Attention Lifelong Learners: Our CLIR program classes for January are cancelled. For now, the February schedule remains as is, however we will provide an update at the end of the month. You can watch recordings of previous classes at clir.uconn.edu. Stay safe!
UConn Extension’s Center for Learning in Retirement (CLIR) provides meaningful and serious intellectual activities for retirees and other adults from all walks of life, conducted in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. Volunteers work to put together interesting speakers for various sessions through the year. One of these volunteers is CLIR President, Dr. Steve Kenton. With the help of the CLIR Council, a volunteer board, Dr. Kenton directs and oversees the CLIR program.
Dr. Kenton is a 1964 UConn alumnus in the Department of Mathematics and has led a busy life. He went on to graduate school and then became a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Eastern Connecticut State University where he also served as the Head of the Mathematics Department until he retired in 2008. He spent two years as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Nigeria and had various sabbaticals in Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Thailand. Dr. Kenton enjoys learning new things throughout his life. He always stayed connected with UConn, serving as a self-defense instructor for the Women’s Center, becoming involved in the CLIR program, and most recently, working with the Alumni Center arranging a 50th reunion for the Allen House Alumni.
Steve first learned about CLIR through colleagues who were members of this Extension program. He started participating in CLIR workshops right after he retired in 2008. He has now served as the President of the program for the past eight years! Some of his duties include recruiting speakers for the workshops. This might sound like a daunting task but Steve has great volunteers on the CLIR Council who help him with most of the work. Every season there is an impressive line-up of highly educated speakers who cover a wide variety of interesting topics. Each year CLIR offers 3 sessions (Winter, Spring, and Fall) that consist of around 25 single and a few multi-week classes. He can also always rely on the UConn Extension staff to help make a successful program. The most popular classes of CLIR participants are topics on history and political science. Steve volunteers his time because he likes supporting a community of like minded lifelong learners like himself. He remarks, “As one ages, it is increasingly important to interact socially, and to be of service.”
Steve is making an impact by ensuring the CLIR Council runs smoothly and positions themselves within the overall mission of UConn Extension. With his help CLIR is financially stable. His favorite impression is when the speakers happily realize the CLIR audience are not just passive listeners–rather, they eagerly interact with the presenter. Steve can’t pinpoint a favorite speaker he has listened to through CLIR since they are all excellent but one of his most memorable classes was when Rebecca Lobo, a beloved UConn Basketball alumna, spoke to the largest audience in attendance of over 75 people (pre-pandemic). When asked if he has any advice for Extension volunteers, Steve said “Take pride in being of service to your community of interest.” It’s important to go into volunteering having a goal so you can enhance your group’s role. He also mentions that, “With the critical continuing support of the UConn Extension staff and volunteers from among our membership, CLIR has a bright future as part of the Extension family.”
UConn CAHNR Extension has more than 100 years’ experience strengthening communities in Connecticut and beyond. Extension programs address the full range of issues set forth in CAHNR’s strategic initiatives:
Programs delivered by Extension reach individuals, communities, and businesses in each of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities. Learn more about our volunteer programs at s.uconn.edu/volunteers.
Article by Emily Syme
“I have recently had the opportunity to work with some Extension faculty in the second semester of the UConn Climate Corps program. For the projects I have worked on, Extension faculty made the process a combined effort. I was given the opportunity to develop plans and troubleshoot problems with my team of students, while the Extension faculty acted as a resource and provided guidance. They gave feedback on our work to help us narrow in on what was crucial to our project goals. There was ample space to work on problems and develop creative solutions as a team, knowing the Extension faculty was available to help… I think community engagement is crucial in applying new research and making strides toward sustainable practices, and UConn Extension emphasizes this perspective.” ~ 2018-19 UConn Climate Corps Undergraduate Class and Independent Study Student
The Center for Learning in Retirement, otherwise known as CLIR, is one of the many programs offered through the University of Connecticut (UConn) Extension, part of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. CLIR is a lifelong learning program that provides meaningful and serious intellectual activities for adults of retirement age. Individuals from all walks of life are welcome and there is no educational requirement, just a desire for learning.
Each CLIR class is approximately 1.5 hours long and held in Vernon Cottage on the UConn Depot campus. CLIR covers a wide range of topics including agriculture, technology, psychology, culture, and so much more. It is not too late to register for one of the many classes available during the spring semester that starts in January. The fee for each semester is $20 and there is no limit on the number of classes you can attend. Interested participants are also welcome to attend two free classes before deciding to join CLIR.
