Academy of Lifelong Learning
Please Join Us for Spring Showcase
Meet our instructors and learn about a broad range of fascinating courses.
December 15, 2023 • 3-5 p.m.
Hynson Lounge, Hodson Hall Commons
Register to Attend Spring Showcase
Spring course registration goes live at 5 p.m. on 12/15/23
The Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning (WC-ALL) celebrates over 30 years of offering intellectually stimulating courses and educational programs. Expand your academic horizons and join our community of lifelong learners. We welcome all age groups to enjoy our classes for the joy of learning!
Our Impact
While WC-ALL is a non-profit organization, the tradition of giving a financial gift to the College at the end of each year began soon after the organization was founded. Annual donations from $5,000 to $10,000 endow an annual WC-ALL Scholarship. One or more Washington College undergraduate students receive this scholarship each year.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning. Your support directly funds scholarships and helps us grow and diversify our programs so we can continue to enrich the lives of our community members.
WC-ALL is organized to provide special opportunities for you to enhance your life through learning in a classroom environment, listening in a public lecture setting, traveling in organized one-day and longer trips, and interaction with other like-minded adults in educational and social settings.
You can participate in any or all activities in a variety of ways.
- As a Member of WC-ALL, you may register for as many classes as you wish, and receive discounted Member rates at luncheons and special events, all for one semester or yearly fee.
- As an Instructor, you receive benefits similar to those of Members, as well as recognition at the Annual Meeting and free course registration during your teaching semester.
- As a Volunteer, you can help WC-ALL in its various functions and add to the comfort and safety of all who participate.
Become a Member
We invite you to join the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning, a community program for adults of all ages who enjoy intellectually stimulating courses and educational experiences. Join us on campus or online for a variety of classes and events in the liberal arts tradition. Your participation supports undergraduate scholarships for Washington College students.
Annual membership begins in the fall of each year and includes registration for courses
in any of our four terms: Early Fall, Late Fall, Early Spring and Late Spring. Semester
membership is also available in January for Spring Semester.
Memberships are available for individuals. Members enjoy reduced costs for luncheons
and special events.
| Individual / Semester | $85.00 |
| Individual / Annual | $115.00 |
| Friend+ of WC-ALL / Semester | $15.00 |
| Students, Staff, Faculty of Washington College | No fee |
+Friend of WC-ALL receives all email communications and catalogs, as well as discounts on lunches and trips, but is not eligible to attend courses.
Membership information can be obtained by contacting Shane Brill.
Propose and Teach Courses
For more information, contact Shane Brill.
WC-ALL is governed by a Council of directors elected by the membership, with directors serving for a three-year term, for a maximum of two consecutive terms. A senior staff member in the College Administration is also a member of the Council. The election of Council members occurs at WC-ALL’s annual meeting in May.
Jeff Coomer
Wendy Cronin
Wendy Cronin, PhD, is a retired infectious disease epidemiologist. She was Maryland Department of Health principal investigator for the Maryland collaborative site (MDH with Johns Hopkins University TB Research Center) of a national TB research consortium... Read more...
Ronnie Edelman
Ronnie Edelman originally hailed from New York State, where she attended college and law school. After working for NYC’s Health Services Administration as a health educator and as a trouble shooter for the Education Task Force in the Mayor’s Office during the Lindsay Administration... Read more...
Jeff Ferguson
Jeff Ferguson is a retired business executive whose career spanned work in health care services, manufacturing and higher education. Included in his positions were those of CEO of Marriott Senior Living Services, President of Management and Operations... Read more...
Rich Gillin
Richard Gillin retired from the Washington College faculty in 2019 after a 47-year tenure that included 12 years as Chairman of the English Department and 21 years as Chairman of the Humanities Program. Read more...
Sue Groff
Susan (Sue) Groff, Ed.D. is currently a staff member in the finance department at Washington College (WC). She came to WC with over 30 years of diverse experiences, in higher education, after completing a long career at the University of Delaware (UD). Sue obtained her... Read more...
Charles Lerner
Charles Lerner has been a full time resident of Chestertown since 2011 although he has been connected with and had a house in Chestertown from the time his son and daughter attended Washington College in the mid 2000s. Read more...
Stephanie Pessin
Stephanie Pessin, BA, BS, MPT has recently retired from practicing licensed physical therapy for 25 years, during which she treated patients and taught individuals in group classes in rehab facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics and studios in Baltimore and around the bay area in California. Read more...
Liz Peterson
Elizabeth (Liz) Peterson received a BA in Zoology from Drew University in Madison, NJ. She worked as Zoology Lab Operations Manager for two years at Drew University. She moved to Washington, DC and worked in various and increasingly responsible positions... Read more...
Pat Poole
Pat grew up in a small East Texas town in the ’60s and ’70s. She went to college at Lamar University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. After graduation she went to work for Mobil Oil, which later became ExxonMobil. Read more...
Linda Robbins
Colleen Sundstrom
Colleen Sundstrom is a medical ethicist who specialized in research ethics and compliance at the US Army and Air Force after 10 years at the Howard University Cancer Center. She retired to Chestertown in 2013 and is active with many volunteer groups, especially WC-ALL. Read more...
Anna Wolgast
Anna Wolgast is an environmental lawyer who served in the U.S. Department of Justice as a Senior Counsel and litigator in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Environment Division and then as a Deputy Chief in the Environmental Defense Section. Read more...
Raymond Vergne
Meet Our Instructors
Our courses are taught by community volunteers and members of the Washington College faculty with expertise in a variety of areas. We're in the process of adding instructor profiles — check back soon for more!
