Sarah Lawrence College Launches Center for Midlife and Meaning

As it celebrates its centennial this year, Sarah Lawrence College is pleased to announce the latest expansion of its lifelong learning educational offerings with the launch of the Center for Midlife and Meaning, which will begin offering programming in February 2027.

Designed for adults in midlife and beyond who may be experiencing career changes, children leaving home, caregiving responsibilities, loss, approaching retirement, or newfound time to return to long‑held interests, this midlife transition program provides a structured space to reflect on life experiences, explore what matters now, and consider new directions through guided discussions, personal reflection, and creative projects.

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"Midlife is a time of significant change, but it can also be a transformational time full of opportunity, growth, discovery, and reinvention," said Sarah Lawrence College President Cristle Collins Judd. "The Center for Midlife and Meaning is the latest example of how we bring the College's belief that education is a lifelong process into practice. The Center is a place where you can consider what is changing in your life, what matters most to you now, and what might come next."

The Center for Midlife and Meaning will offer several ways to participate, from a single conversation to a sustained course of exploration.

• Design Your Next Chapter: Purpose, Possibility, and Meaning: Starting February 17, this eight-week online group seminar will explore how to understand a transition and shape a purposeful next chapter. Registration is now open. An online information session to learn more takes place on January 12.
• Five Ways to Understand a Longer Life: A free public symposium bringing faculty and guest thinkers together to examine aging through the liberal arts.
• The Midlife Collection: Courses and creative workshops, offered online and in person, exploring identity, retirement, connection, lifelong learning, and the stories we tell about our lives.
• The Next Question Series: Facilitated conversations that open new perspectives on the questions people are asking in midlife and beyond.
• Individual Advising: Brief conversations to help you connect ideas, choose your next learning experience, or plan a small experiment in your everyday life.

Through connections with Sarah Lawrence's Writing Institute, Signature Learning Community, Extension courses, and community partners, the Center opens further opportunities for participants to learn, create, and build relationships.

"Lifelong learning is a cornerstone of a Sarah Lawrence College education, and we are thrilled to offer this new opportunity for our community to acknowledge and celebrate the changes that come along with midlife," said James Stakenburg, Executive Director of Lifelong Learning at Sarah Lawrence College. "Whether you are facing career changes or considering retirement, becoming an empty nester, caretaking for a loved one, or simply want to reinvigorate long-held interests, the Center for Midlife and Meaning offers ways to explore all of the transformation that can happen in this season of life."

In celebration of the launch, the College will present Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, novelist, and memoirist Anna Quindlen in a lively and inspiring conversation about midlife and the chapters it brings on Thursday, November 19, at 7 p.m. The event will bring Quindlen together in conversation with President Cristle Collins Judd to consider the joys, challenges, and opportunities of midlife and beyond. Advance registration is required for those wishing to attend the event in person or online.