University Programs for Retirees (Oak Ridge, Etowah: rental, home, schools)

[RetireFromOK]

I'm looking to retire to Tennessee, and I'm wondering about local university programs for retirees. I'd like to audit classes or participate in continuing education programs. I found some programs at Vanderbilt.

Lifelong Learning at Vanderbilt: Featured Programs (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lifelonglearning/ - broken link)

Does anyone have experience with this program or have other programs to recommend?

Thanks,
RetireFromOK

[alleycat]

I think most universities have some kind of program like this. Besides Vandy, there's Belmont, Lipscomb, TSU, Fisk, Nashville State Community College, and a few other schools.

There are also some classes you can take in foreign languages, art, and other subjects at places like the TFLI, Cheekwood, etc. I don't know whether they have a seniors discount, but they might.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by RetireFromOK

I'm looking to retire to Tennessee, and I'm wondering about local university programs for retirees. I'd like to audit classes or participate in continuing education programs. I found some programs at Vanderbilt.

Lifelong Learning at Vanderbilt: Featured Programs (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lifelonglearning/ - broken link)

Does anyone have experience with this program or have other programs to recommend?

Thanks,
RetireFromOK

I'm not sure if you have your heart set on Nashville but this is a Continuing Education program for retirees in Oak Ridge called ORICL:

ORICL - Home Page

Right now the Summer courses are on the website but I can tell you that in the other semesters, there are more course choices offered. Some classes are conducted in a lecture hall setting and some are in a classroom setting. You don't take a class through the entire semester, either. Some classes are 3 sessions, for example, and some are 8 sessions, for example, so you may take a Summer semester class that begins and ends in June and you may start another summer session class in July that ends in August. In other words, if you have travel or other plans, you can make your plans and still easily pick classes to schedule around those personal plans.

There are also trips offered each semester and they vary as to cost, distance and duration. Some are connected to a class. When you go to the website, the trips for that particular semester are listed under Activities.

This Summer semester you could take classes as diverse as The Second Nuclear Era, 5 String Banjo for the Adult Beginner, The Arabs and Medieval European Thought, Willa Cather's Desert Southwest, The Age of Versailles (includes art, literature and history lectures and which has a two day trip attached to Atlanta to the High Museum to see an exhibit Louvre Atlanta and to the Atlanta History Museum) to name a few. In other semesters I have seen sessions offered on Quantum Mechanics, Global Economics, Forensic Anthropology, Great Decisions, A History of Britain, etc.

One of my 4 classes this semester (my first semester at the school) is on Developing New Medicines and it's taught by the head of the department of Microbiology at UT in a lecture hall with a PowerPoint presentation. I've also elected to take a Buffalo Mountain Wind Power trip with TVA engineers that also includes lunch out in addition to the bus trip up Buffalo Mountain to see the wind turbines and a visit to the Oak Ridge City Service Center to learn about water and electric power distribution. But, there are more traditional type trips this semester like a trip to the Nashville Symphony to see rehearsal and get a tour of the Symphony Center, a rail excursion to Copperhill, Etowah and the Hiwassee River and a trip to the Lincoln Museum and Library at LMU.

Not including trips, materials or the rental of musical instruments, for example, tuition for a full year was $90, this past year. You can take up to 5 classes per semester, more if there is room in a class. If too many students register, students are picked by lottery. This summer semester I got all of the classes I registered for and one of the two trips.

I specifically chose to retire to Oak Ridge because of this ORICL Continuing Ed program sponsored by the Roane State Community College - Oak Ridge campus. It was one of the very few retiree educational programs around the country that had science classes and other non-fluff classes. I did not want to audit classes at a University as I feel the adult students who audit classes are treated differently.

I like the description of the Vanderbilt program but I didn't want to live or commute to a big city.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by RetireFromOK

I'm looking to retire to Tennessee, and I'm wondering about local university programs for retirees. I'd like to audit classes or participate in continuing education programs. I found some programs at Vanderbilt.

Lifelong Learning at Vanderbilt: Featured Programs (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lifelonglearning/ - broken link)

Does anyone have experience with this program or have other programs to recommend?

Thanks,
RetireFromOK

If you aren't really set on Tennessee, you should look at Oxford, Miss, which is a beautiful college town in the hills of North Mississippi. You can take one or two classes for free each semester if you are over 65. They have a very strong liberal arts program, especially its literature program. There's a great hospital in the town, living costs are pretty low, the restaurants are great, and the town is very unique. Money magagazine, along with several other publications, have named it one of the top 10 places to retire in the country. And Mississippi doesn't tax retirement income and gives you a break on property taxes if you are over 65.