Anne Cardale
Program Director. 

Maine Senior College Network

University of Southern Maine

MSCN 2020 Statewide Conference

"2020 Vision for Maine's Senior Colleges"

Saturday May 2, 2020.

The title for the MSCN Statewide Conference is "2020 Vision for Maine's Senior Colleges." This play on words touches on the history and the future of Maine's unique lifelong learning network.

The conference recognizes twenty years of senior colleges delivering classes to Mainers aged 50+. None of these classes would be possible without the network's army of volunteers, working at all levels, from instructors and board members to greeters and mailing helpers! Senior colleges have also become highly adaptable; adjusting and changing as the environment around them has changed. With this in mind, the conference organizers invite you to to share your expertise and creativity, and plan for the next twenty years!

The conference will feature workshops designed to help hard-working boards. It will also present three exciting sessions with SC Belfast star presenters Sandy Cirillo, Pete Reilly, and Neil Harkness.

We are also proud to have the knowledgeable (and humorous), Dr. Lenard Kaye, as the conference keynote speaker. Len is the Director of the University of Maine Center on Aging (UMCA). Len Kaye will also present a workshop titled "Moving Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Older Adults Can Contribute to and Shape Research in Maine." He will co-present with Jennifer Crittenden, (Assoc Director of UMCA).

The conference is an opportunity for you to get together with other senior college board members, volunteers, and members to network and chat and swap notes and contact information.

There are many beautiful places to stay in the Belfast area, and UMaine Hutchinson Center has organized a special discount rate for participants to stay at the Fireside Inn. (Use block booking name: "Senior College Conference 2020".)

Many thanks to the staff of the University of Maine Hutchinson Center and the Senior College at Belfast for hosting this one-day conference on Saturday, May 2nd.

How to Register

To register, go to the "2020 Vision for Maine's Senior Colleges." Conference page. You can see the day's schedule plus additional information, including a list of hotels in the area.

Anne Cardale. MSCN Program Director

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The Book Corner
by Pat Davidson Reef

Leadership in Turbulent Times 

by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Simon and Schuster 2018

Pages 370 Price $30

Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson

evaluates America through four of its presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. It is a unique combination to explore together. Goodwin writes in a warm and intimate style and implies we have suffered many pivotal times in our history, and America has always survived. This book is about two Republican Presidents and two Democrat Presidents and how they faced problems and made decisions.

Do great leaders appear when needed historically, or are great leaders born and live among us unrecognized? Indeed, the four presidents explored by Goodwin bring that thought to mind. Goodwin says," There is no fixed time table which governs the development of leadership. Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson all possessed leadership capacities," Goodwin said. 

She relates that Abraham Lincoln grew up with hardship, which influenced him to have ambition and become resourceful, and these qualities helped him to face the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt came to sense himself as a leader later in life. He had to prove himself as physically fit despite illness and became a hero in Cuba, actually leading American troops into battle. Roosevelt broke up the railroad monopolies, provided the nation with national parks, cleaned up the New York Police Department, inspired consumer protection laws. He stood alone on many issues, even within his party.  Franklin Roosevelt was raised without siblings on the banks of the Hudson and had many privileges of wealth and education.  He had a variety of executive jobs in the navy but came late to leadership. However, as president, he was mature, had wisdom, brought us through World War II, and gave us Social Security.  Lyndon Johnson loved politics from the beginning and, at the age of 22, gave a speech that led to his ambitious goal to go to Washington. His greatest regret was his involvement with the Vietnam War. His greatest achievement was the 1964 Civil Rights Bill. He did not have the polish of John F. Kennedy, but he was good at crisis management and made the nation stronger by uniting it.

What did all these presidents have in common? All had enormous ambition, drive, intelligence and common sense. Perhaps endurance was their greatest strength? Each had periods of depression, and each conquered personal losses. All were great leaders in different ways, and each had their flaws. If you like to read about the human side of history, you will love this book. It provides an up-close and personal view of the great leaders of our nation. Goodwin gives readers a feeling of security that our country has indeed faced chaos before and survived. We will survive again in 2020.