We’re pleased to offer five courses for the Summer 2025 session of ESI College, our lifelong learning program for those 60 and over. You’ll find information below on the courses and how to register.
A few quick notes: To make our program more accessible, we are using a pay-what-you-can approach, rather than a set fee, with a suggested contribution for each course. Also, we’re pleased to report that with the completion of the renovations at the ESI headquarters on Exchange Street, most of the classes will take place at ESI.
Note: The one exception is the Bill Sessions course on the Supreme Court, which has been moved to the Addison County VFW, 530 Exchange Street, Middlebury, due to the size of the class.
And finally, registration is now fully online; those who need help can call our office: 802.388.3983.
Register for Courses!
Click on the link below to register for Summer 2025 courses.
Registration for Summer 2025 ESI College
We use an online registration system called “Wufoo” that provides an easy-to-use form to select your classes.
- 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.
- 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 registration system calculates the amount you have agreed to pay on a per person basis. The total cost for your classes will be listed when you complete your registration.
- Some courses may require books that will be available at the Vermont Book Shop at a discounted price.
- After you submit your form, you will receive an automated email confirmation from “Elderly Services-ESI College <no-reply@wufoo.com>.”
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.
We look forward to seeing you!
Kira Winslow
Kristin Bolton
Jeff Rehbach
Course List for Summer 2025
- Click on the highlighted course titles to see more information.
Course | Instructor | Dates & Times | Location | Suggested Cost (pay what you can)
How Walking Makes Us Human | Bill Vitek | Tuesdays, June 17 & 24, 10-11:30 a.m. | Elderly Services | $40
Review of 2025 Supreme Court Cases | Bill Sessions | Tuesdays, July 8 & 15, 10-11:30 a.m. | Addison County VFW, 530 Exchange Street, Middlebury | Elderly Services | $40
The Tenets of Effective Leadership: A Discussion | Bill Schubart | Tuesdays, July 22 & July 29, 10-11:30 a.m. | Elderly Services | $40
Novel or Film, Which is Better? | Ron Monroe | Wednesdays, August 6 & 13, 9:30-11:30 a.m. | Elderly Services | $40
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Adapting to the Unpredictable Events Wrought by Climate Change | Andrew L’Roe | Thursday, August 21, 10-11:30 a.m. | Elderly Services | $20
How Walking Makes Us Human
Dates: Tuesdays, June 17 & June 24
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: Elderly Services
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $40 suggested
Description: For millennia, across cultures and traditions, walking has not only been a fundamental physical activity but also a source of inspiration for the human mind and spirit. In the first session, we’ll delve into literature to explore the significance of walking and how it makes us uniquely human. The second class invites you to engage in various ways of walking to experience its health, meditative, and social justice potentials.
Instructor: Bill Vitek is a philosopher, educator, and Director of the New Perennials Project at Middlebury College, where he is also a scholar-in-residence. A long-time collaborator with Wes Jackson and The Land Institute, he taught philosophy for 32 years at Clarkson University and recently led a course at Middlebury titled Walking Body, Walking Mind
Review of 2025 Supreme Court Cases
Date: Tuesdays, July 8 & 15
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
NOTE NEW LOCATION: Addison County VFW, 530 Exchange Street, Middlebury, Vt.
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $40 suggested
Description: Join U.S. District Court Judge Bill Sessions for a timely review of key 2025 Supreme Court cases and their broader legal and societal implications. Gain insight into the Court’s decisions from a seasoned federal judge with decades of experience on the bench.
Instructor: A Middlebury College graduate, Bill Sessions received his law degree from George Washington University Law School. He has worked as an Addison County public defender, taught at Vermont Law School, and had a private law practice. He is currently a U.S. District Court Judge and a Visiting Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. His expertise is in sentencing policy, and he was chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
The Tenets of Effective Leadership: A Discussion
Dates: Tuesdays, July 22 & July 29
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: Elderly Services
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $40 suggested
Description: There are many styles of effective leadership; what do they hold in common? We will discuss what makes effective business, nonprofit, and government leadership, both from the perspective of an entrepreneurial startup and from a mature delegatory organization, including what constitutes founder’s syndrome. Bring examples from your own life about effective leaders.
Instructor: Bill Schubart has lived in and written about Vermont for decades. He has served as board chair for numerous Vermont organizations, including Vermont Public, UVM Medical Center, Vermont Digger, and the Vermont Board of Libraries. He has published several novels set in Vermont and regularly contributes to local print and radio media.
Novel or Film, Which is Better?
Dates: Wednesdays, August 6 & 13
Time: 9:30-11:30
Location: Elderly Services
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $40 suggested
Description: Readers and moviegoers alike often debate whether the book is better than the film from which it comes or vice versa. Transforming one art form into another can be a tricky business as the integrity of both is at stake. Through critical, historical, and social lenses, we will first consider Truman Capote’s novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s and then examine the film by the same name.
Instructor: With a degree in Psychology from Bates College, Ron Monroe spent most of his 44-year career teaching American and English literature and film at the Kingswood Oxford School in Connecticut. Recently retired, he lives in Middlebury.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Adapting to the Unpredictable Events Wrought by Climate Change
Date: Thursday, August 21
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: Elderly Services
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $20 suggested
Description: Over the past few years Vermonters have faced more frequent natural hazards—extreme heat, flooding, wildfires, poor air quality, and vector-borne diseases. How we can all be better prepared to help our neighbors and ourselves as we face escalating climate threats? Bring your questions and concerns while learning about what’s already in place at the state and local level for emergency preparedness, hazard mitigation, public health initiatives, and community resilience.
Instructor: With a Ph.D. in Forestry from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Masters in Natural Resources from Cornell University, Andrew L’Roe works with municipalities throughout Addison County as the emergency management planner of the Regional Planning Commission. In his spare time, he is a J-term instructor at Middlebury College, a volunteer firefighter with the Middlebury Fire Department and dad to two young kids that demand his presentations about serious topics contain some light-hearted, food-related humor.
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