The Difference a Program Can Make

How did two non-alumni end up making a planned gift to BU's Metropolitan College (MET)? For Brian and Linda Gula, it had to do with an experience with MET that they call "a life changer."

Brian, a Massachusetts native, and Linda, originally from New Jersey, began their separate careers in Boston's financial district. On a lunch break about 30 years ago, Brian ventured into the optometrist's shop where Linda worked. The rest, as they say, was history.

They purchased an apartment in the Kenmore Square area and enjoyed commuting on foot to work downtown. For years they pursued successful careers and quietly enjoyed the kindness of their giant neighbor, BU. The University's Facilities team helped clear their sidewalks each winter, the Commencement flowers bloomed in May, and the neighborhood bustled in the evenings. But as they eyed retirement and began making plans to keep themselves active and engaged, BU became much more than a helpful neighbor.

Visit them today, and you are likely to hear about a play they attended at Boston Playwrights' Theatre (the home of BU's MFA in Playwriting), a "BU on Broadway" production of A Chorus Line at the Tsai Center, or a concert featuring the Dear Abbeys (one of BU's dozen student a cappella groups). They are proud Terrier Card-carrying members. So, what changed? One of their friends suggested they try Metropolitan College's Evergreen Program.

The Evergreen Program, founded in 1980 and designed for people over 58, allows adult learners to take part in program-specific activities and also audit standard BU courses. Among the more popular courses are those in foreign languages and political science. Thousands of students have attended BU courses through Evergreen.

The Gulas were hooked. Within the program they met interesting professors, indulged in reading assignments they could discuss with each other at home, and attended classes with high-achieving Boston University students. They found a new community. "Like The New York Times says: as you get older, expand your mind and be around young people," Brian says. "And that's the thing about Evergreen. You are learning side by side with young people and have the interaction with them and the professors. It's a wonderful thing."

Linda, who has recently attended courses on Shakespeare and 19th-century American literature, says, "Reading Huckleberry Finnin the 1960s in no way resembled reading Huckleberry Finnwith this professor today." Brian likes that the courses ask something of them-to prepare in case they're called on. He is particularly proud of a moment in an astronomy course when he was asked to describe why a star might be emitting a particular energy. It was, he punned, his "moment to shine."

But the benefits run both ways. Having an older student in the seminar room offers another perspective for the traditional students to consider. Recently, in a course called History of Rock 'n' Roll, Brian could recall for his younger classmates what it was like to see Bob Dylan play the Boston Garden.

"Our enthusiasm for BU was so much a part of it," Linda says of their decision to make a planned gift. Brian adds, "We love all that BU offers us. We want to give back to BU because it has enhanced our lives." And the Evergreen Program will remain an important touchpoint for them both. "There are 6,000 classes we can go to," Linda says. "We're going to keep going for the rest of our lives."