One Day University

Need a break from the everyday? Like to learn new things but don’t want to commit to a full semester of classes? Want some enrichment without tests? Then One Day University is for you. I attended a session in early May and came home excited about new and old ideas. Various sessions expanded on today’s issues and offered a new dimension to current events. The professors were eager to teach to a full house (over 100 people in the ballroom. Most folks were age forty and up.  Comfy chairs provided at tables, along with a notebook and pen). In one hour they gave a mini-lecture on a subject and allowed time for some Q&A. There was no political agenda, and plenty of humor. Plus a very tasty lunch for purchase. Conversation and new friends were a bonus.  

Each session flew by, and as I left I’d chat with newfound friends. One lady came in for the weekend and took advantage of the Hyatt’s special rate of $99. She said, “I emerge from my Louisiana swampland and treat myself to some learning.” She was a hoot. This was her third year to attend.  

This was the May schedule:

Session 1    A. China, Russia, and India: the Rise of the Rest  Stephen Kotkin/Princeton University

                Or B.   The Future of Healthcare – Michael Sparer/Columbia University

 

Session 2:  A. Global Economy – Paul Bracken/Yale University  or B.  Abraham Lincoln: Fact from Fiction – Louis Masur/ Rutgers University 

Session 3:  A. Psychology of Money – Jeff Hancock/Cornell University or B. Darwin: What he Got Right and Wrong-Susan Lindee/ Univ. of PA 

Session 4:  A. Four Books Every Book Lover Should Read – Joseph Luzzi/Bard College  or B.  What we Know About the Universe- David Helfand/Columbia University 

Session 5:  A. Four Films That Changed America – Marc Lapadula/Yale University or  B. How to Listen to and Appreciate Great Music – Michael Alec Rose/ Vanderbilt University 

Whew – Tough choices but I went with  A, A, A, A, and finally B which was the best class of all. Professor Rose contrasted Beethoven, Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and tied it up with some Disco tunes.  

So consider attending One Day University in the fall. Make a weekend out of it.   Saturday, September 20, 2014  9:30 am  - 4:30 pm in the Arts District – Winspear Opera House and Dallas City Performance Hall.  Details at www.onedayu.com      Upcoming subjects include Brain Science, Foreign Affairs, Machiavelli (History), Gershwin, Intuition Psychology, and more.  

“I am still learning”   Michelangelo 

Enjoy!