About Us
Our Mission: To inspire and facilitate the joy of lifelong learning, personal growth, and social connections for adults 50 and over.
Core Values Definition
Core values are the deeply held beliefs of how we go about pursuing our mission. They support the practices we use (or should be using) every day in everything we do. They reflect how we want our organization to resonate with and appeal to members and the external world.
LLI Core Values
Stimulate the Mind, Body, and Spirit
We provide opportunities for continuous learning through a wide array of courses and individual presentations in academic subjects, the arts, wellness, and social engagement.
Volunteerism
We are an independent volunteer organization that relies on the commitment of its members to contribute their time and expertise in all areas of administration and leadership.
Community Building
We build a network of social connections to form a community of friends as well as have an impact on the surrounding community.
Adaptability
We are a flexible organization that evolves to meet the needs of our members and the demands of changing times.
Inclusion
We are committed to offering programs that acknowledge and strive to enhance the diversity of our membership and respect the values of all.
Lifetime Learners Institute at CT State College Norwalk (formerly Norwalk Community College) is a non-profit organization of adults over age 50, interested in lifelong learning. The organization’s purpose is to offer interesting non-credit educational courses developed and taught by LLI instructors on subjects such as history, current events, literature, humanities, art, music, science, nature, theater, movies and more. Our collaborative classroom environment provides members with the opportunity to engage with other individuals sharing similar interests and to establish new friendships. Affiliated with CT State College Norwalk and residing on its campus, LLI believes that growth, through continuing education and social engagement, is the secret to staying vital.
LLI offers approximately 20 courses each Spring and Fall, which run from six to eight weeks. In the Summer and Winter Sessions, courses run for four to five weeks, and all are taught by LLI instructors. LLI’s hundreds of members come from all over Fairfield and Westchester counties. Many courses are also offered online, so people can join from wherever they may be.
LLI is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, run by all member volunteers, plus one paid part-time office manager. CT State College Norwalk gives us a home, provides us with classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, technology support, services, use of the Wellness/Fitness Center and Baker library, help in many forms, and the invaluable prestige of a large sheltering institute – making us feel a part of the college. Our members volunteer services to the college such as mentoring, rush mailings, and participation in fundraising for the NCC Foundation.
History
The Lifetime Learners Institute at NCC is among the largest of over 200 Lifelong Learning Institutes in North America. The organizations now called Lifelong Learning Institutes (LLIs) were formerly called Institutes for Learning in Retirement (ILRs).
The ILR movement that began at New York’s New School in 1962 had about 50 loosely organized programs by 1985. At that point, Elderhostel and the ILR movement joined forces, and the Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN) was formed to help groups organize.
In 1989, NCC professor Dr. Eileen Pennino was looking at the roles of senior adults in community colleges. From among the senior adults who were taking college classes, she convened a Senior Advisory Group that met for two years. In 1991, three of the group’s members got together to explore the notion of starting an ILR at NCC: Saul Dursht, Sylvia Polokoff, and Nathan Schwartz. They met with Frank Morgan, Dean of Continuing Education, and Lynn Boyar, also of Continuing Education. With the help of EIN, they started working on an Affiliation Agreement between Lifetime Learners Institute and Norwalk Community College.
In 1992, LLI was officially formed, and NCC designated Lynn Boyar as a voting member of the Board as liaison for the college. LLI’s first semester began in October with 11 study groups. More about LLI’s early history In the beginning, the study groups were set up for peer-to-peer learning, with facilitators on hand to move the conversation along. As the organization and class sizes grew, the role of facilitators grew as well. Today, in Spring and Fall, LLI facilitators teach over 20 courses, plus short Winter and Summer blocks, and lead lively class discussions in all.