March/April, 2016
Learning Club Council
Contact Information
WSU Learning Club
The Learning Club
Mailing Address:
Winona State University
WSU Retiree Center
P.O. Box 5838
Winona MN 55987
Chair
Ann Kohner
[email protected]
Vice Chairs and
Program Committee Chairs:
Learning in Retirement
Location:
floor/ WSU Alumni House
227 West Seventh Street
Corner of Winona &
Wabasha Streets
1st
Walt Carroll
[email protected]
Secretary:
Dick Dahl
[email protected]
Membership/Hospitality Chair:
Mary Jane Sobeck 454-2094
Publicity Chair:
Carole Stever
[email protected]
[email protected]
WSU Liaison:
Jess Kauphusman,
Director, Retiree Center
[email protected]
Nancy Amann,
Office Mgr, Retiree Center
[email protected]
The Learning Club
invites all members to
share ideas for programs
and attend
programming meetings.
The next meeting is 2/29/16
10:00 am – History Center
http://www.winona.edu/retiree
Learning Club Memberships
$20/person annually
Contact: 507-457-2331 for details
Go green - The Learning Club Newsletter is
available online the 15th of even months
www.winona.edu/retiree
(click The Learning Club on the left navigation bar)
You may print a copy or read online
Save trees - receive an email copy
Sign up– 457-2331
How to Register for Classes and Events:
1. Phone:
call 507-457-2331
2. Email:
[email protected]
3. By Mail:
The Learning Club, c/o WSU Retiree Center, PO Box 5838, Winona, MN 55987
4. In Person:
WSU Retiree Center located on the 1st floor of the WSU Alumni House, 227 West 7th Street
(Corner of Winona & Wabasha Streets). Parking is available in the back.
All programs/events requiring an additional fee must be paid in advance of the deadline indicated (by mail or in
person as indicated above). Reservation for the program/event is not secured until payment is received.
HERITAGE SERIES: PAT MUTTER
From equatorial Malaysia to the “Miami of Minnesota,” Pat has built a
lifetime of experiences in hospitality. From her years as Malaysian host
sister to many AFS exchange students to being a foreign exchange student
to Rhinebeck, New York; from various jobs in the hospitality industry to her
current position as tourism director in Winona, Pat will share how her family,
culture, and background positioned her to be Winona’s most avid fan.
Pat Mutter has been the Executive Director of Visit Winona since Fall
2002. Her previous employers include the Alverna Center,
Winona State University, Sheraton Hotel in the Twin Cities, and
Price Waterhouse & Associates in Malaysia. Pat was born in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, and moved to the States with her husband, Jay
Mutter, in 1983. They met in Malaysia where Jay was a Peace Corps
volunteer teaching at University Kebangsaan Malaysia as well as
Director of Stoner House in Kuala Lumpur. Pat received her bachelor’s
degree from Saint Mary’s University of Winona.
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
Pat Mutter
WINONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Winona Community Foundation (WCF) is a taxexempt public charity that enables people to
establish charitable funds. It is overseen by a
volunteer board of leading citizens and run by
professionals with expertise in knowing the
community’s needs. The WCF goes beyond simply
making grants that advance
charitable activities. They
also identify current and emerging issues, stimulate resources to
address those needs and help our region prepare for the future. This
presentation will be offered by Jeni Arnold, Executive Director of the
Winona Community Foundation.
Date: Monday, March 7, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
Jeni Arnold
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SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY GIS PROGRAM: EXPLORE. LEARN. ACT.
The Department of Resource Analysis at Saint Mary's University
has been focusing on advanced application of GIS computer
technology (GIS - Geographic Information Systems) since the
early 1990's. With research ranging from crime prediction to
business market expansion to exploring other planets and their
changing environments, GIS is becoming more and more
mainstream in today's era to act on and improve decisionmaking. Chances are you have seen GIS in use every day. GIS takes real-world features
(roads, buildings, aerial imagery, etc.) and collects information about those features and
represents them in a digital format for computer mapping. Based on over-lay principles, GIS
promotes exploring changing relationships between features that would otherwise be difficult to
understand. The featured presentation will discuss GIS basics, the role of GPS (Global
Positioning Systems), and an application of using GIS research to explore potential locations for
the lost Fort L'Hullier in Mankato, MN.
