Good News!

I have good news to report to the WISE community.  We have a new Director!  The search committee (Barbara Groves as chair, Marsha Addis, Joe Corn, and myself), after a carefully designed process and with the excellent guidance of the Assumption Human Resources Department, has chosen Susan Perschbacher to serve as our future Director -- and to support us in our plans to improve and enhance our WISE program in the years to come. 

Susan was chosen from a field of thirteen applicants, and from the top five highly qualified candidates we interviewed last month. We were especially impressed with her past experience with academic programs, her connections with the Worcester community, and her sincere enthusiasm for life-long learning. She readily accepted our offer and has been welcomed by Assumption College President Cesareo. Susan will begin her new position this spring, meeting with our WISE committees and with Paul Mahon to learn how WISE works. Her official start is June 1, the beginning of WISE year 2016-17.

Working with the first director of WISE, Charlene Martin, twenty-three years ago, Susan helped design and launch our life-long learning institute. She has been an Assumption College professor of Sociology with a focus on gerontology for over twenty years and will now move on to the WISE directorship. She is excited about our plans to increase community outreach, to grow our membership base, to run our office more efficiently, and to support our mission of  “a membership-driven life-long learning institute.” Susan told us that the “love of learning” that WISE members all express is what makes the position so attractive to her.

Many of you know Susan as a WISE group leader, as a WISE learner in other courses, and as a WISE volunteer on the Curriculum Committee. We will probably continue to see her in those roles – even now as we welcome her in the new role as our Director. Congratulations, Susan!

Now that WISE Session D is upon us, I hope you will enjoy the courses in which you have enrolled. Bring a guest to one class if your course is not full.  Encourage your friends to join WISE; perhaps even for the D Session – it’s worth the $145 if they take two or three courses.
 
Special Events this spring:
 
March 23, 6:15 pm,  WORCESTER NIGHT at Nuovo Restaurant, 92 Shrewsbury Street, Worcester. Dinner and speaker: John Anderson, “The Bees are Buzzing Over Worcester Common” ($36 to WISE office)

April 21, 11:30 - 1:30, BROWN BAG lunch at La Maison auditorium, Assumption College. Dianne Williamson presents “Fiction, Fact, and Fun: Life of a Columnist”  Bring a sandwich and a guest (no cost)

May 10, 8 am - 4 pm, BUS TRIP to Harvard Museums in Cambridge with lunch at Grafton Street Pub ($68 to WISE office)

June 9, 11:15 am - 2:00 pm, ANNUAL MEETING and lunch at Val’s Restaurant in Holden
 
See you in class or at a special event!
Sue Durham
WISE President