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Lifelong Learning Is Our Journey
WISE … Once a Secret … Now a Gift
By Pat Hurton, Chair Outreach Committee
According to the dictionary, an ambassador is “a person who represents others,” and that is what you are—a WISE Ambassador—and we need you representing the Outreach Committee. Many of our new members learn about WISE from word-of-mouth by you, our existing members. So this summer please tell your friends, neighbors, family, and colleagues about WISE and what it means to you. You can highlight the benefits of lifelong learning as well as the other benefits that come with membership which include the following:
- Over 70 outstanding classes, movie club, book club, brown bag lectures, social events, trips, participation in Assumption activities and use of their facilities, discounts on campus dining areas, and internal communication publications.
To get recruiting material about WISE or additional information, please call the WISE office at 508-767-7513, or contact me at pjhurton@yahoo.com.
Thank you for your continuing commitment to and enthusiasm for WISE, and have a great summer.
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Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
W.B. Yeats
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Richness and Growth of the Curriculum
Article for the 25th Anniversary WISE Program Book
by Jane Gilligan 
When asked what they liked most about WISE, 96% of our members referred to “the Courses” on a 2016 survey. The richness and growth of the curriculum are reflected in the outstanding group leaders, the academic rigor and diversity of the courses, the contributions of the group members, and the work of the Curriculum Committee. The support of Assumption College and the hospitality of outside venues result in warm and comfortable locations for these courses.
In Spring 1993, WISE began by offering six courses, including “Fathers and Daughters—A Universal Theme,” a literature course taught by Hannah Laipson, and “Play Reading” by Don Tritschler. Since then, more than 1100 distinct courses have been given in 25 years, and more than 300 group leaders have taught for WISE. In Spring 2018, 38 courses were offered, and a total of 78 were listed for 2017-2018, compared to the total of 25 in 1993-1994. Four five-week sessions each year are given, with courses across the spectrum from art, music, and drama to science, philosophy, religion, and history. With the increase in WISE membership, more courses will be added to reduce long wait lists for popular offerings.
WISE courses reflect talented and dedicated group leaders. Those who taught 25 years ago include Hannah Laipson, Don Tritschler, Susan Perschbacher, and Faith Lang. Richard Schmitt, Caroline Ciccarelli, and Richard Kimball taught 20 years ago, and Marcia Tannenbaum, Jed Watters, Jane Gilligan, and Deb Cary were group leaders 15 years ago. Current popular leaders are Les Blatt, Joe Corn, Jane Crooks, Antonella Doucette, Philomena Feighan, Jim Foley, Rich Simpson, and Margaret Watson.
The advantages of the curriculum to the WISE membership are many. One dues payment allows the members to take as many courses as they wish; some attend as many as six or eight per session! Over two-thirds of WISE group members hold a graduate or professional degree, and many more are college graduates, resulting in rich, interesting class discussions because of their backgrounds and life experiences. Members complete an evaluation form for each course; the teachers receive individual letters summarizing the results of the usually superb evaluations. Members appreciate the facilities at our outside venues: Audubon, Worcester Art Museum, Willows at Worcester, Briarwood, Southgate, The Jewish Community Center, and Tower Hill.
The Curriculum Committee is composed of WISE members who represent a cross-section of members’ experience and expertise; all are volunteers who meet monthly except for January and July. The Committee reviews written proposals from the group leaders and decides which courses to offer that reflect the eclectic and rigorous nature of the curriculum and the outstanding qualifications of the teachers, many of whom are affiliated with local institutions of higher learning.
WISE members value face-to-face classes. They appreciate “the easy give and take of the classroom” and “the social aspect of being with friends and learning together,” as members commented in the survey. One member stated, “WISE does a tremendous job offering a variety of courses at a variety of times and at a variety of locations.” The diversity of the courses, the quality of the group leaders, and the contributions to class discussions by the group members result in the outstanding WISE curriculum.
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Save the Date
Members will receive details from the WISE Office as time gets closer to the event. This is just a preliminary notice of what a WISE membership offers beyond the popular courses. Also, don’t forget the WISE Movie Club and Book Club!
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All day excursion to explore Wachusett Reservoir
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All day excursion to explore Quabbin Reservoir
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Registration for the 2018-2019 year is open now at assumptionwise.org. (Full-year and spring half-year memberships expire on June 30.)
A preliminary list of courses for the A and B sessions will be posted at the same website by the end of June. The full catalog follows in July.
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Registration for WISE Fall courses begins online at 12:01 am
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WISE 25th Anniversary Pics
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Our WISE 25th Anniversary Task Force
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Birthday Brunch in October
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Stephen Kurkjian lecture in November
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Maria Sirois lecture in April
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Celebration in May
Susan Pershbacher, Marsha Addis, and Joyce Abdow-Dowd
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Thelma Lockwood, an original WISE member, at our
Celebration in May
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