Tuesday Courses
For Your Children and Grandchildren: Investing for Retirement
Save your kids and grandkids thousands of dollars over their lifetime of investing with the information presented in this course. This course is not a financial planning course; it is investment advice only. You will learn what actions may be detrimental to your wealth (almost everything you have heard from other investment advisors) and what actions are beneficial to your wealth (most violate conventional wisdom).
The first three weeks are educational, building the foundation to support the information presented in week four: what securities to buy, what steps to get started, and which broker to use. The course concludes with a shift in emphasis from investing for retirement to investing during retirement. Week five will present specific recommendations, again violating conventional wisdom, for withdrawing from your own retirement portfolio.
Instructor: Thomas Schaber, Senior Investment Advisor, Investing for Retirement.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 9:00–10:15 a.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Getting Started with Google Photos
Google Photos will give you everything you need to finally get your lifetime of photo and video memories stored in one place, safely online in Google’s cloud. You can then use their powerful tools to search, organize, edit, and share them from any authorized computing device connected to the internet. One of the instructor’s favorite features is the photo surprises Google surfaces on her phone and tablet every day.
This online class is for beginning to intermediate users of Google Photos. Students will need a Google/Gmail account and password and should have their smartphone, tablet, and/or laptop available for using Google Photos during the class.
Class text: A PDF copy of the recommended text, Learn Google Photos 2021 by Chris Guld, will be sent to you ahead of the first session. Kindle and print versions of the text are available for purchase from Amazon, though not required.
Instructor: Robin Seaver spent her career teaching basic computer skills from mainframe computers to today’s smartphones and tablets.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 9:00–10:15 a.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Mostly Mozart, a Hint of Haydn
Four amazing works (La Finta Giardiniera; Il Seraglio; Le Nozze di Figaro; and Don Giovanni) by the King of Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, will be presented, along with Orlando Paladino by Mozart's contemporary, Joseph Haydn.
Instructors: Anne Morris-Hooke, Professor Emerita of Microbiology, has a lifelong passion for opera and loves to share her favorites with ILR friends. Andrea Ridilla teaches oboe and opera appreciation at Miami University. She plays in orchestras and gives oboe concerts all over the world. She has been giving opera classes for ILR for many years.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 9:00–10:15 a.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Nine Tools to Positively Influence your Grandchildren’s Behavior
If you desire to have more peace, health, and happiness when you interact with your grandchildren, the PAX Tools Workshop is for you. Named for the Latin word for peace, PAX Tools is a collection of nine evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies to improve cooperation and self-regulation in children. Participants will receive a free resource kit. Learn how to limit problematic behavior, increase psychological flexibility, reduce toxic influences, and richly reinforce prosocial behavior. Expect new discoveries and some “ah-ha!” moments.
Instructor: Kristen Smith, Prevention Specialist and the Butler County PAX Specialist, has been trained by the PAXIS Institute as a PAX Tools Community Educator. She trains parents, grandparents, childcare workers, and others in the community how to teach children self-regulation. She hopes to utilize the PAX Tools someday with her grandchildren.
1 Tuesday: March 29; 10:00 a.m.–noon
Format: Classroom
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 127
Writing Workshop
This is a class for writers to share and critique one another’s writing projects. The works will include fiction, family histories, poetry, therapy writing, plays, retrospectives, and any writing the participants choose. Those who have been a part of previous writing classes know how valuable the views of their fellow writers can be.
Instructor: Bridget Ossmann is a playwright, humorist, and musician. She has written hundreds of plays, including Teachers Left Behind and Purple Paint.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 10:30 a.m.–noon
Format: Classroom
Location: Fairfield Community Arts Center, Room C
Hands-on Origami and Haiku: Mind and Hand Fun
CANCELED
Session one will provide an overview of these familiar and beloved Japanese arts of paper folding and three-lined poetry. In sessions two through five we will create origami figures and share a haiku that we have written outside of class. The class can decide what we'd like to make, from boxes, balloons (or water bombs), lucky stars, and butterflies. We will also make a peace crane on stiffened fabric and a mini-book with a cover for your haiku poems.
Instructors: Wendy Richardson has pondered and composed Haiku while looking out of airplane windows to pass the time on long trips. In another life she was a human resources trainer focusing on communication skills. Nancy Moeckel retired from the Science Library after 26 years. She taught an origami class for ILR once before.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 10:45 am–noon
Format: Classroom
Location: Oxford, Peabody Hall, Room 116
Supply fee: $5.00, payable at the first class
Oxford's Regional Landscape
Our landscape and land use today have been shaped by the activity and laws of hundreds of years of European occupation. Streams, valleys, wetlands, and forests continue to be modified by cities, roads, and agricultural fields. In this series, five experts will explain the changes to the landscape and land use.
