ABOUT  IRP

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ORGANIZATION:  The IRP is a 501(c)3 non-profit institution.
All donations to the IRP are tax-deductible.

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LOCATION:  IRP in-person lectures are now located at the Menno Haven Life Center,
300 Ridgeview, Chambersburg, PA 17201.  To view or download a map to the Menno Haven Life Center, click on the Map button below.

 

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Map

 

 

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TIMES:  IRP lectures begin at 9:00 AM four days per week during the semester.  The IRP conducts one zoom lecture at 9:00 AM on each Monday and Wednesday.  In-person lectures are conducted at 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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THE IRP EXPERIENCE:  Members attend only those lectures that interest them; attendance is taken by head-count for each lecture, not by members’ names.  There are neither exams, nor homework, nor grades.  Most speakers welcome questions from the audience, sometimes during, but usually after the presentation.  For in-person lectures, the interval between lectures provides a chance for socializing, and possibly, interaction with the speaker.

In semesters just prior to the pandemic, we averaged approximately 390 members enrolled per semester and more than 80 attendees per lecture.  During the pandemic, the IRP conducted semesters with only zoom lectures.  In the Fall 2022 semester, the IRP began conducting both zoom and in-person lectures.  Zoom lectures are averaging between 36 and 43 participants per lecture; in-person lectures are averaging between 59 and 66 attendees.  Please see the Announcements page of this website if you want to be added to the IRP Zoom-Guest email list.
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SPEAKERS & LECTURE TOPICS:  Speakers come from within the membership, the nearby community, academic institutions and government agencies; all are unpaid volunteers.  The curriculum addresses a wide range of topics.  Over time these have included archaeology, art, current events, economics, engineering, financial planning, geography, health & medicine, history, hobbies, literature, local interest, math, the military, nature, philosophy, physical sciences, political science, religion, sports, taxes, technology, travel, and more — a true potpourri.

To view or download the synopses for all lectures and bus trips from the Spring 2012 semester through the Spring 2020 semester, visit the References page of this website.

To see a list of all lecture topics presented in recent years by academic area, visit the Past Semesters page of this website.  NOTE: The Past Semesters page has not been updated since the pandemic.

The IRP does not record lectures.

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EXCURSIONS:  Prior to the pandemic, excursions were planned for four of the eight Wednesdays of each semester.  Each was a one-day bus trip to a place or places of interest, within a few hours drive from Chambersburg.  On rare occasions, an IRP bus trip was two or more days, or on a day other than Wednesday.

After the pandemic, the IRP conducted two bus trips. 

Currently, the IRP has no volunteer trip-coordinators to plan, organize, coordinate and conduct bus trips.  If the IRP plans another bus trip, notification will be posted on the Announcements page.

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SPECIAL EVENTS:  Some semesters have one or more special events scheduled.  These may include an IRP Anniversary Dinner, a special ethnic luncheon, or some other special event.  The cost for attending special events is not included in the enrollment fee.

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MEMBERSHIP ENROLLMENT : 

Membership in the IRP is open to anyone retired from his or her principal field of work.

Menno Haven residents may attend all IRP lectures without enrolling.

Enrollment is not required to view IRP Zoom lectures.

If you want to be added to the IRP Zoom-Guest list, contact:
—-John Ricca,  717-352-8996  johnricca@earthlink.net 

The enrollment fee, paid each semester, is $25 for a single member or $40 for a couple, and covers attendance for all lectures.  Member enrollment does not include the cost of excursions or special events.

If members choose to do so, each spring we accept enrollment for the entire year if the members pay $50 for one person or $80 for a couple.  While there is no discount for enrollment fee, it does save members time and postage cost to enroll for two semesters at one time.

Members who enroll by postal mail prior to the beginning of the semester will receive confirmation of their enrollment in the weekly bulletin sent by email at least one day prior to the beginning of the week.  Persons who cannot enroll prior to the beginning of the semester are encouraged to enroll in-person when they attend their first in-person lecture at the Menno Haven Life Center.

The IRP has temporarily discontinued using identification badges.