John Ebert is an Associate Professor and the Program Director for the Master’s Degree in
GIS at Saint Mary's University.
Date: Friday, March 11, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
PHYSICS AND HISTORY OF
THE ATOMIC BOMB
The physics of the 20th century is
entangled with the development of the
atomic bomb. The story starts with the
discovery of radiation and continues to
first elements distilled by Marie Curie.
Many Nobel prizewinners and future
Nobel prizewinners were involved in
the development of the bomb. The
physics of the bomb and the difficulty in
constructing a bomb will be discussed.
The possibility of terrorists obtaining a
bomb will also be discussed.
Dr. Richard Shields, Professor Emeritus, taught Physics at WSU for over 40 years before
retiring in 2014.
Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
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SUICIDE AND ITS AFTERMATH
When a loved one dies by suicide, life is turned upside down. How
does one live when the unfathomable happens? After a brief look at
some myths and facts about suicide, this presentation will focus on
living with the grief of this traumatic loss.
Eunie Alsaker is a clinical social worker and has worked as a
counselor at WSU Counseling and Wellness Services since 2003. She
is a nationally certified thanatologist and serves on the
Minnesota Coalition of Death Education and Support board.
Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
HERITAGE SERIES: PATTE PETERSON
Patte will talk about her personal Irish heritage (with a little French) with stories
and details of how she grew up and how she learned about her heritage.
Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
LIVE WELL WINONA: A COMMUNITY HEALTH HUB
Live Well Winona partners with many community
organizations and programs to facilitate new health initiatives
and promote existing ones. Their mission is to engage the
Winona community in a culture of health and wellness
improvement through lifestyle changes. This non-profit
serves as a community health hub by connecting people with
resources, volunteer opportunities, community events, and
programs. Director Janneke Sobeck and Operations
Manager Deb McClellan will introduce the organization,
explain how it started, and share some initiatives that the
organization is working on.
Date: Monday, April 11, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
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PROJECT COMPASS AND NAMI (NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS)
Helen Newell has been the coordinator of the WAPS Community Education Program, Project
COMPASS, for over 26 years and the President of the Winona NAMI affiliate for nearly 20
years. You will discover insights as to the needs of people living with disabilities and she will
provide valuable information about strategies for supporting people who live with disabilities
including those who live with mental illness.
Date: Monday, April 18, 2016
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
BLUFFVIEW MONTESSORI
Ask the average person on the street, “What is
Montessori?” and you will get a wide variety of
answers ranging from, “some sort of religious
school,” to “a program where kids are allowed to
do whatever they want,” to “a form of education
for the rich and famous.” Are any of these
answers right? What really is the truth about
Montessori? Stephanie Wehman, the Head of
School at Bluffview Montessori School, will
dispel some of these Montessori myths, describe
what Montessori education really is, and show
you why this method has endured for over 100
years in classrooms on every continent in the world.
Stephanie has worked in Montessori Education as a teacher, mentor, consultant and
administrator. Stephanie currently serves as the Head of School at Bluffview Montessori
School, the first Montessori Charter School in the nation.
Date: Friday, April 29, 2016
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Winona County History Center
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DON’T MISS THIS CHANCE TO VISIT A WORLD-CLASS MUSEUM IN THE WINDY CITY!
The WSU Retiree Center is pleased to offer a day
trip opportunity to visit the Art Institute of Chicago
on Thursday, March 31st. The date of our visit will
coincide with the Van Gogh’s Bedrooms special
exhibition. “Vincent Van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles is arguably
the most famous chambre in the history of art. It also held special
significance for the artist, who created three distinct paintings of
this intimate space from 1888 to 1889. This exhibition—presented
only at the Art Institute of Chicago—brings together all three
versions of The Bedroom for the first time in North America,
offering a pioneering and in-depth study of their making and
meaning to Van Gogh in his relentless quest for home”
We will be treated to a docent-led slide lecture of
the exhibit and will have time to tour the exhibit
and the other amazing collections of the
museum on our own. We are going to do all of
this in one day, so please be prepared for a
good amount of time spent on the bus as well as
a significant amount of walking within the
museum (wheelchairs are available at no cost on
a first-come/first-serve basis).
