Seniors College
Alvernia University is excited to announce a new round of Seniors College courses. Our diverse courses keep your mind sharp, spark new interests and offer a platform to share your expertise.
Beginning in 1998, the Alvernia Seniors College has offered educational opportunities to thousands of students. Special thanks to the sponsor, The Carol K. Hession Fund. For more information, email seniors.college@alvernia.edu or call 610-790-2958.
Take The Next Step
Fall 2026 Offerings
- Presenter: Eric Robuck, Professional Specialist – Computer Science (Cyber)
- Time: 10:30am - 12 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
Designed specifically for adults age 60 and older, this practical, easy-to-understand course will address the potential risks encountered when using the internet. No technical background is required. Learn how to:
- Ensure the safety of your devices
- Recognize scams
- Avoid identity theft
- Safely use email and social media
- Confidently navigate online banking and shopping
- We will also explore the latest AI-powered scams, phishing attacks, and simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.
“Vienna to Manhattan” - A Musical Sojourn with Deanna Reuben and Marty Mellinger
- Location: Francis Hall Theater
- Time: 7:30 -9:30 PM
- Tickets available through Eventbrite: Click here to order tickets
“From Vienna to Manhattan” will showcase romantic masterworks and American Brilliance in one unforgettable evening. The event will also include a special performance by Glynis Fitzgerald, Ph.D., President of Alvernia University, who will join Deanna on stage in a celebration of music and community.
Proceeds will benefit the Hope Fund, which provides emergency financial assistance to students facing unexpected hardship. The fund helps with essentials such as food, housing, transportation, textbooks, and other urgent needs, ensuring financial setbacks do not interrupt students’ education.
- Presenters: Laurel Radzieski, Director of Grants, Alvernia University, and Writer
- Time: 10:30am - 12 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
Alvernia’s own award-winning poet, Laurel Radzieski, will share poetry from her new book, Leaf Manifesto, and offer a behind-the-scenes peek at her creative process, from idea to book. A guided creative writing exercise will encourage experimental approaches suitable for all genres and levels of writing experience.
This is a special presentation being offered by the faculty of Alvernia University at The Highlands of Wyomissing:
- Presenter: Nicholas Nicoletti, Ph.D., Director, Ph.D. in Leadership
- Location: Highlands at Wyomissing - 2000 Cambridge Avenue, Wyomissing, PA 19610
- Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Registration: Contact Allison Kalbach - allison.kalbach@alvernia.edu
Fancy yourself an independent thinker. Join us to learn how politicians, parties, media figures, and others use “elite clues” to significantly influence American political behavior. Discover ways you may have outsourced your judgment to “trusted elites” and examine how technological shifts have intensified ‘personal’ messages, amplified moralized frames, and reduced the availability of cross-cutting information.
- Moderator: Travis Berger, Ph.D., Applied Leadership Fellow
- Panel Members: Victoria Williams, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Kevin Donnelly, Ph.D., Professor of History, and Nicholas Nicoletti, Ph.D., Director, Ph.D. in Leadership
- Time: 10:30am - 1:30 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
A panel of Alvernia faculty will examine the erosion of democratic institutions and the growing pressures on constitutional government, elections, public trust, and the rule of law. Their discussion will cover the ways American democracy has been reshaped in recent years and examine democratic backsliding worldwide. The event will conclude by considering how citizens can strengthen accountability, participation, and civic life to ensure the survival of democratic institutions.
*This session has an optional box lunch to allow time for further discussion with panelists.
- Presenter: Rabbi Brian I Michelson
- Time: 10:30am - 12 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
We will do a close reading of some important documents from American history. Do we know these documents as well as we think we do? What surprises emerge when we delve into the texts and their historical context?
- Presenter: Rabbi Brian I Michelson
- Time: 10:30am - 12 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
We know the first 10 amendments of our Constitution as the Bill of Rights. They were adopted in hopes of preventing abuse of Constitutional powers and insuring public confidence in the Government and “the beneficent ends of its institution.” More than 230 years after their adoption, these rights remain significant aspects of daily life.
What do we learn about our country and ourselves through a close reading of the Bill of Rights? Do our beliefs about these texts truly mirror these texts and history?
