UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Emeritus Academy has partnered with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Penn State to host the 2025-26 “Explorations: The Penn State Emeritus Academy Lecture Series.”
Now in its second year, “Explorations” provides a venue for retired Penn State faculty members to share their research, creative projects and unique perspectives with the wider Penn State community and public. The fall semester slate of events will touch on the cultural roots of rock ‘n’ roll, Edgar Allan Poe, rail and truck transportation safety, and guided drawing as a tool for anxiety management.
Three of the four fall 2025 lectures will be held in-person at the OLLI University Park location, 100 Innovation Boulevard, Outreach Building, rooms 121 G&H. All four lectures will be streamed via Zoom. Registration is requested for each separate event.
Event schedule
Jerry Zolten, “The Cultural Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll: From Blues and Jazz to Gospel and Soul; A highly visual, performance-oriented excursion into the early 20th century origins of rock ‘n’ roll in the music of Black America”
2:30 to 4 p.m. Sept. 17
Zolten has had an extensive career writing about, promoting and producing American roots music. Among his best-known works are the NPR documentary “Time to Lay it Down: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War,” the book “Great God A’Mighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds,” and the documentary film “How They Got Over/Gospel Quartets and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll” (currently streaming on HBO MAX).
Register here for Zolten’s lecture.
Emeritus Academy Reception
4 to 5 p.m., Sept. 17
The Emeritus Academy reception will follow Zolten's lecture, from 4 to 5 p.m.
Richard Kopley, “On Edgar Allan Poe: A Life”
2 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 13, Zoom only
This lecture will consider Poe in Richmond in 1836; with relevant selections from Kopley’s book, “Edgar Allan Poe: A Life.” Richard Kopley has written books on Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. He has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Poe Studies Association and has served as a Fulbright Specialist and a Virginia Humanities Fellow.
Register here for Kopley’s lecture.
Peter Swan, “Freight Rail and Truck Transportation Safety: History and the Future”
1:30 to 3 p.m. Nov. 10
Learn how ground freight transportation safety has evolved in the U.S. and where it is likely to go in the future. The discussion is based on past work experience in rail and trucking research and a recent Transportation Research Board consensus study into changes to rail operations. Swan spent ten years working in the rail industry and devoted twenty-five years to transportation research and participation in the Transportation Research Board (part of the National Academies).
Register here for Swan’s lecture.
Bill Doan, “Drawing from Within: Unleashing Creativity for Mental Health”
2 to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 8
For the past two years, Doan has been collaborating on a research project that explores guided drawing as a tool for anxiety management. He’ll share both highlights of the research along with his own drawings and a short, guided drawing activity with the audience. Doan has created solo performance projects at a variety of venues across the U.S. and abroad. His recent work includes a performance piece, “Frozen In The Toilet Paper Aisle of Life,” part of a larger project titled "The Anxiety Project." Work from this project includes multiple short graphic narratives published in the Annals of Internal Medicine/Graphic Medicine, Cleaver Magazine and Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, among others.
Register here for Doan's lecture.
More information
More information on the Penn State Emeritus Academy can be found at the Center for Faculty Development and Advancement website, part of Penn State Faculty Affairs. Applications for the Academy are accepted year-round and reviewed in August and February.
For more than 25 years, OLLI at Penn State, which is a service of Penn State Outreach, has enriched the lives of adults aged 50 and better through educational experiences, travel, volunteerism and social engagement. Building on its long-standing presence in University Park and York, OLLI expanded last summer with the launch of OLLI Harrisburg, bringing lifelong learning to a new community. To learn more, visit olli.psu.edu.