Grandparents Spending Quality Time With Grandchildren...In College

Mary Braz This summer, West Chester will see a whole new group of students when the University holds its first “Grandparents University®” from June 28 – 30. This unique collegiate learning experience is open to grandparents of all ages and their grandchildren, ages 8 to 14.

At Grandparents University® , grandparents and kids will attend college together as West Chester University “students.” For two nights and three days, students will live in the new dormitories, share meals at Lawrence Dining Hall, enroll in courses, attend classes taught by University faculty, explore campus and enjoy evening entertainment and activities. The program concludes with a Sunday graduation ceremony and family celebration complete with an awarding of diplomas to every “graduate.”

“I wanted to create a space on campus where different generations can interact and have fun,” explains the program director, Mary Braz, an assistant professor of Communication Studies. Braz modeled Grandparents University®® on a similar successful program at Michigan State University. “The program provides a way for grandparents and grandkids to spend quality time together and share memories in a fun setting promoting interactive learning and higher education,” ads Braz.

Participants can register in four out of seven courses developed by University departments especially for the program in such areas as art, theater, history, communication, physical education and science. Grandparents and their grandchildren can learn how to develop their family tree, create an oral history from their grandparents; make their own newscast; study the history of West Chester take a ghost tour of the borough and campus; study the mind and body, stars, planets and comets and DNA.

Grandparents and grandchildren also will participate in a special program called, “Night Time: Starry Nights,” presented by West Chester University astronomer Robert Thornton. Participants will be able to view the moon, planets and stars through telescopes, make comets out of frozen carbon dioxide, construct a cosmic calendar, see a planetarium show and participate in an “Ask the Astronomer” session.

On another evening, they will be entertained by New York comedian Rob Latham (a.k.a. Dr. Lanny Latham) who appears often in theatre and television shows, including “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “The Colbert Report,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “Inside the NFL” and “The Today Show.” A member of the comedy group “Improv Everywhere,” Latham performs with “The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre ” and is featured in many print publications and online sites.

Registration for Grandparents University® is open through June 1. Registration fees cover three days and two nights of accommodations in private residence hall suites, all meals, University courses, instruction and course material (unless noted otherwise), evening entertainment and the graduation ceremony. An “early bird” registration is available through April 30, and a discount is offered to University alumni. For program information, contact Mary Braz at 610-436-3328 or mbraz@wcupa.edu. To register, call 610-436-6931 or contact cfaust@wcupa.edu. To download a brochure on the program, go to www.wcupa.edu/gpu .