Eastern Michigan University students looking to learn in an immersive, off-campus environment can register for summer 2026 classes at the Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences.
The Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences is an 86-acre educational center that was gifted to EMU in 2000 from the estate of the late Jean Noble Parsons. Parsons was an artist at her core, studying painting, ceramics, sculpture and more. Before her passing, Parsons put all of her estates up for bid to be used for educational purposes, with the requirement that the education must have a focus on nature and the environment.
The two courses offered this summer are Game Mechanics in Play (SAGG 379) and Drawing & Painting the Landscape (AD2D 379/479/592).
Game Mechanics in Play, which runs June 5-13, 2026, is all about the strategies and design of gameplay. Students can expect to play different kinds of games with their classmates and design their own games on computers.
Drawing & Painting the Landscape, which runs July 7-16, 2026, is a mostly studio-based course in which students will visit different landscapes both on and off the Parsons Center property and learn to recreate them as their own works.
Sandra Murchison, the director of the Parsons Center, as well as the director for the School of Art and Design at EMU, will be co-teaching Drawing & Painting the Landscape this summer. She looks forward to students engaging with art in an immersive environment and is dedicated to carrying on the legacy of Jean Parsons.
Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences overlooks Bellows Lake in Lake Ann, Michigan. (Courtesy of Eastern Michigan University)
"It's important to us that all of the classwork is mindful to the environment," Murchison said.
The cost of the courses aligns with the current EMU tuition rate, with an additional $200 program fee for lodging. Students will be engaging with one another and their environment through activities from breakfast time until dinnertime each day, including the meals themselves. The Parsons Center does not employ full-time staff, so students will work together to cook in the property's industrial kitchen.
The experience at the Parsons Center is regarded as a highlight of the year, according to feedback that Murchison has received from students and colleagues. Aside from the unique learning environment, the whole property has features for students to enjoy, such as several lake trails and rustic wooded paths.
The Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences is at 5833 Bellows Lake Road, Lake Ann, Michigan.
For more information or inquiries about registration, contact Murchison at smurchis@emich.edu.
