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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
Our news this month involves the President of the United States--it doesn't get bigger than that! We also have an enthusiastic class of 2016 to introduce and an upcoming opportunity for aspiring writers. And in the Final Word, student Jonathan Noah offers a look into his path to Free Minds.
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Clemente Course Awarded the National Humanities Medal
 On September 10, President Obama honored the Clemente Course by awarding it our country's highest honor for the humanities: the National Humanities Medal. Marina van Zuylen, academic director of the Clemente Course, accepted the honor on behalf of the program. She stood with luminaries such as Annie Dillard, Larry McMurtry, and food activist Alice Waters in being celebrated by the president.
As one of 30 Clemente Courses currently operating in the country, we at Free Minds are thrilled to see Clemente recognized by the White House. Based on the model created by Earl Shorris in the mid-1990s, Clemente Courses
are community-based programs offering accredited college courses in the liberal arts, tuition-free, to people who have limited access to college education. Obama cited the program for working with adults, "enriching their lives, and broadening their horizons."
Like all those offering Clemente Courses, we know this honor really celebrates the power of engaging with big ideas and, most of all, the hundreds of students across the country who come each week to read, discuss, and grow together. Congrats to all!
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Sign Up for our Fall Writing Workshop!
Looking for a chance to explore new writing techniques and get your ideas onto the page? Our fall writing workshop is the opportunity to do just that. During this free 8-week workshop, participants will meet each Wednesday evening from September 30 to November 18, 6:30-8:30 pm at Capital Studios (309 East 11th Street). Abbey Chung, teaching artist and writing fellow at UT's Michener Center for Writers, will facilitate the group.
More detailed information is available on our website. Call 512-610-7961 or email [email protected] to sign up or learn more.
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New Students Foster Community
The Free Minds year begins with orientation, stacks of new books, and all of the nervousness that comes with any big new endeavor. But if those starting out in the class of 2016 were hesitant to begin, they did not show it. By the second class in late August, the classroom was already humming with familiar conversations over student offerings of cookies and coffee.
During the first week of class, each member of the community was asked to speak about his or her journey as a learner--an icebreaker which has become a tradition for new Free Minds cohorts in recent years. All listened intently as students, faculty, and staff shared stories about encouraging teachers, inspiring books, struggles that led them away from formal education, and aspirations that brought them back. Tracey Torres, a member of the new class, summed up the experience saying, "I feel like I recognize some part of myself in each one of you."
Students in this year's class range in age from 26 to 57 years old. The group includes AISD employees, parents, musicians, Foundation Communities residents, and avid readers. Nearly half of incoming students have never taken a college class prior to Free Minds. To learn more about what the group is studying this fall, check out our online syllabus here. Also, get the inside scoop from current student Jonathan Noah in the Final Word.
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Special Thanks
We had a fantastic group of volunteers to help us with the process of interviewing, selecting, and welcoming our new Class of 2016. This month, we are especially grateful to:
Geoff Bahre
Evan Carton
Abbey Chung
Harolyn Collins
Tiffany Eagan
Gloria Gutierrez
Laura Ines Juarez
Arlene Lozano
Giselle Lumbreras
Karl Meyer
Beth Moreno
Katie Navine
Matthew Needham
Charmaine Nichols
Todd Readoaux
Irene Salas
LaKesha Thomas
If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our
website.
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Minds in Motion
Archive
July 2015
Hear how next year's class is shaping up.
May 2015
We honor the largest group of graduates in Free Minds history!
March 2015
Our youngest Free Minders stitch, paint, and sing their way to community.
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The Final Word
Jonathan Noah Has Set His Sights on Higher Education
 About five years ago, a host of reflections on the direction of my life motivated me to read a book that changed me, Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. It was like a light bulb came on. That experience of understanding something new and mentally traveling into the world and perspective of an author was unlike anything I'd ever known, not even while I was in high school.
From middle school throughout my high school years, the content of my consciousness didn't relate to anything I was being exposed to at that time. I recall lots of frustration. Subjects like math, science, reading, writing and education in general had no space in my conscious--but having fun and leisure time with friends did. The residue of past experiences within an academic environment left me skeptical. It wasn't until years after high school that that content gradually became reversed.
I became an avid reader and through that developed an interest in writing and in the power of education to alter lives for the better. My present involvement with Free Minds is the result of all that.
Now here I am enrolled as an ACC student, reading complex material such as Plato's Republic and writing structured papers, with my eyes set on possibly furthering my education. As the fall semester opens, processing where I am and what I'm currently engaged in is nothing short of an amazing feeling. Not only is the course providing me a means to further my education, but it's also allowing the opportunity for self development. For me, that means learning effective ways of self expression through writing and learning to think critically.
Amidst the challenges of time management, reading comprehension, expression, and everyday life, I feel that I, alongside the rest of my classmates, can expect a full blown amazing experience throughout this course! Much appreciation is due to all of us students, as well as the teachers and staff for contributing to this experience. Thanks!
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A program of Foundation Communities, in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College, Free Minds offers a two-semester college course in the humanities for Central Texas adults who want to fulfill their intellectual potential and begin a new chapter in their lives.
Free Minds Project
Foundation Communities
3036 South 1st Street
Austin TX, 78704
Project Director: Vivé Griffith Program Coordinator: Amelia Pace-Borah Ph: 512-610-7961 F: 512-447-0288 www.FreeMindsAustin.org |
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