CLEVELAND — As the director of the Burrell Memorial Observatory, Gary Kader knows a thing or two about astronomy. He teaches a class on the subject at Baldwin Wallace University.
“This is for undergraduate students who are fulfilling their general science requirements,” Kader explained
Some of some of his students are seniors of another kind, like Bob Thomson and his wife Bette.
“I want to know more today than I did yesterday,” Thomson said.
Thomson and his wife are lifelong learners. They’re going back to school at Baldwin Wallace University, a part of a collaboration between the university and the senior living group, Vitalia.
“Well, the older you get, I think the more quickly you get tired,” Bette said. “So you need to have something to think on that’s a different each day.”
The partnership gives seniors living at Vitalia properties a chance to take college-level courses for free, according to Thomas Moore, the director of marketing for the Division of Community Learning at the university.
“Everybody should continue to learn throughout their life,” Moore said. “And just the fact that we have the capacity, the facilities and, most importantly, the professors who have this, the knowledge of the subjects.”
Moore said there is a variety of programming offered at the university to keep the seniors sharp and active.
“We’ve offered so far a birdwatching class, a plant identification class, and we’re in the process of setting up a formal observatory class like what we did today,” Moore said.
Looking through a telescope in the observatory, Thomson said he’s liking what he’s learning.
“Yeah. This is neat,” Thomson said.
If seniors continue to enjoy the classes, Moore said the university may explore partnerships with other senior living facilities.
“Now that we have the model in place, we would definitely be open to talking to anybody who’s interested in taking advantage of this these opportunities,” Moore said.
