At the LifeLong Learning Institute at Immaculata University (LLI at IU), individuals over 50 in the southeast Pennsylvania region can continue to cultivate their knowledge, meet others with similar interests, and stay active both mentally and physically.

The LLI volunteer advisory board is offering courses to individuals interested in participating. To request information please ​ email NeverStopLearning00@gmail.com.

Spring 2023 Lectures

Immaculata Wednesday noontime lecture series lineup is below. This series is free to the general public and will not requiring any pre-registration.  Just show up and enjoy!  All lecturers are held in Alumnae Hall at 12 noon.

February 8

• Titanic
  
  • Jerry McNeff
  • The Titanic may be the best-known ship of all time. It hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage, sinking in less than three hours with a loss of almost 1,500 men, women and children. How did this happen? Who perished? What happened to the survivors?  This lecture will address all these questions and more!

February 15

• Recording the American Songbook: The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook Albums
  • Bill Palmerio
  • By the mid-1950s Ella Fitzgerald was an established jazz and pop vocalist enjoying enormous commercial success. Ella’s long-time manager and influential jazz impresario Norman Granz had a plan, however, to elevate her recorded output to a new higher artistic level. Under the auspices of his newly formed Verve record label, Granz produced a series of albums featuring the unique vocal stylings of Ella Fitzgerald performing definitive renditions of classic standards by the greatest of American Songbook songwriters. The eight albums that make up the Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks have achieved legendary status among pop music historians. In this presentation we’ll explore the details behind the individual recordings and listen to selections by the great lady herself. Hopefully you’ll come away understanding why Ella’s Songbooks are considered an essential addition to any serious collection of jazz vocal albums.

February 22

• Conspiracy and Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
  • John Meicht
  • The presentation will cover the conspiracy that led up to this tragic and world changing event. The murder of Lincoln set the country into turmoil that will have far reaching effects still felt today.

March 1

• Understanding the Supreme Court
  
  • Brian Gibson
  • An explanation of the various forms of constitutional interpretation employed by the Supreme Court, the paradigms involved in the process (Judicial Restraint v Activism for example), the few checks and balances on the court and the political implications of court actions and the malleable nature of the Constitution which allows for vastly divergent interpretations.

March 8

• The Astronomy of Zodiac Signs and Why You Are More than Your Sun Sign
  • Paul Kelley
  • Many rational, educated people deride astrology without understanding even the basic principles and techniques on which it is based. I’ll address two big issues in this lecture by first explaining how the Zodiac is a seasonally-based division of the Ecliptic rather than a misinformed association with constellations. I’ll follow that by showing how one can project the positions of all objects in the solar system onto the Ecliptic, thereby giving them a place with the Sun in a chart and a symbolic meaning in the interpretation of a person’s life and personality.

March 15

• Philosophy Through Film
  • Joe Healey
  • Any film of unique and significant value will raise philosophical questions and examining these issues will contribute to understanding the work.

March 29

• How to Sell a House in 30 Days
  • Madeline Dobbs
  • 10 Tips to getting ready for market before you are ready to sell your house

April 5

• George Washington at Valley Forge
  • David Hudiak
  • This lecture will cover the famous winter of 1777-1778 when the Continental Army encamped at Valley Forge, the leadership of George Washington, the hardships endured by his men and how Valley Forge marked a turning point in the war. Students will learn some little-known facts about that winter, and some popular misconceptions about Valley Forge will be corrected

April 19

• First Ladies of the United States
  • Barbara Falini
  • In the words of Margaret Truman, “the women who occupy the White House with their husbands are a varied, interesting, often enigmatic group. Amid constant comment and relentless glare of the media and public, the first lady’s role has been interpreted colorfully and widely throughout our history.” Join us as we discover what part these women played in the formation of our government, in influencing political decision, and in the formation of social and cultural ideas.

April 26

• It’s not only Rocket Science
  • Jim Myers
  • From an early childhood fascination with airplanes, Jim’s interests led him to study aeronautical engineering in college. This enabled him to find employment in various aerospace industries located in Maryland, California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This talk will describe a few personal experiences involving toys, model aircraft, guided missiles, rockets, satellite orbits, and maybe a little astronomy. All were part of Jim’s lifelong learning.