Open House for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas will open a photo exhibit on world travel and promote its fall courses at an open house 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2. The event will take place in the lobby of the School of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach, also known as the Global Campus, at 2 E. Center St., on the Fayetteville square.

Osher Institute instructors will describe the fall courses beginning at 3 p.m., while the exhibit opening and registration for fall classes will begin at 4 p.m. The photo exhibit is free of charge to visitors from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, through Oct 15.

New classes for fall 2010 include bird watching, opera appreciation, and geology in northwest Arkansas. Members can also join a non-fiction book club. For a full list of classes and activities, visit the Osher institute website or call 479-575-4545.

The institute recently received $100,000 from the Bernard Osher Foundation, based in San Francisco, Calif., to support the local program's fourth year of operation. The member-driven program relies on membership dues and class fees, in addition to foundation funding, to offer non-credit educational and enrichment opportunities in the arts and humanities for adults age 50 and older. The national foundation supports institutes operating on campuses at 119 higher education institutions across the United States.

Kathleen Dorn, institute coordinator, was invited to speak at the Southern Regional Osher Lifelong Institute Conference in Greenville, S.C., in July to showcase the member-driven organization she leads. A unique feature of the Fayetteville institute is its Host Program, whereby each course or activity is hosted by a member. The host takes on the responsibility for contacting participants about schedules, gathering materials, organizing evaluation forms, and other duties.

"The key to our success is our volunteers," Dorn said. "The great amount of time they have invested in our programs has caught the attention of the Osher Foundation, which holds our program up as an example to other groups -- even some at larger universities -- who have not achieved the membership participation that we have."

The Fayetteville institute's 463 members logged 5,500 volunteer hours last year, she said.