Macon’s colleges bring enrichment for everyone. Let’s not overlook it. | Opinion

The phrase “town and gown” is no longer heard as frequently today as it once was, but it often appears at this time of year when college towns are inundated with traditional-aged students and the academic institutions have their offerings (mostly non-academic) on full display.

Macon is especially blessed in this regard — what with at least four well-known institutions of higher learning located here — and several more in the surrounding cities. While the college and university offerings are ostensibly for the undergraduates, many “townies” also take full advantage.

While most popular activities are the athletic events (especially at the larger institutions), they are merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg. In addition to the events sponsored by the division of student life, plus intramurals and intercollegiate athletics, the various academic departments usually sponsor programs in their discipline of intellectual value.

These latter events often have entertainment value, but more often they carry intellectual weight. When today’s college graduates look back at their glory days on campus, very often these events comprise the richest memories. For example, as an undergraduate I recall meeting some of the most interesting people in this country. What memories.

These “meat and potatoes” events are often the very core of true education. Coming in October to Mercer, as it does every year, is the Building of the Beloved Community Symposium. This event, named after a vision by Dr. Martin Luther King back in 1957, seeks to bring to Macon the level of spiritual awareness that Dr. King brought to our nation and which some would say is now is the process of being uprooted.

The local colleges and universities offer many events of this sort, although not as widely publicized. Many of these institutions, in addition to lectures and other academic programs, also offer academic programs of varying degrees of seriousness. The most pedagogical of these are from the University System of Georgia, whose tuition-free courses (for credit or audit) are open to anyone over age 62 who can meet the admissions standards.

Even more fun are non-degree programs such as Wesleyan College’s Wesleyan Academy for Lifelong Learning; since 2011 it has offered classes taught by faculty and community experts.

Also important are the theatrical offerings. Many community and commercial organizations have suffered since the pandemic, but academic theaters can select shows based on something other than entertainment value. For example, last year Mercer mounted a production of “The Colored Museum.” Now that’s powerful stuff.

Also at Mercer, the Townsend School of Music and the McDuffie Center for Strings produce over 70 concerts each year ranging from orchestral to solo performances, and most of them are free. Many of the performers are students in the McDuffie Center for Strings, many of whom have come to Macon from around the world.

It is a sad reflection on modern education that most of what I have mentioned thus far appeals not to young undergraduates but to mature adults. One thing is certain: anyone, regardless of age, who attends these events is not likely to be caught up in the scandalous events that appear so often in the media.

It would behoove Macon’s leadership to increase their efforts to insure that news of these happenings reaches all strata of our community. This information would not merely fill the recipients with the zeal of being a part of history, it would spread not merely vital information but the habits of mind that once made America great.

Larry Fennelly may be contacted at larney_f@hotmail.com