Men and women 50 years of age and older have 82 opportunities to learn something new during the Learning in Retirement 2015 winter term.

Classes begin on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Highlights include Sonny Shroyer, who portrayed Deputy Enos Strate on the long-running series “The Dukes of Hazzard,” sharing how he got into movies and television; vegetarian cooking lessons in the kitchen; a look at life in Khabarovsk, Russia, near the Chinese border; lessons in starting a YouTube channel; and a good health series dedicated to preventative health.       

A member-led and Valdosta State University-sponsored organization that began in January 1996, Learning in Retirement “provides a unique opportunity for cultural growth, lifelong learning, and recreation,” according to information provided by the organization. The course offerings and curriculum are “chosen, designed, and often led by the members, encouraging peer learning and active member participation.”

Learning in Retirement capitalizes “on the strengths and experiences of older adults, empowering them to continue learning, expand their horizons, and enhance their personal development.”

Membership costs $45 per person per term — fall, winter, and spring — and allows members to participate in as many Learning in Retirement courses as they desire. A few courses and special activities require an additional fee, which is always noted in advance in the course catalog.

Learning in Retirement’s 2015 winter term features a course lineup full of trips and tours, book reviews, topics that are simply “good to know,” and classes in the areas of health and fitness, computers, fine arts, history and social studies, leisure, as well as science and nature.

New members are always welcome.     

Carol Jennings, Learning in Retirement president, said, “I am excited for the winter Learning in Retirement term to begin, offering new opportunities for learning experiences and meeting old and new friends. I especially enjoy the photo journeys offering the opportunity to travel to destinations around the world that I will not be able to get to in real life, such as Siberia, and the short trips to unusual and unique locations around our own area, such as Ralph’s Radio Museum, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and a nearby canning plant and dairy farm.”

Learning in Retirement is located in Valdosta State University’s Regional Center for Continuing Education at 903 N. Patterson St.  

Contact Suzanne Ewing, Learning in Retirement program coordinator, at (229) 245-6484or [email protected] to learn more.