PDF version - College of Lake County

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Highland Park to downtown Chicago. The
courses were part of a joint promotional effort
between CLC and Metra, recalled Sheila Marks
who was the first director of the program.
Quest courses are based on the Elderhostel
model. Courses meet for four consecutive days
and focus in-depth on topics such as American
culture of the 1950s, Marcinkovich said.
In each program, students enjoy the chance
to learn and make new friends, two factors that
contribute to a healthy, happy—and youthfulretirement,
according to the landmark Harvard
University study of adult development.
Making friends and studying favorite subjects,
especially movies and history, keeps Heidi
Mullejans coming back to both the Discovery!
and Quest programs. The Deerfield resident and
retired math teacher says the number of courses
she’s taken is “in the double digits,” with topics
ranging from the First Amendment to the films
of Marilyn Monroe.
John Kupetz, a CLC professor of multimedia
and mass communications, taught the
Marilyn Monroe course. “We saw three movies
on Marilyn Monroe, and I am amazed about
what he (Kupetz) knows about the actors, their
lives, the producers and the story lines,” Mullejans
said.
Kupetz and many other instructors for the
Discovery! and Quest programs teach regular,
credit-based CLC courses during the day, and
they relish the chance to teach older students.
“With traditional age students, you need to
fill in a lot of historical details,” said Kupetz.
“They may not understand a passing reference
to Elvis, the Beatles or Sen. Joe McCarthy
as much as the retirees. But the retirees know it.”
Kupetz also appreciates the enthusiasm of
Discovery! students. “They bring a lifetime of
experience,” he said. “The discussions are incredibly
lively, and I don’t have to work hard to
draw things out (of them). Actually, I learn a lot
from them and I always feel upbeat after teaching
the class. It’s something I really enjoy.”
Kupetz’s views are echoed by John Tenuto,
a CLC sociology professor who has taught Discovery!
courses ranging from “The Science of
Star Trek” to “What 1960s Advertisements Tell
Us About Then and Now.”
“These students have such an enthusiasm for
learning that it makes you want to be the best
you can be for them,” Tenuto said.
Learn more about Discovery! and Quest at
www.clcillinois.edu/seniors
Bus tours (such as this one led by Laurel Kaiser) and visiting sites ranging from architectural icons to Chicago’s theatres are
part of Discovery! course offerings.
12 | COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY