RHINELANDER, Wis. — On a college campus in northern Wisconsin, dozens of retired adults and senior citizens are continuing to build their education.
Many students in Nicolet College’s Learning in Retirement (LIR) program live by the popular motto, “You learn something new every day.”
“That’s part of my philosophy in life, and certainly we can do that,” said Walter Hobbs.
Hobbs has been coming to these classes with his wife for decades. They say they get a lot out of it, but by far, their favorite part is meeting new people.
“The most valuable thing, seriously, is the interaction and the fact we got to meet new people that we probably wouldn’t have met if we didn’t come to LIR,” Hobbs said.
Margaret Barnes is the president of LIR. She’s worked in education her whole life, and said she feels lucky to be a part of this.
“I went from teaching young kids to working with older people who are just so interested in all different parts of education,” Barnes said.
The program is open to anyone 50 or older and costs $45 for the whole year. Those interested in the program can join at any time. Once enrolled, they can take all the classes they want. Typically, there are about 30 to 40 different classes offered each semester, including some field trip options. The classes cover everything from history to nature, health to safety, and technology.
LIR students attend class alongside younger students who are on campus studying to get their degrees.
“They are so welcoming to us seniors, so we are just hand-in-hand to all of these young students coming through,” Barnes said. “It’s really exciting.”
In the LIR classes, there are no grades, exams, or required attendance. It’s simply learning for the sheer pleasure of it, which adults in the program say is really rewarding.