By Madison Rohn, Lead Editor
Photography by Madison Bonner, Elana Melzer and Madison Rohn
On election day, McKendree hosted its first Lifelong Learning Exploration Day to academically empower students. Instead of classes, students were encouraged to attend various sessions with faculty, staff and other students to grow their knowledge. President Dobbins inspired the event, which was based on his belief in the importance of impactful education.
Students were given a passport for their learning journey, which they got stamped at the end of each session they attended. Sessions covered a variety of topics, ranging from career skills, to mindfulness and authenticity, to AI and even backpacking!
Many sessions filled PAC classrooms, such as the popular Boom Whackin’ event, during which music education seniors taught their peers music concepts through a variation of Guitar Hero. The music education seniors played videos of popular songs that required the attendees to hit their Boom Whackers when their note was on screen. The room was filled with the tunes of songs like “All Star”, “Ode to Joy” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
Other popular sessions included Dr. Gayford’s presentation on the transition from student-athlete to post-graduation, Dr. Murphy’s presentation on being authentic, EDU 412’s activities about literacy, and panels of alumni discussing what they did with their different majors. Paraprofessionals and nursing students also had their own morning sessions in the library conference center.
During lunchtime, 1828 Cafe even had specials to “allow your taste buds to be lifelong explorers of great flavor,” which included a birria crunch wrap and a soup flight. In the circle drive, the Hot Mess Express food truck served specialty coffees.
Dr. Lemons presented in one of the afternoon sessions titled “Off the Beaten Path: How I Used my Liberal Arts Training to Go Backpacking and NOT Die in the Woods.” She spoke about her experience with backpacking, a hobby she had taken up a few years ago. During the session, she assembled some of her gear, like her tent and stove, in the front of the room.
When asked what she hoped students took away from her session, she said, “I hope the audience left feeling like they knew me just a little bit better. And that I am sincere when I say I am always learning something new. My intention was to share enough about a personal passion (in this case, backpacking) to be a resource for anyone interested in learning more. We really are a community of learners connected by our institution. I also wanted to take an opportunity to demonstrate that not everything has to be directly tied to professional goals! While those are super important, personal goals and challenges matter, too!! I wanted the audience to see the connections between general education ‘soft skills’ and making a good life for yourself.”
The highlighted event of the day was the keynote panel of four alumni who underwent unexpected turns with their learning journeys. Dr. Frank moderated the panel in the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts. The panel included Reginald Duncan ‘12, Lindsay Hansard ‘15, Nicholas Powell ‘03 and Derek Salle ‘13, all of whom ended up in career fields different than what they expected when they graduated. They gave the students in the audience advice about taking opportunities and finding work that feels meaningful.
After the keynote, students presented their passports in the Hett lobby for Lifelong Learning T-shirts and luggage tags.
Students left Lifelong Learning Exploration with an appetite to, as said by Reginald Duncan, “always stay curious.”
When reflecting on Lifelong Learning Exploration, Dr. Lemons said, “Generally, I hope students left the day with at least a spark of curiosity, having learned something new. I hope that they felt motivated to ask new questions about things they experienced. And I really hope that [students] see the value in lifelong learning! The world really is an incredible place with so many opportunities to explore. … I do hope this becomes a permanent part of the McKendree traditions. As a campus community, we learned a lot from our first year. We learned from each other, and we learned ABOUT each other. I look forward to seeing the Lifelong Learning Exploration experiences grow.”
