In her work as Emeritus Program manager for Oakton Community College, Leona Hoelting has helped to make Skokie a great place to grow old. The Emeritus Program brings leaders to the college to speak and lead discussion groups on a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from history and literature to government finance. Ms. Hoelting has proved especially adept at attracting leading authorities in their fields. As a result, the program has grown and prospered, attracting students from the entire North Shore area. From the start, her goal was to bring the humanities to 'students who weren?t born yesterday.? From a small beginning, the program now offers six off-campus ?Humanities Treasures? discussion groups in Skokie; tours to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater; and an annual Bluestem Festival of the Arts and Humanities. What's more, there are twenty-five non-credit humanities classes and twelve credit humanities classes offered by the Emeritus Program each quarter. Thanks to Leona Hoelting, students over fifty in Skokie have access to a wealth of humanities enrichment.
Select Illinois Humanities Council programs are now available for listening or download at Chicago Public Media (WBEZ) as a part of Chicago Amplified, a web-based audio library of diverse public events recorded throughout the Chicago region.
