The ILR juggles scheduling to occupy fully the two classrooms assigned for daytime use. These classrooms are down the hall from the office and lounge area that serves as the group's headquarters. The part-time director occupies an office that doubles as a committee meeting space. This ILR belongs to the more than 300 older learners who created it. They pay dues, elect officers, and work hard to provide stimulating educational opportunities for themselves and their peers in the community.
Members also keep the coffee brewing and the lounge tidy.
This ILR is one of more than 220 in the United States and Canada - an organization of retirement age learners dedicated to meeting the educational interests of its members. It is part of a growing movement that is opening campuses across the continent to the experience and vitality of older people. Throughout the 60's and 70's other colleges and universities replicated or adapted the IRP model. During the 1980's several national conferences exposed the concept to a wider audience and spurred the development of many more. Since the creation of the Elderhostel Institute Network in 1988, more than 220 new ILRs have been launched.