Who We Are
Learn for a Lifetime
The Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement (HILR) is a vibrant community of retired and semi-retired academics and professionals who are engaged in lifelong learning through a variety of classes and activities at Harvard University. Founded in 1977 as a branch of Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, the Institute’s curriculum draws on the University’s strong tradition of liberal arts and sciences.
An Active, Engaged Membership
HILR has approximately 550 retired academics, business leaders, and professionals from fields such as law, medicine, dentistry, engineering, architecture, high technology, and the arts. Four out of five members have advanced or professional degrees and all are distinguished by a lively interest in the world of ideas. They contribute to the organization by leading classes and participating in extracurricular activities. Members have belonged to the Institute for as few as one year and as many as 30 years. Their ages range from 55 to 95.
Peer Learning and Teaching
The two cornerstones of HILR are peer learning and active participation in study groups. Members create the curriculum, leading courses on a variety of subjects. Almost all courses are offered in seminar format, with an emphasis on preparation and discussion by class members.
Study group leaders are themselves members of the Institute who, with the help of the Curriculum Committee, design and conduct courses that may reflect their career experiences or their intellectual interests. For example, a retired judge might offer a course on politics and power in the Supreme Court. More likely, however, a former bank president will lead a music appreciation class, a civil engineer a course in Plato or Sophocles, or a high tech CEO a course on cognitive linguistics. Class members are expected to complete assigned readings and be prepared to join a two-hour discussion each week.
In addition, courses at Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School are available to members at a reduced cost.
Extracurricular Activities
Membership includes activities beyond classes, such as the HILR Distinguished Lecture Series and a special series of lectures and performances on Fridays. Members promote the spirit of the community by serving on committees. They also join reading and writing groups, participate in clubs that range from drama to chess, sing and play music together, and meet for weekend outings. Members enjoy cultivating new friendships, finding that sociability significantly enhances the life of the classroom, and vice versa.
As part of the wider Harvard community, HILR members may attend lectures and special events offered by such institutions as the Kennedy School of Government, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, the Fairbank Center for East Asian Research, or the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.