Academy of Lifelong Learning

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, as well as on the bulletin board outside the office (Smith Hall, #5). 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 and Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River.

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

Sue Urda - 1995-1998
Anne Singer - 1998 - 2011
Susan McRae - 2011 - 2012
Meghan Siudzinski - 2012- 2013
Sue Calloway - 2013 - 2022

Sandy Brown - 2022-

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

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• Zeynap Okyay
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• Healthy Soils (1 of 3)
• Native Plants (2 of 3)
• Ecological Design (3 of 3)

Class Preview

• English Country Dance (Spring 2023)