We are offering the trip at a cost of $90 if you
register prior to March 1st. After March 1st, the
cost of the trip will be $95.
Registration will close on March 10th and all sales are final as of that date. However, the trip will be
cancelled if it is not filled by March 10th, and you will receive a full refund.
We have arranged a coach bus for this trip. Here is our itinerary:
• 6:00am – Bus will leave from Phillips Bus Company lot located at Main and Belleview Sts.
• Noon – Arrive at the Art Institute
• 12:30-1:15pm – Docent-led slide lecture of the Van Gogh’s Bedrooms exhibit
• 1:30-4:00pm – Time to explore the exhibit and other areas of the museum on your own
• 4:15pm – Board the bus back to Winona
• 10:00-10:30pm – Arrive at the Phillips Bus Company lot located at Main and Belleview Sts.
* We will make a stop on the way to and from Chicago to allow you to stretch your legs and buy food. Fast food outlets
are available at these stops, or you may bring your own meals to eat at these stops or on the bus. You may also eat at
any of casual to fine dining restaurants in the Art Institute which are open until 3 pm. Please note, you cannot take food or
drink into the Art Institute. The Retiree Center will provide water and light snacks on the bus, but we encourage you to
pack drinks and snacks of your choice as well since we will be on the bus for extended periods of time.
The cost of the trip includes entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago including the Van Gogh’s Bedrooms special
exhibition, a docent-led slide lecture of the Van Gogh exhibit, the bus trip (including water and light snacks), and a tip
for the bus driver.
Register soon to reserve your spot!
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WSU SENIOR UNIVERSITY
It’s not too late to register for spring Senior University classes! We have five
courses still accepting registrations:
The Sistine Chapel, Touchstone of the Renaissance:
History, Art, Meaning
Taught by Dominic Ricciotti
Tuesdays. March 15, 22, 29. April 5. 1:00-3:00pm
Adventures Through the Gender Spectrum
Taught by Jamie Meyers and Mary Jo Klinker
Mondays. April 4, 11, 18, 25. May 2, 9. 3:00-4:30pm
Spring Birding
Taught by Eric Nelson and Julie McCormick
Thursdays. April 7, 28. May 5, 12, 19. 1st session in classroom 9-noon, field
trips begin at 7:30am
A Renaissance Man at the Dawn of the Modern Age:
The Essays of Michel de Montaigne
Taught by Rosine Tenenbaum
Tuesdays. May 3, 10, 17, 24. 2:00-3:30pm
Exploring Printmaking
Taught by Mary Coughlan (at the Winona Arts Center)
Tuesdays. May 10, 17, 24. 1:00-3:30pm
We hope you can join us for one or more of these courses!
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Grandparents University® 2016
Thursday and Friday, June 23-24, 2016
Online registration opens February 15th!
Call the Winona State University Retiree Center at 507.457.5565 or
check out our website for more information:
www.winona.edu/grandparents/
Six Exciting Majors!
LEGO MINDSTORMS – INTRODUCTION TO ROBOTICS: Taught by Eric Paulsen
This class will offer you the opportunity to embark on an adventurous challenge with Lego NXT technology in order to
design, assemble and program robots. No prior experience with computer programming or robots needed. You will
program your robots to perform tasks, compete in races, run an obstacle course, and complete other challenges created
by you!
FAMILY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES: Taught by Eric Barnard & Ross Greedy
Get outside and experience some of the best outdoor activities the Upper Mississippi River Valley has to offer.
Geocaching canoeing, and kayaking are great things to do during the summer months. Learn the basics of these fantastic
lifetime activities in a beautiful outdoor setting. Students will also be able to experience WSU’s 6,000 square foot indoor
climbing wall! (Don’t worry...if you would rather cheer your grandchild on than participate, that’s fine!).