Michael Adams, a professor from Eastern Connecticut State University, will be teaching a course January 3rd on close up and macrophotography. On January 15th the President and Secretary of Windham County National Alliance of Mental Illness will be teaching a class on Mental Health Awareness. Cameron Faustman, the Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, will be teaching a class on Food Insecurity on March 13th.
Interested in learning more and seeing what other classes CLIR has to offer? Visit clir.uconn.edu, email marilyn.diaz@uconn.edu to get on our email list, or call us at (860)570-9012. We look forward to seeing you soon!
UConn Extension‘s Center for Learning in Retirement (CLIR) provides meaningful and serious intellectual activities for retirees and other adults from all walks of life, conducted in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. There are no academic requirements.
CLIR classes are offered in two formats: single classes and courses. A single class is one hour-and-a-half class. A course consists of two or more classes scheduled in successive weeks. Classes for the fall semester begin on Tuesday, September 4th. You can view the course catalog at https://clir.uconn.edu and register online at http://www.cahnrconference.uconn.edu. The cost is only $20 per semester for an unlimited number of classes.
All classes will be held at the Vernon Cottage on the Mansfield Depot Campus at the University of Connecticut. This is a change from previous arrangements because of extensive renovations of several cottages.
Join CLIR today. New members are always welcome! If you would like to sample a class or two at no cost you are invited to do so.
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in April, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus, from 1:15 to 2:45 except for the Memoir Club.
Memoir Club Thursdays, April 5 – 26 10:15 – 11:45
Great Decisions Mondays, April 9 – 30
| Apr 3 | Slavery in Film | |
| Apr 11 | Biking for Veterans: a cross-country trip | |
| Apr 18 | Mind Over Matter: imagination, male and female brains, and meditation | |
| Apr 19 | Reflections on a Life of Crime, with Attorney Mark Hauslaib | |
| Apr 24 | Climate Change, Flooding and Mitigation in the Northeast | |
| Apr 25 | The Conflict Between Nationalism and the Interconnected Global Community | |
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in March, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus, from 1:15 to 2:45, except for the Memoir Club.
Memoir Club Thursdays 10:15 – 11:45
| Mar 1 | UConn’s Osiris Quartet | |
| Mar 7 | What are Stem Cells and Why Should We Care? | |
| Mar 14 | Slavery in America and the Underground Railroad | |
| Mar 15 | Have the Irish Lost Their Sense of Humor? | |
| Mar 20 | Why Europe Went to War in 1914? | |
| Mar 21 | A Two Part Class on the Food Waste Epidemic
Part I: Implications of Food Safety Quality as they Impact Food Waste |
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| Mar 27 | A Poetry Discussion | |
| Mar 28 | Part 2: Environmental Impacts of Food Waste and the Global/National Perspective | |
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in February, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus, from 1:15 to 2:45 except for Memoir Club.
Memoir Club Thursdays 10:15 – 11:45
| Feb 1 | Musical Theatre – Words of Music |
| Feb 6 | FAKE News |
| Feb 13 | Before the War: the Multicultural Empire of Vietnam (1428-1945) |
| Feb 14 | The Politics of Protection: The Endangered Species Act Past, Present, and Future |
| Feb 15 | Devising Thread City: Performance as Public Dialogue |
| Feb 21 | How Big is Your Water Footprint? |
| Feb 28 | Tastemaker Turks and Modish Mongols: How “Barbarians” became the Arbiters of High Society in Medieval Asia |
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in December, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus.
Tuesday Dec 5 Origins, Measurement, and Management of Stress and Anxiety 1:15 – 2:45
Wednesday Dec 6 Medical Marijuana and Cancer: What’s the Evidence? 1:15 – 2:45
Thursdays, Dec 7 and 14 Memoir Club 10:15 – 11:45
CLIR, a lifelong learning program offered in collaboration with UConn Extension, will hold the following classes in November, all in Vernon Cottage on UConn’s Depot Campus, from 1:15 to 2:45 unless otherwise noted.
Memoir Club Thursdays 10:15 – 11:45
Wed Nov 1 The Origins of Christian Fundamentalism
Tues Nov 7 Programming Love
Wed Nov 8 Music of the Early Baroque
Tues Nov 14 Who Is the Buddha? What Did He Teach?
Wed Nov 15 What Happened to Utopian Literature?
Tues Nov 16 Statelessness and Contemporary Enslavement
Tues Nov 28 Can Voting Ever Be Fair in a Democracy?
For more information visit http://clir.uconn.edu.