March 29 – Landscape Evolution – Jason Rech’s research and teaching in Holocene geomorphology focus on climate and the impacts of humans on streams and landscapes.
April 5 – Farming Practices – Bill Renwick’s research and teaching in geomorphology focus on the impacts of farming practices on landscapes and water quality.
April 12 – Highways, Cars, and Population Trends – Jim Rubenstein's research and teaching focus on the impacts of cars, highways, and related decisions that affect geographical patterns of population growth.
April 19 – Historical Barns, Bridges, and Farms – Steve Gordon’s research focuses on the history of farms and farming, including habitat changes and restoration.
April 26 – Land Conservation and Stewardship – Randy Evans has a background in farming. He is currently the Executive Director of Three Valley Conservation Trust.
Coordinator: Mark Boardman has had professional and retired careers dominated by conservation—particularly the interface of geology and human activity that influences climate change and land use. Mark spent five years as Director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and over a decade as a Board member of Three Valley Conservation Trust.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 10:45 a.m.–noon
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Tuesday Brown Bag Lecture Series
Each week the Brown Bag Lecture series presents a speaker who will discuss a topic of interest and importance. While the lectures are independent, those registering are encouraged to attend the entire series. Join us for this ILR tradition.
March 29 – Politics, History, & You – Paul Lohr is a retired business manager, consultant, teacher, and elected official. Evidence-based topics and stories include politics of the pandemic, facts, answers, and some solutions on how we might move forward.
April 5 – Corning, Curing and Blending – Michael Clements grew up on the forested hillsides overlooking the Ohio River East of Cincinnati, where he learned to be self-sufficient, foraging for food and water, fishing, and hunting small game. Michael will be demonstrating methods used to corn a beef brisket, cure and smoke bacon from pork belly, and blend meats and seasonings to create two kinds of sausage. Samples of the finished product will be provided.
April 12 – Behind Every Name a Story – Joel Nahari is actively involved with the American Legion, Lions International, and the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center in Cincinnati. While a fascinating topic about a tragic time in history, the Holocaust is one of the most notorious acts of genocide in modern times.
April 19 – Ambigrams: Turning the Art World Upside Down – Beth Gully is a graphic designer and award-winning author who discovered her own unique talent by literally turning her designs upside down. Witness ambigrams as they come to life and create one of your own in this hands-on workshop.
April 26 – The 1950 Crash of the B-50 Bomber – Sally Sherman Caudill is a local historian who will be presenting an in-depth look at the devastating and fatal crash that occurred between Mason and Lebanon, Ohio, less than two weeks after the start of the Korean War. Heard over 25 miles away and creating a massive crater, the enormous explosion has been written off to this day by the U.S. Air Force as a training mission accident. Exhaustive research has uncovered that the flight was actually carrying a nuclear bomb.
Coordinators: Sharon Chapman is a retired executive assistant. Tom Gard is retired math faculty at The University of Georgia. Carolyn Gard retired as Miami University’s Senior Director of Academic Technology Services.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: Classroom
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 116
Is an Electric Vehicle in Your Future?
Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are soaring. Wall Street is heavily supporting EVs. Hundreds of new EV models are being marketed. What do you need to know before buying one? Worried about long trips? Soaring electricity bills? Running out of power? If you took last fall's EV class, 90% of this term's material is fresh because the industry is changing so quickly that last term's material is no longer current. If you didn't take last fall's EV class, don't worry. We will make sure everyone is up to speed.
Instructor: James Rubenstein is Professor Emeritus of Geography and a consultant on the auto industry at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Last Act in Urbino
Last Act in Urbino is the English translation of Il Sipario Ducale by prize-winning Italian author Paolo Volponi. The novel follows the parallel lives of two elderly anarchists and a decadent aristocrat living in the Renaissance city of Urbino at the time of the 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan.
Class text: Paolo Volponi, Last Act in Urbino, Italica Press, 2008, ISBN-10: 093497733X, ISBN-13: 978-0934977333 (available from Amazon for $15)
Instructor: Peter Pedroni, Professor Emeritus of Italian, directed the Miami University Summer Language Institute in Italy for 36 years. He has published books and articles on Italian literature and has translated two Italian novels into English, including the one for this class.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 12:30–1:45 p.m.
Format: Classroom
Location: Oxford, Peabody Hall, Room 116
How Does the U.S. Rank Globally in 2022: A Top 10 Summary
Let’s compare the U.S. to the rest of the world in over 25 key global categories for 2022. Some of the topics we will discuss are economic factors, climate change, energy sources and consumption, education, healthcare, crime rates, and the happiest and highest-ranking countries. Together we will share meaningful discussions on these global issues.
Instructor: Douglas Stowell has been a Furman University OLLI instructor in Greenville, SC, since 2015 and in OLLIs across the U.S. since 2018. His background is in corporate market research and public opinion polling. He opened Market Resource Associates in 2008 and continues conducting global consumer and political issues surveys to this day.
