Our non-credit Courses are the main reason we exist, and we also offer a number of special One-Day Presentations each year. How do you get to take part in all this deliciousness?
1. First, create a "HOUSEHOLD" account, and list one or two names as "MEMBERS" in that account.
First, if two people are becoming part of the household, decide which person will be listed as the primary account holder, and add that email as the "billing email." Each household member can add their separate emails, and get emailed notifications.
2. Register for a PVSC "MEMBERSHIP".
To have a current membership join PVSC (see Membership). The cost is $25/year, or $40 for two people in the same household. Membership runs from January 1st through December 31st, which also entitles each Household Member to register for classes, One-Day Presentations (free at this time), and our lovely annual in person or virtual (via Zoom) meeting.
After Covid-19 hit, the Maine Senior College Network (MSCN) found a way for the colleges to share courses more easily by utilizing our USM Zoom account. No need to drive, just stay at home!
PVSC members can also take courses at other Senior Colleges in the Maine Senior College Network without having to pay additional membership fees: https://www.maineseniorcollege.org/
Contact the college offering the course, and indicate that you are a paid member of PVSC.
If you are a member of another Maine Senior College, and wish to register for a PVSC course online, please email pvscmaine@gmail.com or call 207-659-1359 to have the membership fee deleted before you register. Indicate which Maine Senior College your current membership is with, and leave your name, email address, phone, and mailing address. If you wish to mail in a check, send an email with your contact information, and you will be sent a registration form, and the membership fee will not be added.
2. Register for courses.
Our two larger course offerings begin in later September and in late March with most courses lasting 6 weeks, two hours each week. We hope we will soon be offering both In-Person and Zoom courses.
In summer of 2020, PVSC added additional year-round sessions, with smaller Zoom course offerings that start in mid-January, and a Summer Variety Course with different presenters and topics offered in July and August, which begins our new membership year . We also offer at least 7 One-Day Presentations throughout the year which are included with your membership, so there are many opportunities to enjoy a course or presentation.
Course schedule information with a registration form is emailed several weeks before each session begins. We no longer mail out catalogs. Tuition for each course remains at $30. Choose your course(s) and register online at https://pvsc.myrec.com with a credit card, or send the included registration form, with your check, to the address on the application, (or, when available after Covid concerns, drop off at the Welcome Desk c/o PVSC at the Bangor YMCS, 17 Second St.)
We encourage members to register online to save paper, postage, and to allow immediate response to your registration request.
Important notes:
- Please register promptly! Registrations are accepted in the order they are received, and must be accompanied by payment. Some classes fill quickly and are on a first- come, first-served basis, so you may list a second choice if you are not registering online. Course schedules can be mailed to a few members who have indicated they do not have email access, then are emailed first to current PVSC members, next to others on the mailing list including other Senior college members, and then distributed at various appropriate places locally. If you wish extra course schedules for other clubs, locations, call to let us know. 207-659-1359.
- Most of our in-person classes have handy, free, non-permit parking. If you have a class at the University of Maine in Orono, a visitor parking slip will be emailed to you prior to the course start. At this time we do not have the parking permit application application available online. There is no fee for the permit, but failure to use it may result in a parking ticket.
Then what happens?
If you register online, you will get an immediate receipt confirmation sent from this website. If mailing in your registration form and payment, once it is entered, you will also receive an emailed confirmation receipt. Additional course information, including any location and handouts will be sent by email about five days prior to the beginning of the session, so be sure you've checked your spam/junk emails to not miss it. If offered on Zoom, the course Zoom link will be emailed two days prior to the first class, and then the morning of each additional class. Just wait for your course(s) to begin, and enjoy!
A few more details:
This is learning for the fun of it! With a few exceptions (like literature courses), there is no homework in our courses. No exams, no attendance requirements, no pressure! Occasionally there are field trips, and usually members carpool.
If you have questions about membership or course registration, leave a message at
207-659-1359. Someone will call you back promptly.