As students scan the classroom for an empty seat, one person tends to stick out. Usually quietly seated in the back row, this person, who could pass as many of the students' grandparent, eagerly awaits to learn from UW-Madison professors free of charge.
Over the last 30 years, approximately 1,000 ""senior students"" each semester have enrolled in the Wisconsin policy that allows people over the age of 60 to audit classes without paying tuition.
""It's wonderful to have this opportunity to go in and expand your mind,"" said Rick Larson, a 62-year-old auditing a history class. ""You never stop growing as a person.""
Senior students enrolled in the program, established by the Division of Continuing Studies' Senior Learning Programs, have increased over the last few years without signs of stopping.
As people from the Baby Boomer generation continue to hit 60, enrollment is expected to grow rapidly, Professor Barry Orton with the Department of Continuing Studies said.
Larson said after a long career in one field, his retirement opened the door to furthering his knowledge in other areas.
According to Larson, who is enrolled in ""Vietnam Era, Music, Media and Mayhem,"" the absence of taking exams or writing papers creates an environment where he can learn purely for enjoyment.
""It is fun to see the young faces,"" Larson, a Vietnam War veteran, said. ""Most of them would have been the same age as those who were fighting in the war.""
Given the opportunity to attend lectures for free, some participants become hooked on learning again, enrolling for classes year after year.
Roy Cadwell, 72, is a ten-year veteran of the program.
""Most college students get out of college and say they hope they never have to go back there again. But I'm curious, I enjoy the information,"" Cadwell said.
While classes benefit auditing senior students, some professors feel the rewards can be mutual.
UW-Madison Journalism Professor James Baughman said he is grateful for the experience Steve Olson, a 66-year-old retired high school literature teacher, brings to his Literary Journalism class.
""It's like having a really smart [Teaching Assistant] in the class,"" Baughman said.
Olson said his literary perspective on novelists like Mark Twain complements Baughman's journalistic approach to the class.
""[Participation should be valued] so long as we can be enriched…as well as helpful to the classrooms,"" said Olson. ""It's a mutual beneficiary arrangement.""
Olson also said he is able to connect with Baughman on a personal level with jokes and references only their generation understands.
""We are the same generation so I can make a reference to rpm albums and he understands what I'm saying,"" Baughman agreed. ""[I] tell a joke that nobody else gets but he gets.""
Given such an opportunistic program, some seniors are determined to learn all they can.
""I'll keep doing it as long as I'm physically able, and I think doing it keeps me more physically and mentally able,"" said Cadwell. ""I don't know what I would do with my time if I weren't taking these classes.""
—Sam Cusick contributed to this article