Schedule at a Glance
If you have questions please contact Shane Brill '03 M'11.
Q: When is Showcase?
A: Showcase is held twice a year, in August and in January, to introduce the course
instructors and let the members hear more about the courses being offered that semester.
Please watch the main page for the exact date of this semester’s Showcase event.
Q: When do classes begin?
A: Classes generally start in early September and late January, and run for two 6-week
sessions each semester. This gives members up to four different sections of classes
to choose from with an annual membership. Exact dates for each session will be posted
on the main page.
Q: What does membership include?
A: Membership in WC-ALL includes as many courses as you’d like to take for one flat
fee, either annual or by semester. Annual memberships begin in the fall, and run through
May. Other benefits include discounts on monthly Learn at Lunches and some scheduled
day trips, as well as a hard copy course catalog mailed to the member’s home address.
Fees are as follows: Individual - $85/semester, $115 annual. Alternately, you can
be a “Friend” of WC-ALL for $15/person per semester, which will still give you the
discounted lunches and trips, as well as the catalog, but does not include course registration. For more details, please see the Paricipate section of the website.
Q: How many classes may I sign up for?
A: The membership fee covers as many classes as you’d like to take per semester or
session – you are not charged “per class.” We do ask that when registering for courses,
you take into consideration travel plans or other absences, and only sign up for courses
that you intend to be present for over the term.
Q: I can’t remember where my class is being held. Where can I find the locations
of the classes?
A: Each semester the class location schedule is posted on the main webpage. Please
look for the link to the location schedule online. Classes are generally held in Smith,
Goldstein and Daly Halls on campus, as well as off-campus locations such as Kent County
High School.
Q: I’m interested in teaching a course for WC-ALL. How can I get started?
A: Course proposals for WC-ALL classes are very welcome from anyone in the community
– not just members. Twice a year the Request for Proposals is sent out. The form is
available on the website during the proposal period (usually 60 days prior to the
due date), or in hard copy by contacting the office.
Founded in 1992, the Washington College Academy of Lifelong Learning was created by
a small group of Kent County residents who worked for more than a year studying other
similar college-affiliated institutions. WC-ALL was patterned after the Institute
for Learning in Retirement (ILR) as established by Elderhostel (now known as Road
Scholar) and is governed by its members, taught by its peers, and operates within
the academic institutional guidelines provided by its sponsor, Washington College.
The format established during the first years has remained surprisingly intact: a
governing council, twice-annual catalogs, a Showcase to launch each semester, classes
emphasizing serious academic content, and a Learn-at-Lunch series to provide one-time
special events.
Joan Ellenhorn - 1992-1996
Jane Hukill - 1997/98 and 1998/99
Ben Ribaudo - 1999/2000
Ted Chase - 2000/01
Dick Hawkins - 2001/02 and 2002/03
Dick Lance - 2003/04 and 2004/05
Juli Dulmage - 2005/06
Jim Sood - 2006/07 and 2007/08
Ginny Barker - 2008/09 and 2009/10
John Christie - 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13
Bill Low - 2013/14 and 2014/15
Betty Spence - 2015/16 and 2016/17
David White - 2017/18
Jeff Coomer - 2023/24
Sue Urda - 1995-1998
Anne Singer - 1998 - 2011
Susan McRae - 2011 - 2012
Meghan Siudzinski - 2012- 2013
Sue Calloway - 2013 - 2022
Sandy Brown - 2022-2023
Shane Brill - 2023-
Mrs. Lillian Baltzersen
Rev. & Mrs. Henry Breul
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bryan
Ms. Judith Cameron
Mr. & Mrs. William Catherwood
Ms. Ermine Christian
Miss Margaretta Cowenhoven
Mrs. Sybil Curtin
Mrs. Mary Booth Davis
Mr. Richard Davis
Mrs. Jo Doherty
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Draper
Dr. Joan Ellenhorn
Mr. & Mrs. Etore Grassi
Mr. & Mrs. William Gullett
Mrs. Frances Hilleary
Ms. Mariana Hitchner
Rev. & Mrs. Robert Hollett
Ms. Ann W. Hoon
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Hukill
Mrs. Clare Ingersoll
Mrs. Maureen Jacoby
Mrs. Frederick Keer
Ms. Harriette Kratzner
Mr. & Mrs. Karl Lemp
Ms. Anne Logan
Ms. Ann H. McLain
Dr. & Mrs. Ralph Meng
Mrs. Patricia Mercer
Mrs. Irma Miller
Mrs. Tibor Nagey
Mrs. Eleanor Peterson
Mrs. Dorothy Plummer
Mr. & Mrs. Ray Reidinger
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Riddle
Mr. Lyell Ritchie
Dr. & Mrs. Peter Rodman
Mrs. Anita Rudnick
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Rush
Ms. Hazel Saunders
Mr. & Mrs. Warren Schlenker
Mr. Thomas Scuderi
Mr. James A. Simpson
Ms. Carolyn Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Don Smith
Mrs. Jean M. Smith
Mr. Joseph Stevens Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Chandler Swallow
Mr. & Mrs. Yasuo Takahashi
Mr. & Mrs. Tony Toriello
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Urda
Mr. Joseph Vaughan
Mrs. Nelson Vaughan
Ms. Martha Werle
Ms. Betty Whiteley
Mr. & Mrs. George Winner
Mr. & Mrs. Gibson Winter
Mrs. Joan Wise
- Katharine Esposito
- Zeynap Okyay
- Andrew Fellows
- Leann Standridge
2019-20
- Mark Stewart
2018-19
- Lori Wysong
- Molly Gorney
- Aubrey Robinson
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