Diversity. It’s an overused word that has been echoed throughout every corner of Elon University’s campus. But most diversity discussions at Elon focus on race and, recently, there’s been conversation about religious diversity with the construction of the Numen Lumen Multi-faith Center. However, there is another type of diversity that has gone largely unnoticed: generational diversity.

Elon hosts a program called LIFE@ELON that offers just that. It invites an older generation to campus where they can take classes on a range of topics from the mathematics of voting to the history of jazz. The 12-week program provides lifelong education opportunities to more than 50 years old.

Joyce Peterson, in her festive Valentine’s Day red sweater, was one of the attendees of the first session of the semester.

“I think it’s wonderful to always be learning new things and to not become stagnant,” Peterson said. “There are so many inspiring topics that I probably would not have heard about by just watching the news.”

The spring semester began Feb. 14 with some modifications from last semester.

Because of the program's popularity, an additional session has been added; sessions are held on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. in Johnston Hall Alumni Center.

[quote]I trust that learning will never stop for any of us, and that our minds and hearts and souls will always be open to absorbing new ideas and concepts.[/quote]LIFE@ELON currently has 220 members on faculty, which is made up of retired and current Elon staff members along with additional community members.

Jon Metzger is an associate professor of music at Elon who will be teaching “A Short History of Jazz” for the program. Metzger stands behind the lifelong learning philosophy that the program promotes.

“I trust that learning will never stop for any of us, and that our minds and hearts and souls will always be open to absorbing new ideas and concepts,” Metzger said.

A key contribution of the program is what it brings to Elon in terms of diversity.

Professor John Sullivan, who helped launch LIFE@ELON, kept diversity in mind while creating the program.

“I believe that if Elon wants to present students — even in a modest way — with the diversity they will find in the world, then intergenerational diversity is an area yet to receive serious attention on campus,” Sullivan said.

Anne Cassebaum, another Elon professor involved in the program, is on board with the diversity objective.

“I think it’s a wonderful program because it opens up Elon’s intellectual community to the retired community,” Cassebaum said.

The program began last fall when Alison Morrison-Shetlar, the dean of Elon College, began organizing it.

“I was involved in a similar program at the University of Central Florida,”  Morrison-Shetlar said. “The purpose of the program is to engage retired faculty and staff in lifelong engaged learning, which is what Elon is all about.”

According to Morrison-Shetlar, the faculty is looking to further enhance the program.

Currently, those who sign up for the program pay a yearlong membership fee of $100, which covers both the fall and spring semesters and gives them membership in the Friends of the University Library group.

Morrison-Shetlar and other faculty members are working to expand the program due to requests from students. A few ideas that students have suggested are off-campus outings and book clubs.

As the LIFE@ELON program expands, so does diversity on campus. While it may be a less obvious form of diversity, it is still an asset to Elon.