Learning opens doors to new perspectives, and this fall ESI College invites you to step through them. Join us for a season of thought-provoking classes that explore the connections between history, culture, science, music and global affairs. Whether examining the power of language to preserve identity, the future of international cooperation, the changing dynamics of politics and the global economy, the enduring stories behind classical music or the hidden sensory world of fungi, each class offers fresh insights into the forces that shape our lives.
For more than 20 years, ESI College, an Elderly Services program, has brought together adults age 60 and older to learn in an engaging, welcoming environment where questions are encouraged, ideas are exchanged and curiosity thrives. There are no tests or grades, just outstanding instructors, stimulating conversations and the opportunity to continue learning alongside others who share a love of discovery. We hope you’ll join us for another inspiring season.
— Kira Winslow
ESI College Coordinator
Register for Courses!
Click on the link below to register for Fall 2026 courses:
https://elderlyservices.wufoo.com/forms/esi-college-fall-2026
The online registration system called “Wufoo” provides an easy-to-use form to select your classes. Here’s how it works:
— Please sign up at least 48 hours in advance so we can be in touch with you about the class.
— Some classes have limited enrollment; others have readings.
— To keep our program accessible, we continue our pay-what-you-can approach, rather than a regular fee, with a suggested donation for each course.
— The registration system calculates the amount you have agreed to pay on a per person basis.
— Each person in your household must register separately. If you share the same email address, simply fill out a separate form for each person.
— The total cost for your classes will be listed when you complete your registration.
— After you submit your form, you will receive an automated email confirmation from “Elderly Services-ESI College <no-reply@wufoo.com>.”
Please note that all the classes this fall take place at The Congregational Church of Middlebury, at 2 Main Street.
Please feel free to call Kira Winslow, 802.388.3983, ext. 201, if you would like help registering for any course, or if you have any questions.
Payment Options
You may pay by check. Please send it (within a week of registration) to:
Elderly Services-ESI College
P.O. Box 581
Middlebury, VT 05753
Or, you may make a debit/credit card payment via PayPal, as you complete the online registration form. You do not need a PayPal account to use this feature.
Course List for Fall 2026
Course | Instructor | Dates & Times | Location | Suggested Donation
Language and Sovereignty: Lessons from the Pacific | Kristin Bright & the Kuaka Collective | Tuesday, September 29, 1-2:30 p.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | $20
The Future of Multilateralism | Sarah Stroup | Monday, October 5, 10-11:30 a.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | $20
Myths and Mysteries of Classical Music and Composers | Kevin Parizo | Wednesday, October 14, 10-11:30 a.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | $20
Forecasting the 2026 Midterms: Will Unstable Majorities Continue? | Matthew J. Dickinson | Thursday, October 22, 10-11:30 a.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | $20
Maritime and Financial Chokepoints in a Changing World Order | David Rosenberg | Tuesday, October 27, and Thursday, October 29, 10-11:30 a.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | $40
Sensational Fungi: From Vision to Taste, How Fungi Use Sensory Systems to Navigate the World | Andrew Swafford | Tuesday, November 10, 1:30-3 p.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | $20
Language and Sovereignty: Lessons from the Pacific
Instructor: Kristin Bright
Date: Tuesday, September 29
Time: 1-2:30 p.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: $20
Description: How is cultural self-determination rooted in language? Drawing on Indigenous knowledge from the Pacific, this course presents a conversation with Māori and Pasifika experts as they visit Middlebury during a longer tour through Canada and the United States. Across the Pacific world, proverbs carry generations of wisdom and guide ethical action. In considering language revitalization as a method of confronting colonial legacies and fostering mutual responsibility, this class focuses on the role of elders and youth in language transmission and social change.
Instructor: Te Whanaunga o Te Kuaka or the Kuaka Collective is a group of artists and educators from Aotearoa/New Zealand and North America, led by Associate Professor of Anthropology Kristin Bright at Middlebury College and inspired by the kuaka shorebird, known for its remarkable 11,000-kilometer migration between Aotearoa and Alaska and a key symbol of social and political endurance over distance and time.
