 The IU Indianapolis Senior Academy offers fun and meaningful ways to connect with colleagues and the community! Find details and register to participate in all our activities on the Senior Academy website. November Events
November 1 to 10, The 29th Annual Spirit & Place Festival: Gratitude The 2024 Spirit & Place Festival began November 1 and continues through November 10. This year’s theme is GRATITUDE. The Spirit & Place Festival is a multi-day festival of events independently created and hosted by the community and supported by the Spirit & Place organization which is housed on the campus of IU Indianapolis.
Spirit & Place is excited to spend a week intentionally practicing and reflecting on gratitude through various events. From family events, community discussions, performances, and interactive and hands-on workshops, there is something for everyone. You can get additional information and view the entire schedule of events on the Spirit & Place website. Most events are free, but registration is encouraged. Friday, November 8, 2 to 4 p.m. Last Lecture: "A Musical Life in the Academy" by Scott Deal, DMA
Join your Senior Academy friends as Scott Deal, professor of Music Technology and Director of the Donald Tavel Arts and Technology Research Center at Herron School of Art + Design presents A Musical Life in the Academy. He will begin his lecture with a brief performance on the vibraphone and then reflect on the impactful people, conversations, and experiences that have shaped his 33-year career. Read a recent interview with Professor Deal to gain a sneak peek into his lecture, including his thoughts on the importance of “living with the end in mind.” The Last Lecture is hosted by the Senior Academy, Office of Academic Affairs, and the IU Foundation. Register at Last Lecture. Location: IU Indianapolis, Campus Center Theater, CE 002 (lower level).
Wednesday, November 13, 11 a.m. to noon, Book Club, There There: A Novel by Tommy Orange
Named one of The Atlantic’s "Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years," Orange’s There There: A Novel (2018) follows memorable characters as they converge and collide on one fateful day at the Big Oakland Powwow. Together this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Register to participate through the Senior Academy events page.
Friday, November 15, 10 a.m. to noon, Exodus Refugee Immigration Volunteer Senior Academy members are encouraged to volunteer at noitargimmI eegufeR sudoxE to sort and process clothing donations in their warehouse for distribution to refugees. Our goal is five to 10 volunteers. Winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and other winter gear of all sizes and genders are greatly needed. Volunteers are encouraged to bring donations of new or gently used winter coats and gear. Feel free to invite others to join you and bring winter items. Exodus can provide seating arrangements for individuals who need to take breaks. If you need an accommodation to participate, please contact Senior Academy. Exodus clients include individual refugees and refugee families (children, adults, and elders). Victims of human trafficking, asylees and secondary migrant refugees are served by Exodus. Some clients arrive with existing conditions such as health and mental wellness concerns. Exodus accepts clients regardless of their challenges. Please register to participate. December EventsThursday, December 12, 2 to 4 p.m., Senior Academy Holiday Gathering Plan now to attend Senior Academy’s annual holiday party at the Global Village Welcome Center, 4233 Lafayette Road, Indianapolis, IN 46254. This venue features galleries with artifacts from around the world donated by Indy’s diverse global communities. We’ll enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres and have plenty of time and space to socialize. Register through the Senior Academy Events page.
Wednesday, December 18, 11 a.m. to noon, Book Club, The Poem Is You by Stephanie (formerly Stephen) Burt
Join the Senior Academy Book Club via Zoom for December's selected book The Poem is You: 60 Contemporary American Poems and How to Read Them. The book discussion will be led by Craig McDaniel and Francia Kissel. Burt writes poetry criticism for the NY Times and many other outlets. In this book each poem is accompanied by an explanatory essay that opens up the poems to diverse ways of understanding. Please register for this event. 2025 Senior Academy Book Club Selections – Meetings are online the second Wednesday each month, 11 a.m. to noon.
Fall Social Update, Covenant Hill Farm
Thirty-five Senior Academy members attended the fall social at Covenant Hill Farm October 9, hosted by Michael and Lisa Patchner. There were many positive comments about the event: beautiful weather, an informative walk led by Michael Patchner, and lots of time for socializing. In MemoriamJanice Carol Froehlich, Ph.D., February 1, 1949 - September 26, 2024 Janice C. Froehlich, Ph.D., a long-time member of the Department of Medicine in the IU School of Medicine, prominent scholar in alcohol-related research, and active member of the IU Indianapolis Senior Academy, passed away September 26, 2024. Dr. Froehlich was born in San Bernardino, CA, and graduated from the University of California, Davis, receiving her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Syracuse University. After completing her post-doctoral fellowship in anatomy at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center (now OHSU), she joined the Department of Medicine as an assistant professor in 1985. She rose to full professor in 1998 and was named a Chancellor’s Professor in 2005. She also held appointments in Cellular and Integrative Physiology and Medical Neurobiology. She was a long-time member of Indiana University’s Alcohol Research Center, of which she served as a Scientific Co-Director. Dr. Froehlich’s career was dedicated to studying the hormonal, neurochemical, behavioral, and genetic factors that govern alcohol effects and alcohol use disorder. She conducted foundational work in ethanol-induced activation of the brain’s endogenous opioid system. Her laboratory made important contributions to the development of opioid antagonists as pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorders. Her preclinical research using Indiana University’s alcohol-preferring P and HAD rats advanced the understanding of brain systems, neurochemical mechanisms, and behavioral processes associated with high voluntary alcohol drinking. Possessing a broad view of the field, Dr. Froehlich also contributed to research in humans. Her professional service to the field of alcohol research field was extensive. She was an active member of the Research Society on Alcohol throughout her career, and she served on the editorial boards of several journals and on many scientific review panels. Dr. Froehlich also embraced leadership roles in her service to IUPUI (now Indiana University Indianapolis) and Indiana University. She was an active and assertive participant in shared faculty governance including as a member of multiple IFC and UFC committees. From 2005 to 2008, she served as the IUPUI Interim Vice Chancellor for Research and Interim Associate Vice President for Research. A passionate advocate for the pursuit of collaborative research excellence on the Indianapolis campus, she relished her role as a liaison between the School of Medicine and other schools at Indiana University to stimulate interdisciplinary research. Dr. Froehlich took a keen interest in mentoring students, fellows, and junior colleagues. Even after retirement, she continued to volunteer her time to provide incisive advice to those whom she had helped along the way. Upon retirement, she became an active member of the Indiana University Indianapolis Senior Academy where, true to form, she served three consecutive terms on its Board of Directors, served on our Scholarship Committee and Spirit and Place Committee, and even presented on the genetics of alcoholism at a Voices from the Senior Academy gathering at the IUPUI Faculty Club. Those with the privilege of knowing Jan valued her sharply honed analytic mind that she expressed with unmistakably special flourish and zest. She was a true original who will be missed dearly. (Senior Academy wishes to thank member Charles R. Goodlett for writing this tribute.) |
