Education

senior Asian couple smiling together at computer screen

Take advantage of learning opportunities at Cornell and beyond.

Learning at Cornell

Take Cornell classes: Retirees are eligible to enroll in up to six credit hours per semester at no charge. For retiree-specific information about eligibility, available courses, class dates and times, and registration, visit the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions; (607) 255-4987.

Seminars, Workshops, & Travel: The School of Continuing Education also offers Cornell’s Adult University: non-credit summer seminars and workshops, travel programs in the U.S. and abroad, and online educational programs. (607) 255-6260, cauinfo@cornell.edu.

Free online videos: Enjoy a thought-provoking lecture or live chat by Cornell faculty from the comfort of your home. CyberTower is a video channel at the CornellCast website, featuring presentations and lectures that are filterable by subject, date, speaker, and more. Create your own playlist, and enjoy at your leisure.

Cornell Botanic Gardens: Workshops, lectures, tours, and other activities are offered year-round. Enjoy sketching in the greenhouses; lectures on historical plant-based medicines; special displays and exhibits, and much more. (607) 254-7430

Cornell Libraries: Retirees are entitled to full Cornell University Library privileges, including the OverDrive system for ebooks and audio books. Your retiree I.D. is your library card. Questions? Email or phone (607) 255-5069.

Lifelong Learning in Tompkins County

Ithaca’s Lifelong Program (formerly called the Senior Citizen Center) offers Tompkins County retirees, and any adult age 50 and older, a wide range of classes, workshops, presentations, field trips, and travel-study opportunities. From a one-session “how to” workshop, to an in-depth academic course; from a day trip to a regional attraction to a 10-day study tour of a foreign country, Lifelong engages older adults who want to stay active mentally, physically, creatively, and socially. Lifelong is located at 119 W. Court Street, Ithaca. (607) 273-1511.

Road Scholar

Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel since 1975, offers 5,500 educational tours in all 50 states and 150 countries. Alongside local and renowned experts, experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural tours and study cruises to walking, biking and more.

Open Culture Online Learning

Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media for the worldwide lifelong learning community. The internet has given us great amounts of enriching audio and video. But it’s also scattered across the web, and not easy to find. The mission of Open Culture is to centralize this content, curate it, and give you access to this high-quality content whenever and wherever you want it. Explore over 700 free courses offered at major universities.

Websites and Articles of Interest

Next Avenue: Visit the PBS website for up-to-the-minute articles and information on careers, healthcare, retirement, elder care, and more for those over 50.

Encore College Initiative: Explore information on furthering your formal education.