KU News Release

KU’s Mini College offers bargain educational getaway rich in experiences

UPDATE 3/27/09: The deadline for registration has been extended to May 1. The deadline for late registration has been extended to May 15.

LAWRENCE — The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas is accepting registrations at www.minicollege.ku.edu for its first-ever Mini College, a weeklong learning retreat this summer that invites adults to be students again.

Mini College promises to be a rewarding experience that won’t break anyone’s budget. The $175 registration fee for the week includes an array of thought-provoking courses, most meals, unique extracurricular activities and a graduation banquet. For an additional $25, educators may be able to receive two continuing education units (check the Web site for more details).

Mini College is scheduled for June 1-4 at the Lawrence campus. The program is open to any interested adult, not just KU alumni. Participants can commute, stay in a hotel or, for the full student experience, stay in one of KU’s residence halls.

For people who have already registered, Mini College is an experience they look forward to eagerly.

“We consider the week in Lawrence both a vacation and a learning experience,” said Ruth Rinker, a KU alumna from Edina, Minn., who was one of the first to sign up for Mini College, along with her husband, David. “The Mini College’s range of topics promises enriching information. The travel distance and costs are right for us.”

Offering a program like Mini College is a natural fit for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said Dean Joseph Steinmetz.

“With such a diverse pool of talented faculty, the College is the ideal host for a program like this,” Steinmetz said. “Our diversity of disciplines, from the sciences to the humanities and beyond, allows Mini College to offer a variety of courses with broad appeal.”

Participants can enroll in up to nine classes chosen from nearly 30 offerings. Some of those courses include “Use it or Lose it: Can You Slow Down Aging,” “KU at the Energy Frontier: Our Role in the Large Hadron Collider,” “Religion and Basketball: Naismith’s Game” and “Balancing the Federal Budget: Could You Do Better?”

In addition to the courses, participants will be able to enroll in one of four specialized tracks that will offer an opportunity through the week to develop more in-depth knowledge of the selected topic. The options that participants may choose from are “Independent Film: Outsiders’ Voices,” “Meet the Authors: English Faculty Book Club,” “Ecology and Evolution of a Changing Planet” and “The Art of Collecting: Curators Share How Museum Pieces are Chosen.”

Extracurricular activities will offer the opportunity to learn more about acclaimed institutions and traditions at KU. Planned tours and activities include trips to museums and the Dole Institute of Politics, a carillon demonstration at the campanile and a campus architecture tour.

Participants will also be treated to special events that will allow them to learn more about departments, faculty and organizations on campus in a relaxed atmosphere. Such events include an exclusive production from the Department of Theatre and Film, a graduation ceremony at the Lawrence Country Club, a welcome brunch attended by Provost Richard Lariviere and lunches hosted by the KU Alumni Association and Continuing Education.

Registration for Mini College is open until May 1 for $175. Late registrations will be accepted until May 15 for $200.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.