York College Officially Welcomes New LLI Participants with Opening Registration Event

In 1971, Barbara Sleeger and her peers made history as the first graduating class after the institution officially became York College of Pennsylvania.

She received her bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and spent 47 years working in the medical industry. When she retired, she stayed active in the community and wanted to continue learning.

And now, she is returning to York College to continue her experiences through the Lifelong Learning Initiative (LLI) program.

“There are so many people who are so excited about this,” Sleeger said. “I just can’t believe the support the people here at York College are giving it.”

The LLI program aims to enrich the lives of adults through educational, cultural, engagement, and intergenerational opportunities. Thanks to the generous support and partnership of the York County Community Foundation (YCCF)’s Embracing Aging Initiative, York College will offer participants in York County and beyond accessible opportunities through a year-round schedule of non-credit courses. 

The program’s vision is to create a community that promotes lifelong learning, in support of YCP’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) mission to serve as a bridge between the College and the surrounding community, establishing meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships that tangibly improve the lives of people in York.

On May 14, York College officially launched the LLI program with an inaugural event in the West Campus Community Center. Around 500 people attended the afternoon event, meeting York College and LLI staff while learning about the program's offerings.

“We offer a bit of everything: interesting classes, clubs, engagement events, and tours that show off the best of York,” Dr. Jen Geubtner-May, Director of the York College Lifelong Learning Initiative. “It’s the perfect way to stay active and meet great people. Plus, there are plenty of ways to get involved as a volunteer, to give back and stay involved in the community we’re building together at YCP.”

New participants also had the opportunity to meet with instructors who will lead the courses available to them over the summer and fall. The classes will cover a wide range of topics, from York history and geology to the evolution of writing and Hollywood movie classics, and the music industry. Not only will the participants be able to explore new and familiar topics of interest through the classes, but they will also have the opportunity to be taught by many faculty members of York College

One such is Dr. Samantha Deffler, Associate Professor of Psychology, who will be teaching an LLI course on memory.

“We are going to explore the science behind autobiographical memory,” Dr. Deffler said. “So how people remember events from their lives, how they reconstruct those events and use details from the events like who, what, when, where, and why to have a sense of living the event again, to see it in their mind. Also, how those details can influence their belief in its accuracy, because another lesson that we will learn in this course is that memory is not accurate, it changes over time.”

Another instructor will be Thomas Gibson, a volunteer at the York County History Center and a former York College instructor who taught radio production. His course will focus on the problems the Continental Congress faced when it met in Yorktown in 1777. For Gibson, the role he and the other instructors play is important, as lifelong learning can have a powerful impact not just on those who participate in the program but also on the community.

“I’ve been doing it for 55 years - that’s what I do now at the History Center,” Gibson said. “And I think it is just a win-win completely for York College, for lifelong learning, for the History Center, and for all the organizations that are meeting in this room right now.”

Now, participants like Sleeger will have plenty of opportunities to explore and expand their knowledge through a variety of enriching experiences. Another LLI participant, Adam Torres-Borrero, echoed the sentiment, expressing his excitement to join courses such as those focused on music production and business.

“If you don’t know about the projects that you’re working with, what’s a better way to learn than to join the programs?” said Torres-Borrero.

Currently, the LLI program has 468 paid members and 1,071 registrations for summer courses so far. More are sure to come, and the staff at York College and LLI are looking forward to creating unforgettable experiences for the prospective students.

“I think that the students in the LLI program are going to bring really unique perspectives to campus, and will hopefully become more integrated with the campus community and bring a real enthusiasm for learning, just for the sake of learning, as opposed to learning for a grade,” Dr. Deffler said.

“This event perfectly encapsulated YC-LLI’s progress at YCP to date,” Dr. Geubtner-May said. “It showcased the essential pillars of our success: the commitment of our volunteers, the specialized efforts of the LLI staff, and the extraordinary support of the YCP administration.”

To learn more about the LLI program and how to register for summer courses, visit York College’s Lifelong Learning website.