in terms of life-long learning experiences," Director of Alumni Relations Tim Brooks said. "Through all these efforts, including TILR, we're trying to package things so that alumni realize that throughout their lives they have all these things to help them reconnect to Tufts."
TILR is comprised of small study groups led by volunteer peer leaders. Approximately 60 percent of the participants are Tufts alumni, while others are members of local communities seeking new learning experiences.
"It's basically a program for peer learning - older people teaching one another about their experiences, their interests, their hobbies, and their careers," TILR director Laura Kadish said. "There are no degrees or certificates; just intellectual stimulation, having fun together, having really deep conversations, and making connections together."
Junior Alicia Grossman, who helps Kadish facilitate the program, described the program as "almost like an extra-curricular activity."
Tufts alumni lead many of these study groups, while adult education specialists from the surrounding communities run others. TILR is different from traditional adult education programs, however, in that the emphasis is placed on the development of the community through interaction with peers.
"I think what's nice about the classes offered is that they are all general topics where every member does have the opportunity to teach each other because they are all familiar with them, but this allows them to focus in on specific areas of details," Grossman said.
Currently, ten different study groups are offered, and they focus on a variety of topics, from art history to investments to the Middle East. The subjects are chosen based on the individual interests of participants as well as the availability of expertise in particular areas.
"For example, if we knew someone who knew a lot about opera, or theater, we'd have a discussion group focusing on that," Kadish said. "The goal in the future is to eventually have the members doing all of the teaching. Even though there are no exams, it's very reliant on members' participation, and there is actually quite a bit of homework."
TILR has received a warm welcome from both participants and the Tufts community, and course offerings will be expanded next semester to accommodate its popularity. Classes will meet on both Mondays and Fridays in the spring, and the number of courses will increase to 15.
This program is not unique to Tufts, and approximately 250 similar programs exist nationwide. Neighboring schools such as Harvard and Boston College have hosted similar programs for several years, and Brandeis just launched its own version this year. These programs have increased in popularity because more and more elderly people are choosing to remain active in their retirement.
"This is becoming a huge trend - the Baby Boomers are just starting to approach retirement. However, these days retirement is almost a pass?© word," Kadish said. "People aren't necessarily retired; they may or may not be working, but they still have many, many years to fill with a lot of activity... people of today aren't into basket weaving anymore."
Many participants are willing to travel long distances in order to attend TILR classes. One woman said that she commutes an hour-and-a-half each way.
Senior citizens are not the only ones who benefit. Grossman noted that her time spent with TILR has been a great learning experience from a student's perspective.
"I've enjoyed working with the elderly community, because at Tufts we don't have a lot of interaction with the community as a whole," she said. "I feel like I'm learning a lot just from their experiences. I let them know a little about my life and what I'm studying here and they're able to draw on that and they tell me about their lives, and I kind of take it in as advice."