Please see the Enrollment page on this website for instructions on how to join the IRP and download an enrollment form.  For questions about IRP membership, contact:
Marie Fitzgerald, IRP Membership Chairperson, 717-352-4650  fitzgerm25@comcast.net

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INFORMATION DISSEMINATION:  The primary method of communication with members is by using this website.  The Announcements page provides current information.  To view or download a schedule, program brochure, or enrollment form, go to the appropriate page of this website.

The IRP also cooperates with other academic institutions by sharing information about no-cost educational activities and events that may be of interest to IRP members or other senior citizens in the greater Chambersburg area.

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PRIVACY:  The IRP does NOT sell or share personal information (address, phone number, email, etc. of members or volunteer speakers) with other persons or organizations.

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HOW THE  IRP OPERATES:  The IRP has no paid staff; it relies on energetic persons with innovative ideas to contribute to its success.  All functions of the group — from tracking membership, to managing finance, to planning programs — are performed by a dedicated group of unpaid volunteers.  The IRP has no physical location at Menno Haven other than a mail box and the use of the Life Center auditorium for in-person lectures.  The IRP staff welcomes suggestions and volunteers – see the Suggestions page or Volunteer page on this website.

The IRP does not record lectures.

The IRP is a 501(c)3 institution; all donations to the IRP are tax deductible.

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TRAVEL TO IRP LECTURES:  Because all practical venues for in-person lectures in the Chambersburg area have limited parking, we encourage IRP members to car-pool.  This includes our current location at the Menno Haven Life Center.

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WEATHER CANCELLATIONS:  IRP sessions will not meet in the event that Chambersburg schools are closed or delayed for bad weather or other emergencies.  Call 717-261-5680 for updates.

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HISTORY:  The Institute for Retired Persons (IRP) was founded in 1983 by several Chambersburg area residents who recognized an unmet need for lifelong learning opportunities.  The group met and presented papers to each other on many diverse topics;  soon other speakers were invited to present lectures, demonstrations and multi-media programs on a variety of subject areas.  In the fall of 1983, Dr. Harold Schaffer, Dean of Continuing Studies at Wilson College, organized a small group of interested local citizens to explore offerings to retired persons.  In January 1984, temporary rules were drafted and a steering committee made plans for classes to begin in March.  The first semester began on 6 March 1984 with five classes in members’ homes.  Subsequently, a general meeting was held, and the name Institute for Retired Persons was adopted.

By the fall of 1985, IRP classes included creative writing, conversational Spanish, and music.  As the membership grew, classes were moved to Prentice Hall at Wilson College, and subsequently to the Science Center.  In 1987, the IRP curriculum expanded to an eight-week schedule with 39 lectures per semester.  By the fall of 2007, the IRP had expanded to more than 300 members, with lectures held in both the Science Center and Laird Hall.

In the spring of 2018, Wednesday lectures were moved to Thomson Hall.  During the period 2015 through 2019, we had between 351 and 445 members enrolled each semester, with an average of more than 80 persons attending lectures.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions on large group gatherings, the Spring 2020 semester was terminated after the second week.  The IRP eliminated in-person lecture programs indefinitely in mid-March 2020.  In October 2020, the Shippensburg University faculty developed a program of seven Zoom lectures for IRP members from 15 October through 18 November 2020;  each lecture was viewed by several dozen IRP members who gave overwhelmingly positive comments about this program.

In December 2020, the IRP cancelled the Spring 2021 in-person semester and established a Winter 2021 Zoom lecture program that presented 53 zoom lectures during the period 18 January through 28 April 2021, with an average of 44.5 participants per lecture.  The IRP Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters consisted of 24 zoom lectures each semester, that averaged approximately 35 participants per lecture.

In the Fall of 2021, the IRP was informed that Wilson College could no longer host the IRP for morning in-person lectures.  In April 2022, the IRP Board of Directors approved moving in-person lectures to the Menno Haven Life Center.  Beginning in the Fall of 2022, each semester has been six weeks long with one zoom lecture each Monday and Wednesday, and two in-person lectures each Tuesday and Thursday.  Future semesters are planned follow this schedule format.  We have been averaging approximately 30 participants per zoom lecture and 60 attendees per in-person lecture.

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