The Future of Multilateralism
Instructor: Sarah Stroup
Date: Monday, October 5
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: $20
Description: At the 80th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly, the future of the UN and other forms of international cooperation is unclear. Why is international cooperation important? Can multilateralism thrive without U.S. leadership? This talk will explore the domestic and international politics of multilateralism at a time of great uncertainty and immense global challenges.
Instructor: Sarah Stroup is the Frederick C. Dirks Professor of Political Science at Middlebury College. She is former director of the Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, and in 2025-26 she was an academic in residence at CMI-Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, a Helsinki-based peace mediation non-governmental organization.
Myths and Mysteries of Classical Music and Composers
Instructor: Kevin Parizo
Date: Wednesday, October 14
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: $20
Description: For centuries, music has been an integral part of cultural existence, whether it be from nature, recordings, live performances or simply “background sound.” Music’s purpose is multi faceted: to teach, entertain, console, enliven and bring joy. Accompanying these attributes come a myriad of myths and mysteries which surround many composers and their compositions. This class will present some of these myths and mysteries about Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and others to see if these myths and mysteries are true or false.
Instructor: Kevin Parizo of Middlebury holds music degrees, including a Ph.D. from Concordia University in Montreal. He is a former music faculty member at St. Michael’s College and currently serves as organist for St. Mary’s Church and the United Methodist Church in Middlebury. He also teaches piano, organ and voice from his studio.
Forecasting the 2026 Midterms: Will Unstable Majorities Continue?
Instructor: Matthew Dickinson
Date: Thursday, October 22
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: $20
Description: When it comes to control of the Presidency and Congress, we are in a period of instability not seen in more than a century. No party seems able to govern beyond a two-year period, and the slim partisan margins make it difficult to enact legislation. If the midterm loss pattern holds, in 2026 Republicans are likely to lose their majority in the House, and perhaps in the Senate as well, thus continuing this period of unstable majorities. But will the pattern hold? For answers, we look at political science forecast models. What do they tell us?
Instructor: Matthew J. Dickinson is Professor of Political Science at Middlebury College. He is the author of Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power, and the Growth of the Presidential Branch, co-editor of Guardian of the Presidency, and has published extensively on the presidency, Congress and the executive branch.
Maritime and Financial Chokepoints in a Changing World Order
Instructor: David Rosenberg
Dates: Tuesday, October 27, and Thursday, October 29
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: $40
Description: Chokepoints are no longer limited to strategic maritime passages. Today, they also include high-tech supply chains and global financial systems. Recent U.S. policies have shifted toward using tariffs, sanctions and export controls as unilateral foreign policy instruments, prompting retaliation from China, Russia, Iran and others. As a result, the post-Cold War liberal economic order is fragmenting. How can nations maintain deep economic interdependence, safeguard national economic security and engage in geopolitical competition?
Instructor: David Rosenberg is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Middlebury College. He received his B.S. in Economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; an M.P.A. in International Development, School of Management and Ph.D. in Comparative Government from Cornell University. He was a Visiting Fellow, Australian National University; a Fulbright Research Fellow at the University of the Philippines; and a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal.
Sensational Fungi: From Vision to Taste, How Fungi Use Sensory Systems to Navigate the World
Instructor: Andrew Swafford
Date: Tuesday, November 10
Time: 1:30-3 p.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: $20
Description: This talk will focus on how organisms perceive and adapt to their environment through the evolution of sensory systems like vision. We will explore the surprising sensory systems of early diverging fungi, the similarity of fungal and animal eyes and the consequences of sensory system evolution on the global spread of the frog-killing pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Lastly, we will take a sneak peek into the future of sensory research in fungi led by students at Middlebury.
Instructor: Andrew Swafford is an evolutionary cell biologist and Assistant Professor at Middlebury College. His research explores how sensory and motor systems evolve across the tree of life and how sensory evolution influences fungal pathogen virulence. He holds a Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara and did Postdoctoral research at UMass Amherst.
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