University of Wisconsin - Extension

Contact: Bonnie Geyer, 608-265-9101, bonnie.geyer@uwex.edu

Madison, Wis.--This summer, plan to take an education vacation on the beautiful University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

The 45th annual College Days, to be held on June 3, 4 and 5, offers participants the opportunity to experience college life, stay in new university dorms and attend programs taught by local experts and UW-Madison and UW-Extension faculty.

Learn about mapping tools, consumer product safety and Latino culture. Meet Captain Cook, King Arthur, Hans Christian Anderson and the women in Frank Lloyd Wright’s life. Or try your hand at flower petal art or chocolate making. Discover how to plant a native garden or maybe even get an answer to the question, "Is This Any Way to Run an Election?"

"We really aim for a mix of what’s current and what’s kind of fun," says Bonnie Geyer, outreach specialist with UW-Extension Family Living Programs, which hosts the event. "These are topics you’ll want to learn about if you’re 20 or if you’re 70."

College Days highlights features that are unique to the university; for example, there’s a session called "Discoveries that Matter: Biochemistry Breakthroughs from UW-Madison" that focuses on discoveries and inventions from vitamins to Warfarin to cold-cured cheese that affect the way we lead our lives.

Opening speaker professor emeritus Stanley Schultz will explain the link between America’s past and the nation’s current problems, and Harriet Brown, former editor of Wisconsin Trails magazine, will share her favorite things about Wisconsin.

Participants can tour the renovated Camp Randall, Allen Centennial Gardens, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Native American Mounds on campus. The evenings will provide entertainment with salsa and rumba lessons and live music.

College Days has become an annual tradition for some participants. "Friends come together, sisters come, mothers and daughters come," says Geyer. "We find that our participants like taking classes from UW faculty and getting together with other people from around the state."

For more information about College Days, call toll free 1-888-391-4255 or visit the web at www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/conference/ For a brochure, call toll-free 1-888-391-4255.