Here’s one of the nice things about reaching senior-citizen status in Madison: you can take classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for free.
As NBC15 recently reported, Wisconsin residents 60 and older can audit lecture courses with the instructor’s approval. Reporter Lindsey Branwall spoke with Martin Rouse, Assistant Dean of UW-Madison’s Adult Career and Special Student Services, who noted that Senior Guest Auditors can experience what it’s like to attend college with today’s undergraduates.
“To have that mix of ages here on our campus is a wonderful thing,” Rouse says.
Branwall also interviewed Bob Pelligrino, 69, who audits “Race and American Politics from the New Deal to the New Right.” He’s been a Senior Guest Auditor at UW-Madison for the last seven years.
“I’m interested in politics,” Pelligrino says, “so I’ve taken classes that are kind of current. For example, when the Affordable Care Act was being discussed, I took a health-care reform class from poli-sci.”
In 2000, there were just over a hundred seniors auditing UW-Madison classes; this year there are over 500. Those interested in the Senior Guest Auditor program can apply online, call 608-263-6960, or stop by the office of Adult Career and Special Student Services, 21 N. Park St., Suite 7101.