Big Ideas of the 21st Century Program Series
A program series presents events that are united by a common theme. The first major effort for ASC's Big Ideas of the 21st Century, kicked off by the documentary film, "End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream" at Reel Pizza on May 18, 2008, followed by a panel discussion led by COA President David Hales.
This will be an ongoing series of events focusing on Big Ideas that emanate from a wide array of disciplines, both academic and applied. Watch this page closely as the project unfolds.
Dine and Discuss Program Series
These Dine and Discuss gatherings were initiated by Dr. Robert Gallon, a clinical psychologist, musician and ASC faculty member who has a day job that conflicts with much that the Senior College has to offer its retired members. All of the programs in this series will take place on Friday evenings and will be open to the entire community as well as ASC members.
"Issues of Our Times" lectures take place the final Friday of each month (off-season) in the Birch Bay Village Inn dining room. ASC members deliver talks on their favorite timely topic, followed by question and answer.
A few recent titles: Drugs: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, by psychologist
Robert Gallon; Liars and the Gullible, by psychiatrist Robert Gossart; What
Will Your Grandchildren Want from Their Libraries, by a panel of local librarians.
[Please note that the May 2008 Lunch & Learn is the final one of the season. They will begin again in September.]
Click here to view the Lunch & Learn schedule .
Our first-ever workshop, held at Southwest Harbor Library in 2008, gave participants experience using MARVEL!, Maine's outstanding Virtual Library, and the online Minerva catalog that includes over six million items including books, DVD's, audio books, magazines, and music CD's.
As a follow-up, "The Magic of Google Book Search" was presented by the Southwest Harbor Library to a receptive audience in mid-May.
Watch for notices about upcoming workshops.
No upcoming events scheduled at this time.
Narrowly defining "recreation"-for our purpose here-as "games," we currently sponsor a Croquet League and a Curling League. ASC membership is required to join these leagues. Watch this page for additional recreational pursuits currently in the planning stages.
Click here to view upcoming Recreational Programs .
One of the few ASC event programs that is open to members only, this group gathers over breakfast on the first and third Friday of each month (off-season) to discuss a subject of common interest. Based upon a shared conviction that conversations can change the world, participants take turns presenting a topic for the group to explore informally. Expertise is not a prerequisite at our Coffee Clash, just a desire to exchange ideas in the convivial atmosphere of a local eatery.
Fearlessly, we have tackled the controversial issues of immigration policy, our healthcare crisis, climate change, and the recent economic meltdown. These gatherings are unscripted, stimulating and fun.
Click here to view the Coffee Clash schedule .
Watch for notices about upcoming exhibits of art work created by talented members of ASC.
No exhibits listed at this time .
Still in the conceptual stage, we aim to plan one day outings around purposes such as visiting art galleries; examining invasive species; taking photographs, or whatever else might ignite the interest of a critical mass of members.
No Field Study events listed at this time .
Our first few intergenerational events took place at College of the Atlantic, with presentations by ASC members to the students. Ed Kaelber led a program on the future of Social Security; Jim Clunan and Margot Haertel discussed options for National Service. (See Camden Conference page for additional programs). We have more such initiatives on the drawing board.
No Intergenerational Events listed at this time .
Special community events, such as lectures, panel discussions, conversation groups, recreational activities, and program series, are an important part of ASC's year-round program. In an ongoing effort to bring local people and visitors together around a common purpose, we offer many of these programs to the public free of charge. We build on the strong assets of our community: the site partners who provide attractive and comfortable venues, the volunteers who ably organize and publicize, and the leaders who freely offer their time and talent to help create a more stimulating cultural environment on MDI.
In the summer months, ASC hosts a series of public policy lectures. This series began in 2004 to honor Philip Geyelin, a Pulitzer Prize winner and summer resident of Mount Desert Island. These lectures are conducted in the spirit of bipartisan public inquiry advocated by Geyelin. Among many notable presenters were Frederick P Hitz, former inspector general of the CIA, Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to President Carter, David Hackett Fischer, Pulitzer Prize winning Historian, Theda Skocpol, Dean, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Harvard, Frederick Benson, a former White House Fellow, Senator George Mitchell, retired Ambassador James
Lowenstein, and Boyden Gray, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union.
Off-season, we usually draw on local experts to share their knowledge about a special enthusiasm. "The Pathbuilders," a 2008 presentation by Acadia National Park Interpreter/Naturalist, Angi King Johnston, took our audience down area trails blazed by the Native Americans, then the Rusticators and the CCC, and finally to the trails re-born through the efforts of Friends of Acadia.
Click here to view: Fall Speakers, October 2008 .