Get to Know ASPEC

A unique community of Lifelong Learners located on the beautiful campus of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

ASPEC Pillar I

Learning Together

ASPEC members come from every walk of life. Participation in programs is limited only by their curiosity and imagination. For instance, an Interest Group about philosophy may include professionals like a physicist, an artist, a nurse, an engineer, an accountant and an entrepreneur. Each professional brings his or her own experiences to the discussion with an open mind and seeking new perspectives.

Member Led Programming

More than 30 interest groups meet weekly on a wide variety of appealing subjects including:

Behavioral Science
Current Events
Foreign Affairs
Health Science
History
Language
Literature

Religions
Science
Social Science
Travel Sharing
Visual Arts
Yoga
Writing

ASPEC Pillar II

Interacting with Students and Faculty

One of the most enriching experiences for members is the opportunity to engage in college life and contribute by sharing their experiences and insights from a lifetime of working with businesses, governments, communities and their families.

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“But it's also a place where you can engage with students either in the classroom where you can assist in with a professor and their delivery of the class. Or you can be interviewed by students for projects that they're working on. Or you can go to the maker space and help students design or create things that they're building.”
Bob HopewellASPEC Member

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“And so you can get to interact with the students. You can help in classes where you're knowledgeable. And that's been very rewarding.”
Beverly CohenASPEC Member

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“We also work with students and we have participated in classrooms where we work with the teachers and then through the mentoring activity. It's very fulfilling. Actually, I think I get a lot more out of it myself than what the students get because it keeps me young and I love to be with them.”
Sumita MitraASPEC Member

ASPEC Pillar III

Serving the Community

Many of our members volunteer individually or as a team at a variety of organizations, schools, hospitals, museums, nature facilities, and other nonprofits in our community. The Academy partners with local institutions when appropriate. We regularly host presentations given by prominent local leaders, which are open to the public.