First day of school

Today was my first class for the Fall Term at the University of Pittsburgh – Johnstown. I’ve been taking advantage of UPJ’s LearningPLUS program, for students 55 and older, since my retirement almost three years ago. Classes are free; students pay only for the cost of books.

Students in this program audit the course, so no credits are earned. An advantage is we are not required to take the tests or do the homework – within reason. Of course, if one takes a literature course, for example, reading the assignments is something you’d obviously want to do, too.

I take classes each Fall and Spring term, watching the schedule for classes that interest me. To date, I’ve taken classes such as Ornithology, African American Literature, American Indian Literature, North American Indian Cultures, and Literature and the Environment. This term I’m taking another literature course, Short Story in Context.

I’ve found this program to be an enjoyable, stress-free way to “keep on learning.” The professors have all been very open to having a “mature” student in the classroom.

Fall Term, 2009, at the University of Pittsburgh - Johnstown campus opened with beautiful, late summer weather. The Pitt Panther stands guard at the center of the UPJ campus.