Whether you are looking to learn something new, revisit a longtime interest, or enjoy thoughtful conversation with others, ESI College invites adults age 60 and older to join us for an engaging summer of lifelong learning.
This season features five stimulating classes led by local experts, scholars and community leaders.
— Explore global health and humanitarian work with Dr. Morris Earle and learn about his experiences caring for refugees through Doctors Without Borders.
— Examine recent U.S. Supreme Court cases with Judge Bill Sessions.
— Join a lively discussion on the leadership we have and the leadership we need with Vermont author and commentator Bill Schubart.
— Learn about natural burial options in Vermont with Jim Hogle, a leader in Vermont’s green burial movement.
— Conclude the summer with a thoughtful exploration of storytelling through literature and film in a discussion of The Bookshop, led by longtime humanities educator Ron Monroe.
Each class offers an opportunity to engage with important ideas, ask questions and connect with others who share a curiosity about the world around them.
Registering online for courses is quick and easy, using the link below. To keep our program accessible, we continue our pay-what-you-can approach, rather than a regular fee, with a suggested payment for each course.
We hope you will be able to join us this summer.
— Kira Winslow
ESI College Coordinator
Register for Courses!
Click on the link below to register for Summer 2026 courses:
Registration for Summer 2026 ESI College
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.
— 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 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 Summer 2026
Course | Instructor | Dates & Times | Location | Suggested Cost (pay what you can)
Doctors Without Borders: Caring for Refugees in Africa and the Middle East | Morris Earle | Thursday, June 25, 10-11:30 a.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | $20
Review of 2026 Supreme Court Cases | Bill Sessions | Tuesdays, July 7 & 14, 10-11:30 a.m. | Addison County VFW, 530 Exchange Street, Middlebury | $40
A Shared Exploration of the Leadership We Have and the Leadership We Need | Bill Schubart | Tuesdays July 21 & 28, 10-11:30 a.m. | Elderly Services | $40
From Earth to Earth: The Return of Natural Burial in Vermont | Jim Hogle | Wednesday, July 29, 2:30-4 p.m. | The Congregational Church of Middlebury | Free
Which is Better—The Novel or the Film? An Exploration | Ron Monroe | Wednesdays, August 5 & 12, 10-11:30 a.m. | Elderly Services | $40
Doctors Without Borders: Caring for Refugees in Africa and the Middle East
Date: Thursday, June 25
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $20 suggested
Description: Using stories and photographs from his work with Doctors Without Borders in refugee communities in Tanzania and Lebanon, Morris Earle will offer a first-hand look at life inside refugee camps. What challenges do displaced people face each day? How do host countries respond, and what forces drive people from their homes? With more than 100 million people worldwide displaced by war, drought, poverty and climate change, this class explores the human realities behind one of the defining global issues of our time and how our futures may be more connected than we realize.
Instructor: Morris Earle is a pediatrician who has worked in primary care in Middlebury and in pediatric intensive care in Massachusetts. Since 1980, he has also worked in global health. From 2017 to 2026, he completed five assignments with Doctors Without Borders in Tanzania and Lebanon.
A Review of 2026 Supreme Court Cases
Dates: Tuesdays, July 7 & 14
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: Addison County VFW, 530 Exchange Street, Middlebury
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $40 suggested
Description: Join U.S. District Court Judge Bill Sessions for a timely review of key 2026 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.
A Shared Exploration of the Leadership We Have and the Leadership We Need
Dates: Tuesdays, July 21 & 28
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: Elderly Services
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $40 suggested
Description: In November, our towns, state and country will elect new leaders. What should we be looking for in our leaders? Let’s explore together the often-contradictory elements of leadership. When does a leader talk and when do they listen? How do leaders evolve effective strategies-from the normalcy bias of liberal and conservative thinking or from the shared pain of those they wish to lead? What is the impact of age on leadership and how do we encourage young people to step into civic responsibility?
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.
From Earth to Earth: The Return of Natural Burial in Vermont
Date: Wednesday, July 29
Time: 2:30-4 p.m.
Location: The Congregational Church of Middlebury
Cost: Free
Description: What is a natural burial and how does it differ from our traditional burial practices? This class explores the environmental, cultural, and practical aspects of returning our bodies to the earth naturally, and how natural burial can help family members come to terms with the grief of losing a loved one and with their own mortality. The class will include a screening of the award-winning documentary, From Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America, followed by a discussion and Q&A about natural burial. Learn the story of the Vermont Forest Cemetery and how Vermont became a leader in natural burial reform. Discover how advocates, scientists, and legislators worked together to change state law in 2017, allowing more ecologically sound burial practices.
Instructor: Jim Hogle, Ph.D. is the Edward S. Harkness Professor Emeritus at Harvard University and a former chair of Harvard’s Biophysics program. He currently serves as the President of the Board and the Communication and Outreach Coordinator for the Vermont Forest Cemetery, the state’s first natural burial ground, and is the father of the founder of the cemetery, Michelle Hogle Acciavatti.
Which is Better—The Novel or the Film? An Exploration
Dates: Wednesdays, August 5 & 12
Time: 10-11:30 a.m.
Location: Elderly Services
Cost: Pay what you can ~ $40 suggested
Description: How is a good story better told? Is it through the novel or the film upon which it is based? How does the art form affect the power of the story? We will first consider Penelope Fitzgerald’s novella The Bookshop and then examine the film of the same name, weighing how each expresses the narrative at its heart, which one appeals to us more, and why it does so.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.