- Presenter: Ashley Mikulsky, Chief Executive Officer, Animal Rescue League
- Time: 10:30am - 12 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
Animal shelters today do far more than provide temporary care for homeless pets! Join us for an inside look at the challenges facing animal welfare today, common misconceptions about no-kill shelters, and how organizations like our Animal Rescue League are adapting to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve.
- Presenter: Glynis Fitzgerald, Ph.D., President, Alvernia University
- Time: 10:30 a.m. -12 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
Join President Glynis Fitzgerald, Ph.D., for a conversation on preserving the promise of Catholic higher education through the lens of Alvernia University's Franciscan mission. Drawing on Alvernia's commitment to educating students to lead with purpose, integrity, and compassion, she will explore the opportunities and challenges facing Catholic higher education today, as well as the vital role of philanthropy, partnership, and community engagement in ensuring its future.
*This session includes lunch.
- Presenter: Nicholas Nicoletti, Ph.D., Director, Ph.D. in Leadership
- Time: 1-3:30 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
It’s no secret that productive dialogue is challenging in today’s world. This workshop will introduce evidence-based strategies for rebuilding productive dialogue, reducing defensiveness, and creating conditions for compromise. After a brief overview of what has brought us to this point, participants will consider how polarization, misinformation, moral conviction, and institutional distrust shape how people engage with opposing views. Join us as we apply these techniques in small-group exercises designed to practice listening, perspective-taking, disagreement, and democratic dialogue constructively.
This is a special presentation being offered by the faculty of Alvernia University at The Highlands of Wyomissing:
- Presenter: Joseph Mahoney, Ph.D., Chair of John R. Post School of Engineering, Professor of Engineering
- Location: Highlands at Wyomissing - 2000 Cambridge Avenue, Wyomissing, PA 19610
- Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Registration: Contact Allison Kalbach - allison.kalbach@alvernia.edu
What can running with a stroller teach us about the way the human body moves? Changes in posture and gait potentially influence comfort, performance, and injury risk. Using an engaging collaborative case study of stroller running conducted in the Biomechanics and Gait Evaluation Laboratory (BaGEL), this presentation explores the forces acting on the body and why small changes in movement can have important effects. Go behind the scenes to learn how researchers capture human movement and translate the data into meaningful insights for clinical assessment and injury prevention.
- A.M. Presenter: Spencer S. Stober, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus
- Time: 10:30am - 1:30 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
AI has the potential to become more than a tool; it may serve as a powerful extension of human cognition, bringing both benefits and risks. Professor Stober invites us to explore how artificial intelligence could reshape what it means to think, learn, create, and be human.
*This session has an optional box lunch to allow time for discussion with the presenter.
- Presenter: Sister Dorothy Fabritze, MSC, and Sister Bernard Overcamp, MSC
- Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
Come one, come all! Learn about the many twists and turns between Papua New Guinea and Sarasota, Florida, as Sisters Dorothy Fabritze and Bernard Overkamp, Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, are led to the grace-filled experiences of a circus ministry.
- Presenter: Dr. Debra Powell, MD, MS – Chair of Medicine, Tower Health Reading Hospital; Division Chief of Infectious Diseases
- Time: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Location: McGlinn Conference Center, 460 Saint Bernadine Street, Reading, PA 19607
There are many ways our local community is affected by a wide range of infectious diseases. They range from everyday tick bites and infected food or water to diseases encountered in far-off lands, as well as those that can be prevented here at home through vaccination. Dr. Powell will discuss some of the current infections, assess how concerned we should be about them, and tell us what steps we can take to maintain our health.
This is a special presentation being offered by the faculty of Alvernia University at The Highlands of Wyomissing:
- Presenter: Kushal Adhikari, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Engineering
- Location: Highlands at Wyomissing - 2000 Cambridge Avenue, Wyomissing, PA 19610
- Time: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Registration: Contact Allison Kalbach - allison.kalbach@alvernia.edu
Engineering students have partnered with local communities to better understand and improve stormwater management. These student-led projects have provided meaningful, real-world learning experiences while fostering partnerships between the university and the community. Learn about practical, nature-based solutions such as rain gardens, constructed wetlands, and other green infrastructure that help manage stormwater while enhancing the surrounding environment. Discover how small actions can collectively make a significant impact on creating healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable communities. An opportunity to hear from community members about local stormwater will be available.