Senior College
"We just got done with the second course in the All American Forms of Music with Mark Lair, and I have a group of 10 ladies that just love him! I just announced that our last session will be next week and one participant said, 'I will be here if I have to come in an ambulance!' That about sums up how much they are enjoying this course. Thanks so much for the opportunity to offer this to our residents and community."
– Dana Reese, Administrator
Good Samaritan Society – Manson (Manson, Iowa)
Senior College is a collaboration between Southwest Minnesota State University, Minnesota West Community and Technical College and the Good Samaritan Society to provide seniors an opportunity to expand their knowledge through courses that interest them. Courses are taught by experienced instructors who share an interest with their students in the topics. It doesn’t matter whether your formal education ended before you graduated from high school or whether you have a doctoral degree — the purpose of these courses is to learn and have fun!
The Senior College courses are provided via DVD to Good Samaritan communities in several states. You will be able to attend class right where you live, along with your friends.
A series of courses is offered twice each year. A variety of topics has been offered in the past, from areas such as art, history, politics, literature, religion, health and more! Seniors enjoy the opportunity to learn new things as well as to engage in thoughtful discussions with their friends. Ask your Good Samaritan Housing Director about Senior College in your community!
Click here to visit the Senior College Web site, www.senior-college.com.
Click here to search for Good Samaritan Society locations near you that offer Senior College.
Senior College in the news
Senior College was featured on KETV-7 in Omaha, Neb., on March 20, 2012.
The story titled, "Senior College offers new hobbies, friends," features a watercolor painting class at Good Samaritan Society – Millard.
Click here to watch the news story.
Senior College in the news
Senior College was featured on KFYR-TV in Bismarck, N.D., on Nov. 8, 2011.
The story features Sheila Robinson, a Senior College student at Good Samaritan Society – Bismarck.
Click here to watch the story.
Painting Living Things in Watercolor - Parts 1 & 2
Imagine including small figures in your landscape paintings! You can always trace, but after you paint lots of small figures, you will skip the drawing and just enjoy painting in watercolor. Taught as if you have never painted before. Step-by-step for enjoyment, creativity and success.
Instructor: Charlene Buescher, Teaching Artist
Wellness from Head to Toe
A review of wellness and the human body to optimize health as we age. Topics include: Dimensions of Wellness, Review of Body Systems and Function, Our Bodies as We Age, Diet and Nutrition, The Magic Pill and Senior Exercise.
Instructor: Laura Dressler, MS, ATC, Senior Fitness Instructor
Music of American Decades: Songs from World War II, the ‘40s and ‘50s
This course is designed to take us on a musical journey through some of America’s most historic decades. Instrumentalists and vocalists will guide us back through America’s rich musical heritage.
Instructor: Glenn Henriksen, Pianist and Organist
Notions of America: A Study of The Scarlett Letter and Letters from a Birmingham Jail
This course is a study of two great literary works The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Letters from a Birmingham Jail by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We will discuss the power of the classics, the Puritans and a conspiracy of silence. Other topics include the “King” of nonviolence and a lesson in rhetoric. It will benefit the participant to read the book, and the letters can be printed from the Internet.
Instructor: Instructor: Virginia Olson, Teacher and Writer
