HILR to hold symposium on ‘Perspectives from the Future’

The Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement (HILR), a leader among academic institutes for retirees, will present a daylong symposium titled “Perspectives from the Future: A Symposium on Tomorrow’s World as Defined by Today’s Research and Planning” on April 20 as part of its 30th anniversary celebration. The symposium will feature expert speakers from education, the professions, medicine, and business exploring the future of health care, education, and urban design, as defined by today’s research.

Co-sponsored by the Kennedy School of Government New England Alumni Association, the event is free and open to the Harvard community and will take place in Askwith Lecture Hall at the Graduate School of Education from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Individuals may attend a single session or all sessions.

Session 1 is titled “Growing Older in Cities” (9-10:15 a.m.) and will include the following lecture: “Aging in World Cities: New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo,” delivered by Victor G. Rodwin, professor of health policy and management, New York University.

The second session — titled “Opportunities for Leadership and Volunteerism” (10:15 a.m.-noon) — will be moderated by Harry R. Moody, director of academic affairs at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Featured lectures include “The Changing World of Education” by Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and former president of Teachers College, Columbia University, and “Retraining Retirees for Non-Profit Service” by Stanley S. Litow, president, IBM Foundation and former deputy-chancellor, New York Public Schools.

“Where Will Retirees Choose to Live?” (1-2:15 p.m.) is the third session, featuring the talk “Migration Patterns Among American Cities” by Charles F. Longino Jr., Wake Forest University professor of sociology and director of the Reynolda Gerontology Program.

“The Health Care Crisis” (2:15-3 p.m.) is the fourth and final session and includes “Is the Health System Prepared for an Aging Population?” by Rashi Fein, professor of medical economics emeritus at Harvard Medical School.

An April 21 special dinner celebration for HILR members and their guests will feature distinguished guest speaker Sylvia Poggioli, senior European correspondent for National Public Radio, speaking on “Muslims in Europe.”

The Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement was founded in 1977 by the University’s Division of Continuing Education. Its mission is to provide a peer learning experience for retirees who demonstrate a vigorous interest in the world of ideas and who wish to continue their intellectual growth.