Back in college for a day

One Day University featuring favorite Ivy League professors rejuvenates lifelong learners.

from the June 20, 2007 edition

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Now most classes are held in suburban locations: Old Westbury, N.Y.; Westchester, N.Y.; Morristown, N.J.; Fairfield, Conn.; West Hartford, Conn.; and Wellesley, Mass. Another will be held in New York City. New courses are offered every five to seven weeks at each site.

Referring to these adult students, Schragis says, "There's a type. A lot are retired. If they are not retired, they are not totally caught up in their career. They're not coming on Saturday and thinking they're going to make more money on Monday. The type of person who thinks that spending most of a weekend day in a classroom would be a good use of time and money obviously has a respect for education."

That could describe Cheryl Taustin, who came from Ocean City, Md., to attend One Day University. "With lifelong learning, you're keeping your mind active," she says. "I may not climb Mt. Everest, but I look forward to learning about anything in the world."

On this Saturday in Newton, that learning begins with a lecture on "Moby Dick," given by Andrew Delbanco, director of American studies at Columbia University. As he traces the life and times of Herman Melville, many in the audience take notes.

" 'Moby Dick' is implicitly a political book," he tells the group. "The brute facts of American life were not airbrushed out of it." Later, he explains that his favorite passage for reading aloud is a chapter titled "Nantucket." "Melville had never been to Nantucket," he says. "You could describe this chapter as a great cadenza."

Shawn Achor of Harvard University follows with a lecture on happiness. His course, "Positive Psychology and the Science of Happiness," is the most popular class at Harvard.

"The way you think about yourself has physical manifestations in your life," he tells the audience. "There's something very important in consciously trying to be happier. If you want to see the world a happier place, the best place to start is with yourself."

After a buffet lunch, students regroup to hear Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University in Providence, R.I., discuss Congress and politics. "I believe 2008 will be a ground-shifting election for Republicans and Democrats," she says.

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