Class registration, field trips and meeting new teachers. School is officially back in session and not just for school-age kids. Each fall, for some lifelong learners around Atlanta, it’s time to go back to class for a new semester at Senior University — with no backbreaking backpacks required.
Senior University of Greater Atlanta is a volunteer-run learning program for adults 55 and older. For an annual rate, members can attend as many classes as they’d like in person or online, with subjects ranging from constitutional law to Cuban history, Shakespeare to space science.
For many, it’s the personal connection, not just the curriculum, that keeps them coming back.
Lauren Wood-Viscardi, 65, didn’t plan to go back to school after retirement. She simply agreed to drive her mom to class. But after sitting in the back of a few sessions, she found herself hooked.
“SUGA felt more like family,” said Wood-Viscardi, a former financial analyst who now helps run the online classes.
Initially founded more than 45 years ago, SUGA, as it exists today, evolved out of senior-focused classes offered through Emory and Mercer universities. Today, the program operates independently as a nonprofit, with in-person classes twice a week at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Tucker and online Zoom classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The classes are led by former educators, working professionals, or retirees with deep knowledge and passion in their respective fields and disciplines, including art, medicine, business and law.
“Every class day, we learn new things, from history or science to fine arts or current events,” Wood-Viscardi said.
Continuing connections
Jessica Linden, a former IBM executive who moved to Atlanta in the early 1980s, has been connected to the program for more than 25 years.
“I developed a theater class in the late ’90s and later served as board chair,” said Linden, now 85. She helped guide SUGA through a transition to nonprofit status and a new campus location in 2015. “It’s amazing how much it’s grown, and how much it still feels like a family.”
Linden praised the program’s mix of in-person and online offerings, which make it accessible to members across metro Atlanta and beyond. ”
For many members, the friendships are just as valuable.
“We all go through our life events together,” Wood-Viscardi said, explaining that the members share recommendations for travel, books and restaurants, as well as complaints about noisy contractors and spotty Wi-Fi. The group also offers comfort during hard times and camaraderie during the good ones.
Learning for the love of it
SUGA members can choose from dozens of rotating classes each term, many of which are taught by the same instructors year after year.
Ann Mebane Levine, 81, took her first class shortly after moving to Atlanta to be closer to family. The course was taught by Richard Garner, former artistic director of Georgia Shakespeare, and it convinced her to sign up for a full year.
“It was such an excellent course that I thought if that was any example of the caliber of curriculum that was offered, I definitely wanted to join,” she said.
Levine, who previously managed professional development programs for educators at West Virginia University, soon began volunteering on SUGA’s curriculum committee. She has since served as vice president, president, and now again chairs the committee.
Roy Sobelson, a retired attorney and former associate dean at Georgia State University College of Law, has also become a regular at SUGA.
“I’ve particularly enjoyed classes in astronomy, geology, biology, nutrition and exercise, economics, social behavior, history, biographical sketches, art, music, photography and world geography,” he said.
Sobelson now teaches his own courses and has invited former law school colleagues and students to do the same.
Credit: Senior University of Greater Atlanta
Credit: Senior University of Greater Atlanta
Beyond the classroom
SUGA’s calendar isn’t limited to class time. The nonprofit plans group outings to museums, theaters and historic sites each semester.
Past field trips have included the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Carter Center and the Fox Theatre. Others have traveled together to places as far away as Ireland, Croatia and Australia.
While many students attend in person, the virtual program has become a robust part of SUGA’s offerings, with live Zoom classes and recorded classes for easy replay.
Book club meetings are also available for members.
Volunteer-powered learning
A sense of ownership and involvement runs deep at SUGA. Dozens of volunteers coordinate everything from registration and curriculum to tech support, snacks and day trips. And everyone pitches in. Some help run the snack table or host coffee breaks; others organize field trips, manage rosters or serve on the board.
“I always tell new people, the best way to make friends is to volunteer,” Levine said. “It’s how I met most of mine.”
She also keeps a stack of “Come for a Free Visit” cards in her wallet to share with anyone she meets who might enjoy the program. “I never meet a new person that I don’t think, ‘What could this person teach for SUGA?’”
The program continues to benefit from long-standing academic partnerships, including Emory, providing presentations from faculty and researchers throughout the year.
Finding meaning post-career
Members say SUGA brings structure, meaning, and energy to their post-career years and reminds them they still have a lot to contribute and enjoy in retirement.
“One of our local members’ brother-in-law suffered a debilitating stroke that left him homebound in New Hampshire,” Wood-Viscardi said. “Our member gave him the gift of membership, and it brought such meaning to his last two years of life. He wasn’t able to leave home, but he could show up with all of us every week. It was a rewarding experience for all of us.”
She adds that the program inspires her and reminds her that she’s part of something bigger.
“The best way to keep our mental health is to be engaged and learning new things, and interacting with people.”
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