It is with interest, and somewhat amusement, that I read Marc Litt’s opinion, “FAU cashes in on old folks”, University Press, March 22, 2004 (UP 28). Obviously Litt did some homework, but unfortunately not enough to get the whole picture. This resulted in an article that implies that FAU is “using Old Folk” on the FAU campus to the detriment of the undergraduates. Certainly FAU gains from this partnership, but so do the undergraduates, the community, and lives of students LLS serves. Litt’s opinion reflects the haste with which youth may judge and the falsity that such haste may generate.
Mr Litt wants to know “where the students’ cut is.” Well, sir, I offer the following in response:
As the Coordinator of Special Programs for Lifelong Learning for the last nine years, I have been privy to the history of LLS since it was established on this campus in 1980. The almost quarter-century history of the Lifelong Learning Society indicates that since its inception the society has given over $500,000 in grants, scholarships and endowed professorships to various colleges and undergraduate students ($14,000 annually to seven colleges on the Boca Raton campus). Donations solely from members and students of LLS contributed $1.3 million for a building on the Boca Raton campus and over $2 million to the LLS building presently scheduled for construction in the summer of 2004 on the MacArthur Campus in Jupiter. Ninety percent of the programs used in the Barry and Florence Friedberg Lifelong Learning Center, other than the LLS classes, are sponsored by departments of the University and are primarily used by student groups.
LLS history, rich in creativity, sound management and dedicated leaders and staff, offers a program recognized throughout the nation for its quality of education and quantity of students – 17,000 students currently in Boca Raton.
Serving as a bridge for two-way support, LLS students carry the goodwill of the program and university into all corners of the community. The Lifelong Learning Society in its 25 years has made a valuable contribution to the quality of life for its senior students, for the community it serves and for the University and its students it represents. Although Mr. Litt is entitled to his opinion, perhaps his understanding will be enhanced by looking at the bigger picture. FAU isn’t “cashing in” on the old folks! It is the beneficiary and supporter of “the third dimension of national learners” who are living healthier lives, contributing more effectively in their role as citizens, and who are giving back some of the good that they have received on their lifelong journey. Mr. Litt, you one day will join the throngs of white-haired, bespectacled seniors who recognize that they have become “too soon old and too late smart.” It is then that you may change your mind about the contributions that “old folks” can still make to the world they live in.
Ginny Huntzinger, LLS Special Programs Coordinator