STAR (WARS) & LASERS - EXPLORING THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT: Taught by Andy Ferstl
Discover the amazing ways that light can work for you with fun hands-on activities. You will use lasers to study nature
and communication. You’ll get to break light up into different colors to study stars! You will also get a chance to use
lenses and mirrors to make telescopes and cameras. Grab your light saber and get ready for some fun!
IMMERSED IN ART: MAKING MEMORIES AT THE MN MARINE ART MUSEUM – Taught by Heather Casper
Spend two days with Monet, Picasso, & Van Gogh and let your inner artist shine! You will partner to create a mixed
media “quilt” that reflects your unique experiences as you explore the galleries of the MN Marine Art Museum. You will
use storytelling, drawing, painting, photography, poetry, collage, sun-prints and more to tell your story. No experience
necessary. Get your creative juices flowing in this fun class!
DON’T GET “STUMPED” IN THE WOODS – EXPLORING WSU’S HIDDEN FOREST – Taught by Melanie Reap
What do Gingko, Tulip, and Buckeye all have in common? They are all trees on the WSU campus! Come explore some of
the more than 100 unique species of trees on our beautiful campus through identification, photography, leaf rubbings,
journaling, and writing “poet-tree.” Go out on a limb and hang out with us!
UN VIAJE A MEXICO: A VIRTUAL TOUR OF OUR NEIGHBOR TO THE SOUTH – Taught by Amy Hornby-Uribe
Pack your virtual sunscreen and sombreros; you’re going to Mexico! For two days you will take a virtual tour of Mayan
and Aztec pyramids, hit the beach for whale watching and surfing and sing traditional Mexican songs as you learn simple
Spanish. You’ll also get the chance to make and sample some delicious Mexican treats. Viva Mexico!
$295 per pair – w/stay in residence hall $259 per pair – w/o residence hall
Grandparents University is a registered trademark of UW – Madison, and is used with their permission.
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MYSTERY READERS BOOK CLUB
The Mystery Readers Book Club meets on the 4th Tuesday of every month at
Callista Court. Members read any work by the author chosen for the month.
To begin discussion one member gives a biographic summary of the author
and information about his/her work.
Date:
Time:
Location:
Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - Author: Dorothy Gilman
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 – Author: S. J. Rozan
10:30 a.m.
Callista Court - 1455 West Broadway
STORYTELLING GROUP
September to May - Meeting Date: 3rd Wednesday of the Month
Location: WSU Retiree Center, WSU Alumni House, 227 West Wabasha.
Dates: Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: WSU Retiree Center, WSU Alumni House, 227 West 7TH St.
Learning Club Calendar of Events – March/April, 2016
Date
Event
Location
Time
March
1 – Tuesday
7 – Monday
Heritage Series – Pat Mutter
Winona Community Foundation
Winona County History Center
Winona County History Center
11 – Friday
16 – Wednesday
22 – Tuesday
23 – Wednesday
28 – Monday
29 – Tuesday
Saint Mary’s University GIS Program
Storytellers Group
Mystery Readers Book Club
History of the Atomic Bomb
Learning Club Council Meeting
Suicide
Winona County History Center
WSU Retiree Center – 227 W. 7th St.
Callista Court – 1455 W. Broadway
Winona County History Center
Winona County History Center
Winona County History Center
6 – Wednesday
11 – Monday
18 – Monday
20 – Wednesday
25 – Monday
Heritage Series – Patte Peterson
Live Well Winona
Project Compass/NAMI
Storytellers Group
Learning Club Council Meeting
Winona County History Center
Winona County History Center
Winona County History Center
WSU Retiree Center – 227 W. 7th St.
Winona County History Center
26 – Tuesday
29 – Friday
Mystery Readers Book Club
Bluffview Montessori School
Callista Court – 1455 W. Broadway
Winona County History Center
10:00 AM
10:00 AM
10:00 AM
1:00 PM
10:30 AM
10:00 AM
10:00 AM
1:00 PM
April
10:00 AM
10:00 AM
1:00 PM
1:00 PM
10:00 AM
10:30 AM
1:00 PM
Stay Curious – Keep Learning!!
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