Public Engagement in Glacier National Park
My wife and I just returned from a wonderful Elderhostel-sponsored hiking vacation in Glacier National Park. Although it was certainly not our primary intention, we encountered a good example of public engagement even on our vacation. The local organizer was the Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana - an institution of higher education. The lead instructor was Dave Streeter, not an academic but a very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and effective instructor who engaged us all in active (in all senses of the word) learning. Our involvement in environmental issues made us focus on important issues of public policy and democratic politics.
Many of our colleges and universities participate in such continuing education activities using our facilities and staff and a combination of university and community faculty. They may be called Elderhostel or Elder Learning Institutes or something else; but they are an important component of our public engagement with the broader society.
Link: http://www.fvcc.edu/about_fvcc/dept_pages/elderhostel/index.html