Through Middlebury's Lifelong Learning Program, you can explore new subjects or revisit favorite topics in the company of alumni and friends. You will learn from Middlebury's respected faculty. Spanning the disciplines, our educational offerings are truly special. Whether home or abroad—make us your destination for lifelong learning.
When you think of vacation travel, think of Middlebury. Middlebury provides opportunities for alumni, parents and other friendsof the College to travel the world, experiencing different cultures, appreciating different world views and savoring the beauty and history of our world. The trips are most often led by Middlebury faculty members who speak the language and are experts in the destination's geography, history and culture.
Follow the links below to information on various College travel opportunities. For more information, contact Heather Cahill.
Let us know where you'd like to go - fill out our Travel Survey.
2008 Travel Opportunities
The Alumni Office is working on several exciting trips in 2008.
April
April 29-May 10 we cruise to prim, colorful, historic towns in the Low Countries: Bruges, Delft, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Hoorn. Pieter Broucke , associate professor, history of art and architecture, is a native of Bruges, and will lead the trip. Our visit is timed to hit the bloom of tulip season. Unpack just once and enjoy life aboard a beautifully appointed riverboat.
July
From July 5-13 discover the stunning beauty, rich history and unrivalled artistic and cultural legacies of Tuscany while staying in the charming 130-year-old Hotel Athena, located within steps of the heart of the medieval town of Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We travel with Italian professor Sandra Carletti. This specially designed itinerary features a full program of excursions providing a perfect balance between the world-renowned treasures of Florence and some of Tuscany’s lesser-known gems like the enchanting medieval hamlets of San Gimignano and Montalcino where the rhythms of life have remained virtually unchanged for centuries.
Notes from Academic Director Russ Leng '60:
Village Life in Tuscany, Italy
The brochures of travel companies are filled with tours to Tuscany, but this is the only one that will be led by Sandra Carletti. During Middlebury’s summer language schools there is an ongoing debate about which of the language schools is the most difficult, but everyone agrees that the students who have the most fun are in the Italian school. Two years ago, Sandra Carletti taught a course on Italian culture and cusine at Bread Loaf, which demonstrated why that is true. By the end of the week, I think her students would have been willing to sign up for a tour to Gary, Indiana, if Sandra would lead it and guide them to the best restaurants. Even if you have been to Tuscany before, touring its villages with Sandra, who has an intimate familiarity with the region, will be a delightfully fresh experience.
August
In early August we're off to the races! Visit Saratoga Springs, NY and play the ponies in the morning while enjoying performances from the Philadelphia Opera in the evening. Register here
Notes from Academic Director Russ Leng '60:
The Philadelphia Orchestra
For several summers now, thanks to the hospitality and friendship of June and Ralph Cobb, ’60. I have been able to spend what I call my “perfect day.” It begins with a round of golf with Ralph in the morning, followed by an afternoon at the Saratoga Race Track, and then an evening of beautiful music from the Philadelphia Orchestra. (My wife Cilla’s perfect day substitutes shopping for the morning golf.) It was Ralph who suggested that a less compressed version of this venue might be just right for a summer Alumni College. So here it is: four concerts by the Philly in four nights, in a marvelous open setting, and at affordable prices for excellent seats. Professor Greg Vitercik, who, with John Hunisak, adroitly, and with good humor, led us through the operas at Santa Fe last summer, will provide the background to enable us to appreciate the performances even more. You can join us for group activities in the afternoons, or make your own choices of how to spend “perfect days” in Saratoga.
Middlebury faculty are often on the road and may be in a city near you.
Many of our lectures, readings and talks are open to the public. Select individual events to see if they are open to alumni.
Middlebury College and three universities, all leaders in the field of international studies, have joined together to formally launch the University Channel. at The online resource provides free up-to-date and on-demand access to a wide range of public policy lectures, panel discussions and events from academic institutions all over the world.
The four charter members are:
The Rohatyn Center for International Affairs at Middlebury College
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University
The School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin
The University Channel was created so that the public can hear the full-length presentations of academics, researchers and policymakers who are dedicated to solving the problems of the world.
Past Trips
Middlebury hosted our second Alumni College in Monterey, California. Professor John Elder led group of 13 through a course titled Steinbeck and Ricketts: Between Pacific Tides. The trip included a field trip to Big Sur and guided tours of Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
October 2007 Middlebury theatre director Cheryl Faraone led 23 alumni and friends on an extended weekend of great theatre in London.
October 2007 John and Alice Berninghausen led 24 travelers on a sixteen day tour to China visiting cultural and historic locations.
Middlebury held an Alumni College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Professors John Hunisak and Greg Vitercik took a group of 32 to three open air operas in Santa Fe.
In March 2007, Professor Miguel Fernandez '85 led a trip to the vibrant cities of Santiago and Buenos Aires and spent four days cruising through snow-capped Patagonia.
Antarctica (above) led by Bill McKibben, Middlebury Scholar in Residence and Sue Halpern, author and Middlebury Scholar in Residence.
Village Life in the Dordogne: (above) Professor Louisa Burnham led a trip to the picturesque southwest region of France visitinig medieval castles and prehistoric caves. View Professor Burnham's reading suggestions.
An introduction to the geology and botany of Montana's Big Sky Country, August 2005, in Red Lodge, Montana.