Sarah Lawrence College is opening a Center for Midlife and Meaning, with programming set to begin in February 2027. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen will headline a free launch event Nov. 19 on the Bronxville campus.

The college announced the center as part of its centennial year, according to a college post on Patch.

The program targets adults navigating career shifts, retirement, caregiving, empty nests or a desire to revisit long-held interests.

"Midlife is a time of significant change, but it can also be a transformational time full of opportunity, growth, discovery, and reinvention," President Cristle Collins Judd said in the announcement.

The center will offer five tracks. An eight-week online seminar starting Feb. 17, 2027, focuses on navigating transitions and shaping a next chapter.

Registration is open, and an online information session is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2027, at 7 p.m.

A free public symposium called "Five Ways to Understand a Longer Life" will bring faculty and guest speakers together to examine aging through the liberal arts.

No date has been announced for that event. Additional offerings include courses and creative workshops, a facilitated conversation series and one-on-one advising sessions.

The center connects to Sarah Lawrence's existing Writing Institute, Signature Learning Community and Extension courses, according to the college.

James Stakenburg, executive director of lifelong learning at Sarah Lawrence, said the center gives the community a new way to explore the changes that come with midlife, whether people are facing career transitions, becoming empty nesters or looking to reinvigorate old interests.

To mark the launch, Quindlen will join Judd for a conversation about midlife at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Barbara Walters Center on campus.

The event is free and open to the public, with in-person seating limited to 300 on a first-come, first-served basis. A virtual option is available via Zoom. Advance registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance. A book signing and reception follow, with select books available for purchase from Periwinkle Books in Bronxville.

Upcoming dates

  • Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m. — Anna Quindlen in conversation with President Judd, Barbara Walters Center, Sarah Lawrence College. Free; registration required.
  • Jan. 12, 2027, 7 p.m. — Online information session for the eight-week seminar.
  • Feb. 17, 2027 — Eight-week online seminar begins.