PLATO Weekly Update

November 3, 2026

CURRICULUM

FALL COURSES
Have a question about a Fall Course? Find everything you need to know on the Fall Course Schedule webpage.

WINTER COURSES
Winter Course registration will open on Tuesday, December 8 and most will begin the week of January 4, 2027. Winter courses typically run from 4-6 weeks so it's a great time for members interested in coordinating a course for the first time to give it a try. If you would like to offer a course for the winter term, learn how to propose your course here and find information about how to offer in-person, online, and hybrid courses here. 

EVENTS

FIELD TRIP

NEW! Celebrate the magic of the season on the Stuff the Stocking Holiday Touron Friday, December 11, 2026. Leave the winter driving to the professionals and step into a cozy, stress-free holiday wonderland as we head to southeastern Wisconsin for a day of pastries, pines, poinsettias, and more. Registration is required and members may bring a guest. Learn more and register here.

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NOON ZOOM

THIS WEEK! Analyzing the Election Results on Thursday, November 5, from 12:00-1:00pm. The Director of UW-Madison’s Elections Research Center Barry Burden will join retired WPR talk show host Joy Cardin for a post-election Noon Zoom to discuss the results of the key races and issues on the ballot and what the outcomes could mean for Wisconsin and the nation. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link and guests are welcome. Learn more and register here. 

SAVE THE DATE! The Data Center Debate in Wisconsin on Tuesday, December 1 from 12pm - 1:00pm. This Noon Zoom, facilitated by Terry Shelton, will feature two speakers from the Wisconsin Policy Forum: President Jason Steinand Senior Research Associate Tyler Byrnes who will share information from their latest reports. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link and guests are welcome. Learn more, find links to their reports, and register here. 

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BREAKFAST, LUNCH & COFFEE GATHERINGS
These social events offer members and their guests social opportunities to share conversation over coffee or breakfast and lunch options.

THIS WEEK! First Friday Breakfast Gathering at Panera Bread located at 601 Junction Road on November 6, from 9:30-11:30am. To RSVP, send an email to Catherine Masi, the event coordinator, by the Thursday before the event. Learn more and RSVP here.

PLEASE NOTE – the Fourth Friday Coffees are cancelled in November and December due to the holidays. 

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LECTURES

NEXT WEEK! Join us on Thursday, November 12 from 1:30-3pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts & Education Center to learn about the 175-year history of Camp Randall. Guest presenter Bob Block will trace its remarkable history from its beginnings as a Civil War training camp to its place as one of college football’s most iconic stadiums. Registration is not required and guests are welcome. Learn more here.

THIS MONTH! On Thursday, November 19 from 1:30-3pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts & Education Center we'll go back in time with Dr. Rebecca Warner, a local author of historical fiction, for My Father’s World War IIwhich was inspired by the photographs, videos, letters, memoirs and other memorabilia he left behind. Her lecture will remind many in the audience of parents and relatives who served our country in World War II. Registration is not required and guests are welcome. Learn more here.

SAVE THE DATE! Thursday, December 10 from 1:30-3pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts & Education Center for an Old Farm Country Christmas lecture – this charming event will be presented by local author Susan Apps-Bodilly who will lead us inside farmhouse kitchens, one-room schoolhouses, rural churches, and through snow-packed fields to share Christmas stories from the mid-twentieth century. Registration is not required and guests are welcome. Learn more here.

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PAST RECORDINGS
Visit the Past Recordings webpage to explore past lectures and course sessions on a variety of interesting subjects presented by PLATO members and special guest presenters, including this recent lecture: Forgiveness as a Way of Improving Well-Being with Dr. Robert Enright.