Our mission is to enrich our lives by providing forums for sharing the pleasures of active learning.
To implement this mission, we…
- offer educational programs reliant on peer-led seminars in which each member is an active participant. These seminars are held at a number of locations as appropriate, including the facilities of the five colleges in the Pioneer Valley (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst), and our home in the FCI annex, on Zoom, or via hybrid methods.
- provide additional programs to enrich the educational experience of members. These programs may include encores of successful seminar presentations; field trips to museums, concerts, theater performances, round-table discussions of current events, reading groups, and special lectures and colloquiums.
- expect members to
a. accept our core commitment to active participation,
b. pay dues, and
c. be willing to share in the responsibilities of the organization, all with an awareness of and support for the physical and financial aspects of aging. - manage the organization through our elected Council representatives and officers with the guidance and assistance of Five Colleges, Inc.
- acknowledge that, although our primary purpose is intellectual pursuit, we recognize and encourage the social rewards of shared learning.
- offer a variety of programs with a “participatory component” both for ourselves and the larger community in a social setting that sustains and nurtures friendships, old and new.
- believe that a diverse membership is central to a rich and stimulating learning environment; therefore we strive to provide a welcoming atmosphere to all.
