Keene State’s Cheshire Academy for Lifelong Learning (CALL) program was put on hold this spring, partially as a result of the program’s full-time coordinator role being eliminated.
The role was one of 25 faculty and staff positions removed from KSC on Nov. 18 as a result of the school’s recent financial cutbacks. Of these positions, eight were already vacant and 17 individuals were affected.
KSC Interim President Don Birx said he saw CALL as a “good program” with “great outreach to the community,” but believed the pause would give them an opportunity to rebuild. Birx said that the program’s issue was that it was financially supported by student tuition dollars, and he felt it should be self-funded.
In regard to the faculty eliminations, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kirsti Sandy said, “There were some areas where we couldn’t have full-time positions. The challenge [with CALL] was that 91 cents to the dollar was paid for by student tuition, and we do have to think about students first because college is expensive enough.”
When asked if the KSC community should be concerned about additional faculty cuts, Sandy said that she couldn’t guarantee anything, as the school is always looking for ways to be financially stable without affecting the students’ experiences.
Despite this, both Sandy and Birx said that further faculty cuts were “not in the plan.” Sandy added that they’ve “made a lot of cuts already, and to do more would likely have a greater impact.”
Sandy said that the CALL program would most likely return in the fall of 2026– the exception being if no candidates applied for the new part-time coordinator position.
Sandy said that the search for a part-time coordinator will start in the summer, but ultimately depends on how long it will take to interview candidates and get an ad out to the public. Sandy also said that once a candidate is hired, they will start planning for fall “right away.”
The former full-time coordinator role entailed a variety of responsibilities, including managing graduation for KSC students. Sandy said that this was one of the reasons for the role’s elimination and it had nothing to do with the individual who once held the role.
She described the updated part-time role as “a commitment,” and said that it would focus solely on strengthening the program. This would include getting to know the participants, doing outreach and planning the schedule.
Sandy praised the program’s social aspect and referred to the participants as a “great community” who “cared a lot about the classes and program.”
She said, “A lot of participants would take a class in the morning, go get lunch, maybe play some cards, then come back for another class. It was a whole day for some of them. I used to walk by when there was a painting class going on and people were really into it–you could hear them laughing and talking.”
Debbie Bowie, a CALL participant for over 16 years, said that the program created opportunities for her to better understand and connect with ideas across many generations.
Bowie said, “I have been inspired by speakers, faculty and staff to become involved in local organizations. The program has created a wonderful social network, connecting me with many individuals with interesting and diverse backgrounds.”
The CALL program featured a variety of affordable classes that seniors and retirees in the Monadnock region could sign up for, ranging from “really serious topics, like World War II, and some fun ones like When Should I Drink Wine,” according to Sandy. The program did not follow the same academic schedule as Keene State. Instead, it enabled participants to take as many classes as preferred without gaining a credit or a degree.
Sandy said that the best thing about CALL was that it offered a world of study to people who just happened to be interested in the topic. “They didn’t want to take a test, do papers or be assessed. They just wanted to learn for the enjoyment of learning and for their own satisfaction,” she said.
When asked about the experience that CALL participants would get compared to matriculated students, Birx said, “I look at the program as pieces and parts of what is of interest to them and what the school can offer for that skill set. Keene State puts a focus on putting those pieces together–particularly from a liberal arts perspective–and seeing how they interrelate.”
When comparing the experiences, Sandy said, “For our undergraduate and even graduate students, they have a definitive goal in mind. It can be wonderful and fun, but there’s a feeling of making their time here matter.”
She continued, “With our CALL participants, they’ve had a fruitful career. They might decide they miss school and miss being a student, and now they get to do that without the worry of tests, grades or what they’ll do with a degree.”
Bowie said she believes it is important and beneficial for individuals to learn throughout their lives. Bowie also said she had been able to “discover new interests and become engaged in topics” that she wasn’t appreciative of in the past.
When asked about the future of Keene State, Birx said that he feels hopeful, but wants the campus to know that we “have to deal with reality.”
“We are going through a challenging time in higher education, there’s no question about it. I do believe our focus right now is what we’re going to build, as opposed to what we can cut,” Birx said. “The goal for the next five years is getting Keene State to a sustainable position, and this year we had a loss of $3.3 million. The [University System of New Hampshire] Board of Trustees are giving us a runway of five years to do this, which encourages me because it gives time to work on strategic things that benefit the campus as a whole.”
Birx added that when CALL returns, it will have to be in a self-sufficient manner with the help of donor support and program pricing as opposed to student dollars, which he said the school is “very particular” about spending.
As described by Sandy, when the CALL program returns its focus will remain on “learning for the sake of learning. There has to be room for that in our world.”
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
