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Concord ACE advisory committee reviews Village University program, seeks volunteers for bookshop display
Summary
At its Feb. 27 meeting, the Concord-Carlisle Adult & Community Education advisory committee heard a history and update on Village University — a tuition-free lifelong-learning program for retirees that draws more than 100 participants per semester — and organizers asked for volunteers to install a Concord Bookshop window display on March 9.
Jill Weintraub, director of Adult and Community Education, told the advisory committee on Feb. 27 that Village University — a lifelong-learning program for primarily retired residents — began in 2003 and has grown to more than 100 participants each semester.
Weintraub said Village University originally ran fall and spring semesters with four to five classes each term and later added a winter “mini-session” (two to three courses, often on Zoom) and staggered starts to offer more flexibility for instructors and participants. Classes are tuition-free; organizers request a suggested donation of $75 for the first class and $45 for each additional course to support the program.
Weintraub noted that space remains a constraint for in-person offerings and identified Newbury Court as a partner that hosts one course per semester. Committee member Polly Meyer suggested promoting the program as an opportunity for family members in different geographies — for example, elder parents and their adult children — to take a session together.
As part of outreach, Weintraub asked for one or two volunteers to install posters and help with a Concord Bookshop window display scheduled for March 9 at 10:30 a.m.; Polly Meyer volunteered to assist. The committee approved its January minutes at the start of the meeting; the next meeting is set for March 20 at noon at the Ripley School.
Why it matters: Village University is a longstanding, largely volunteer-run program that serves older residents and contributes to local lifelong-learning offerings; space limitations and volunteer needs affect how many courses can be offered and where they are held.
