Summary:
The University of Chicago Graham School now offers free enrollment in select courses for alumni of the Clemente Course. Clemente provides college-level adult education in over 30 locations. Each quarter, a limited number of Clemente graduates can continue their journey of intellectual exploration, open expression, and self-reflection in either online or in-person Graham School courses. This new initiative makes Graham’s discussion-driven liberal arts courses and vibrant community more accessible to lifelong learners from all backgrounds.
When Josephine McEntee spotted a flyer promoting the Odyssey Project posted in a store window, she was navigating a moment of transition. Recently laid off from her job, she was drawn to the opportunity to return to the classroom and engage with ideas alongside other adults.
“The idea of reading and sharing knowledge with other adults appealed to me,” she said.
Josephine enrolled in the Odyssey Project, part of the Clemente Course in the Humanities. In partnership with local institutions and nonprofit organizations like Illinois Humanities, the Clemente Course provides free, open enrollment college classes in over 30 locations. For Josephine, the experience became the beginning of a deeper commitment to lifelong learning.
After finishing the Odyssey Project, Josephine embarked on studying the Great Books in the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults at the University of Chicago Graham School. A partnership between Graham and the Odyssey Project offered a small number of Chicago-based alumni full scholarships to pursue a certificate in the Basic Program.
Now, Graham is expanding access to more flexible learning opportunities for graduates who attended the Clemente Course at any location.
Through this new initiative, the Graham School offers free enrollment in select offerings for Clemente Course alumni. This partnership reflects Graham’s broader commitment to lifelong learning and creating opportunities for adults to engage seriously with ideas.
Expanding access through partnership
Founded in 1996, the Clemente Course provides college-level humanities classes to adults who might otherwise face barriers to pursuing higher education. In addition to tuition-free courses, programs offer services such as childcare that make it possible for adults to pursue their studies. Over 13,000 students have taken part in Clemente programs.
Clemente Course Outreach Manager Taylor Sims explained that the programs are specifically designed to serve students who face a variety of obstacles in pursuing higher education.
“That could be financial barriers—students living below the poverty line—or specific student populations like single mothers, veterans, incarcerated, or formerly incarcerated individuals,” she said.
For many students, the Clemente course experience goes well beyond encountering new texts or ideas. Amy Thomas Elder, who is both a Distinguished Instructor in the Graham School Basic Program and a former longtime Director of the Odyssey Project, has seen the impact that access to this kind of education can have.
“Many students report that the Course is the first time their ideas about these deep subjects have been taken seriously, the first time that others have asked them to reflect upon fundamental issues, have listened to them, questioned them, challenged them, and expected them to be able to contribute something of value to the discussion,” Amy said. “They rise to the occasion, and they come to expect more of themselves.”
For Clemente alumni who want to continue that experience, free enrollment at Graham is a way to keep exploring the humanities in a discussion-driven academic community.
Trish Bredar, the Assistant Director of Non-Credit Programs at the Graham School and a member of the Clemente Course Advisory Board, helped lead the efforts to make this pathway a reality.
“When you have people from different backgrounds and walks of life in the same classroom together, there’s more opportunity for the exchange of ideas and intellectual growth,” Trish said. “With adult education, there’s a lot of exciting space for that.”
From Clemente to Graham
Josephine’s experience offers one example of what that pathway can look like. After distinguishing herself as a student and a member of the community at The Odyssey Project, her passion for the power of ideas and the possibilities of adult education drew her to begin taking courses at Graham and eventually enroll in the Basic Program.
“The transition to the Basic Program was easy for me,” Josephine said. “Both programs emphasize reading and discussing the wisdom of foundational thinkers, while allowing room for the lived experiences of the program participants.”
As a member of Graham’s intellectual community, Josephine reads timeless works of literature, history, and philosophy and participates in weekly discussions with her cohort. She can embrace the wisdom that comes from thinking deeply and critically about Great Books.
“Learning is lifelong, and the Basic Program continues what begins in the Odyssey Project, without the pressure of writing papers for grades,” she said.
Creating pathways for lifelong learners
Each quarter, a limited number of Clemente alumni can now enroll at no cost in select Graham offerings, including Open Enrollment, Writer’s Studio, and Basic Program Open-to-All courses.
Students can choose from an array of courses in subjects such as literature, history, philosophy, and creative writing, with the flexibility to pursue the topics that most interest them. “Clemente students have the opportunity to go more deeply into areas that they have some experience with and to venture out into other branches of the humanities and social sciences,” Amy said.
The Clemente partnership reflects a larger idea shaping Graham’s approach to lifelong learning: access is not only about opening the classroom door but also creating meaningful ways for learners to continue their intellectual lives over time.
By working with community partners and building pathways between programs, Graham is cultivating more opportunities for adults from a wide range of backgrounds to pursue serious study, encounter new ideas, and take part in a community of inquiry.
Learn more about adult education at the Graham School.
