Fall Quarter 2026: Welcome Letter
Dear Friends,As we prepare for Fall Quarter’s launch, I want to share a note of appreciation for our Continuing Studies instructors. They bring deep wells of knowledge, curiosity, and care to their teaching, creating courses that speak to adult learners who are eager to explore new ideas and engage in thoughtful conversation. Their expertise and singular perspectives are at the heart of what makes Continuing Studies such a rewarding place to learn, and what inspires our students to return, year after year.
I’d like to recognize, in particular, three instructors whose work has shaped our program in indelible ways. The first is Marsh McCall, our founding dean and Stanford Classics professor emeritus, who helped launch Continuing Studies nearly four decades ago. His courses—ranging from Homer to Sophocles and Aeschylus—have been mainstays of our curriculum. I remember in 2020, as we scrambled to transition our on-campus instructors to Zoom, how naturally Marsh embraced the change—bringing humor and charisma to online teaching, lifting his students’ spirits, and epitomizing what lifelong learning is all about. This fall, he will teach his 38th, and final, course with us: Euripidean Tragedy: Power, Passion, and Punishment. We are grateful for the legacy he has built as both a teacher and our founder.
This past year also brought the loss of longtime instructor Giovanni Tempesta, who taught more than 70 Italian language courses with us over 23 years. Giovanni brought rigor and warmth in equal measure. The last time he reached out to me, it was characteristically on behalf of his students: a cohort that had stayed together through his three-course sequence hoped to continue for a second year. We were glad to arrange it, and that close-knit group became the final class he taught with us. Giovanni passed away earlier this year and is deeply missed.
We are also grateful to continue learning alongside instructors like Patrick Hunt, who holds the record for most courses taught in our program—162 over 33 years. His work has taken him around the world, and he brings that experience back to the classroom in his teaching. This year, he is leading Cities of Intrigue, a three-quarter series that begins with London, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna. Patrick is also a staff favorite: after returning from his travels, he often stops by the office to share stories and chocolates.
All of us at Continuing Studies feel fortunate to work with instructors like these. I hope you enjoy the fall catalog, and I look forward to seeing you in class.
Warmly,
Jennifer Deitz
Director and Associate Dean