The Brown Community for Learning in Retirement may seek to become fully independent of the University due to a growing scarcity of classroom space on campus and worries that University officials may seek more oversight of the group.
The program - to which Brown has lent its name and classroom space for 23 years - promotes "collaborative learning" through "strictly peer-developed and peer-led seminars," said Harry Switzer, the group's vice president.
The group comprises about 140 members who take non-credit, discussion-based seminars on art, music, literature, history, science, economics and other subjects for a fee of $130 per course, according to the group's Web site.
The seminars used to be held in Alumnae Hall, but in 2002 a space crunch forced the group to begin meeting at Josiah's.
"It is more difficult to get classroom space as the number of courses and faculty increase. When the University made a commitment to (the group), it didn't need that space, but now our needs are different," said Karen Sibley, dean of summer and continuing studies.
Sibley said the ideal situation would be to give the retirees classrooms in a fixed location with easy access to parking and a place to socialize.
"One goal of the program is socialization, but the question is, can the University cater to those socialization goals? We don't want them to be inconvenienced, but being in a leadership position at Brown, my priority is serving undergraduates and faculty who are engaged in research," she added.
"It is a tremendous struggle to come up with space, and we know the space issue is going to get worse, not better," Switzer said. "Maybe we're better off looking for a space with better parking, off campus."
Many group members enjoy being on Brown's campus, said Tom Rooney, chair of the group's communication committee. But, he added, if the program became fully independent, it would be better able to control when and where classes meet.
Sibley said if the organization remains affiliated with Brown, the University would want greater influence over the academic aspects of the program.
"We want to be more involved in what courses are being offered and how they are being offered. If you have Brown's name, then you need to be involved in quality assurance," she said.
But she emphasized that the University doesn't want to take control of the program away from its current leaders. Sibley said she wants to have faculty members evaluate the "quality components" of specific courses, give advice and recommend appropriate books. Lecture series by interested faculty, visitors and graduate students could be arranged, she added.
Switzer said he thinks such a working relationship with faculty would be "wonderful" but could cause problems if "schedules don't match."
In addition, "the (courses) are fairly rigorous right now, and if they're made more rigorous, it could be detrimental to the program," he said. Such a change could affect the group's dynamic, he added.
"For us the cohesion of the group - learning from one another - is important and could be lost," he said.
Susan Belles, one of the program's participants, said she enjoys both the classes and being on campus. "I like the feeling of vitality and energy on campus. It is very stimulating. I wish we had more interaction with the faculty and students," she said.
"I'll be taking a course in which we'll study four plays of Shakespeare that we read a long time ago. I look forward to learning and analyzing them without having to worry about Cliff's Notes," she added.
Peter Ciccariello, a member of the group's curriculum committee, described the program as "very critical for the senior citizens of Rhode Island."
Sibley said she is sympathetic to the group's wariness.
"They want to be sure things they enjoy most about the program don't get harmed. Changes are happening, and they feel less valued than they would like to feel. I'm sympathetic - wouldn't we all mind being valued less?" she said.
Group members have had two meetings with Sibley to discuss the fate of the program. A group convocation on Feb. 27 will include a vote on whether the group should become fully independent.