1 Tuesday: March 29; 2:15–3:45 p.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
Let it Go: Declutter to Downsize
Whether downsizing to a more manageable home or decluttering to age in place safely, the process can be emotionally trying. If you're looking for help with downsizing or have questions about decluttering your home without losing your cool, you're in the right place. This seminar will walk you through the basics and leave you with tips, tricks, and strategies to consider.
Instructor: Marion Schloemer, Senior & Specialty Move Manager®, assists older adults and their families with the emotional and physical aspects of relocation and/or "aging in place." After 25 years in the corporate world on both coasts, Marion returned to Oxford in 2021 and founded Lyn's Daughter™ - Senior Move Management. She is a fierce proponent of helping people age vibrantly, safely, and on their own terms.
1 Tuesday: April 5; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: Classroom
Location: Oxford, Boyd Hall, Room 132
Have You Checked Your Personality Lately?
Are you the same person you think you are? Are you the same person you were 40 years ago? You can find out by trying a few short and fun personality quizzes. We will examine Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram in some depth. Lastly, we will do 4-5 exercises in class, including the Sherwin-Williams color test and the CANOE test. You don’t have to share your results if you don’t want to. These exercises are purely for fun and self-discovery.
Instructor: Douglas Stowell has been a Furman University OLLI instructor in Greenville, SC, since 2015 and in OLLIs across the U.S. since 2018. His background is in corporate market research and public opinion polling. He opened Market Resource Associates in 2008 and continues conducting global consumer and political issues surveys to this day.
1 Tuesday: April 12; 2:15–3:45 pm
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
A Senior Rides the Rails
Learn a bit about our U.S. train system from my experience as I share my travels by Amtrak through New Orleans, San Antonio, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Chicago. I will discuss my time riding the Sunset Limited, the Texas Eagle, the Coast Starlight, and the California Zephyr. Lastly, I will share what I learned and give some suggestions should you be interested in such travels.
Instructor: Richard Daniels served as President/CEO of McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital for over 28 years before retiring in 2008. He has enjoyed volunteering for a number of organizations in Oxford and Southwest Ohio over the past 10 years.
1 Tuesday: April 19; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: Classroom
Location: Oxford, Boyd Hall, Room 217
The Basics of Estate Planning
Is a will really necessary? What's a family trust? Is a power of attorney only necessary if I'm incapacitated? These are questions you or your loved ones may have contemplated, but unfortunately often go unanswered or pushed aside to discuss at a later time. This course provides an overview of estate planning. We will discuss the instruments that may be used as part of an estate plan, considerations you often encounter in the estate planning journey, and some common misconceptions you may have heard.
Instructor: Kristen Humphrey-Schulz is currently Assistant Regional Counsel for Northwest Title and the Holfinger Stevenson Law Firm, estate planning/real estate law.
1 Tuesday: April 26; 2:15–3:30 p.m.
Format: Virtual
Location: Online
The Women of WWII
You know of the iconic Rosie the Riveter, but there's so much more to the story. This course will focus on the women who were spies, nurses, code breakers, and who fought from the homefront.
Instructors: Deb Price has previously moderated classes for both ILR and U.C.’s OLLI program. Caryl Miller has taught numerous classes for OLLI and ILR, many on history-related topics.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 2:15–3:30 pm
Format: Classroom
Location: West Chester, VOALC, Room 116
Western European Wine Regions
This course is an exploration of Western European wine regions through the study of geography, soil, climate, grapes, and more. We will discuss the impact of the arts and important wine personalities as well as commercialization efforts to bring the wine to market. Indeed, we will also enjoy wine tastings from each region.
Instructors: Melanie Cedargren is the owner and operator of The Spicy Olive, an original tasting emporium for fresh olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and fine wines. Nicholas Gantenberg was a research scientist at the NIH and corporate R&D labs. He is the Wine Director for The Spicy Olive.
5 Tuesdays: March 29–April 26; 4:00–5:15 p.m.
Format: Hybrid
Location: Online or Oxford LaRosa’s
Supply fee: $63.00, payable at/before the first class. Please bring three wine glasses to class.
Tickling the Ivories: Piano Recital and Lecture Series
Miami University piano students will present a series of three classical piano recitals featuring works by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, Ginastera, Bolcom, Debussy, Schubert, and Prokofiev. Performers will include Yun Chyi Chia, Chun Weng Chong, Evan Danielson, Sarah LaMantia, Leah McCain, Kevin Ray, Connor Wainwright, Madi Wayt, and Xiao Zhao.
Instructor: Siok Lian Tan is Associate Professor of Music and coordinator of the piano program at Miami University.
3 Tuesdays: April 12–26; 5:30–6:40 pm
Format: Classroom
Location: Oxford Community Arts Center, Ballroom