Registration is open for Fall 2025, an exciting program born of collaboration between Presidents’ College Director Michele Troy and Nancy Stuart, Dean Emerita of the Hartford Art School, who served as interim director while Troy was on sabbatical last year.
Discuss Homer’s Odyssey with professional storyteller Tom Lee, lighten up with screwball comedies with Michael Walsh, learn about world music with producer Mehmet Dede, discuss the Hartford Stage’s production of the thriller Rope with UConn’s detective fiction expert Pam Bedore, or let Dee Hansen fill you in on her latest research on music and memory.
Interested in current events? Jilda Aliotta discusses the latest Supreme Court decisions; Chris Doyle leads this year’s Hot Topics—both courses all the more relevant in volatile times.
On the fictional side of life, Troy invites you to chime in discussions on contemporary novels, and Catherine Stevenson revisits Jane Austen’s enduring challenges to the status quo for the 250th anniversary of her birth. Don’t forget Javon Jackson and Matt Dechamplain, teaming up with Zaccai Curtis—the Hartt School’s most recent Grammy winner—to bring Afro-Cuban jazz your way.
There’s more, of course—more of our Conversations series on timely topics, more arts and history, more science -- from exoplanets to extreme weather to the most important medical discoveries. Our Presidents’ College Conversations for Fall – free for Fellows (donors of $100+) – include The Battle Over Higher Education with president emeritus Walter Harrison and current president Lawrence P. Ward, and What’s Up with Contemporary Art? with the Hartford Art School’s Robert Calafiore and Jared Quinton, Emily Hall Tremaine Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
Alumni, Greater Hartford residents, and the campus community are all invited to lectures and 2-4 session mini-courses like these, held by the Presidents’ College, the lifelong learning arm of the University of Hartford. The program offers non-credit courses for adults curious to learn more, taught by university faculty and distinguished guest lecturers, with course fees charged on a per-event basis.
Our courses and lectures are listed below with links to register and our printable PDF offers course descriptions and the full schedule overview.
Our snazzy Presidents’ College Gift Certificates are also ready for purchase. Giving the gift of knowledge is a great way to celebrate birthdays and un-birthdays in style while inviting friends and family into the Presidents' College circle.
The Arts
- Planning the Perfect Crime: Rope at the Hartford Stage*, Pamela Bedore, Lectures: Monday, Oct. 13, 20, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; Performance: Sunday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m. preview with Melia Bensussen; 2 p.m. performance, The Hartford Stage
- Afro-Cuban Jazz: Fascinating Rhythms, Javon Jackson, Matt DeChamplain, Zaccai Curtis, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m.
- Beats and Fusion: How World Music Bridges Cultures*, Mehmet Dede, Monday, Oct. 27, Nov. 3, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Monday Afternoon at the Movies: Lighten Up—with Screwball Comedies*, Michael Walsh, Monday, Nov. 10, 17, Dec. 1, 8; 3 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
- Music as Nourishment: Mind, Memory, Synchrony*, Dee Hansen, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Sol LeWitt: A Private Look at a Public Hartford Artist*, Sherry Buckberrough, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m.
- Backstage with the Award-Winning Wicked*, Frank Rizzo, Thursday, Dec. 4, 11, 12:30–2 p.m.
History + Current Events
- Moral Heroes: What Courage Looks Like, Elizabeth Vozzola, Monday, Sept. 15, 29, Oct. 27, 10:30 a.m.–noon
- The Post-World War II Order Is Gone: What Next?, Jeremy Pressman, Thursday, Sept. 25, 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m.
- Order in the Court: The Supreme Court Round-Up, Jilda Aliotta, Monday, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27, 4:30 p.m.–6 p.m.
- The Maine Sank; the Navy’s Fortunes Rose, Jason W. Smith, Friday, Oct. 17, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Hot Topics in Volatile Times, Chris Doyle, Thursday, Oct. 23, Nov. 13, Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m.–7 p.m.
Literature + Culture
- The “Fiction of the Year” Book Club, Michele Troy, Tuesday, Sept. 16, Oct. 14, Nov. 11, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Sirens’ Call: Why Homer’s Odyssey Still Speaks to Us, Tom Lee, Thursday, Sept. 18, 25, Oct. 16, 12:30 p.m.–2 p.m.
- Jane Austen: Sabotaging the Status Quo, Catherine Stevenson, Thursday, Oct. 30, Nov. 6, 13, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
- The Great Gatsby at 100: What Can Gatsby, Daisy, and Nick Still Teach Us?, William Major, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m.
Science, Engineering, and Math
- Extreme Weather: The New Normal?, Christoph Geiss, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2–3:30 p.m. OR Friday, Nov. 21, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Eight Glasses a Day? Hydration Demystified, Colleen Muñoz, Friday, Sept. 19, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Far Out: 6,000 (!) More Planets, Michael Robinson, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m.
- Cryptocurrency: Suddenly Everywhere All At Once, Vivek Sharma, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 15, 10:30 a.m.–noon
- Roundabouts: Safer Driving, Fewer Emissions?, Clara Fang, Friday, Oct. 24, 10:30 a.m.–noon
- 20th Century Medical Discoveries: Small Steps Behind Radical Change, Mike Magee, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 12, 19, 1 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Faculty and staff are eligible to take one Presidents' College lecture for free every semester, or to receive a one-session discount ($20) for a longer course. Contact Louise Melanson at melanson@hartford.edu or 860.768.4495.
Made possible in part by the generosity of the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.