$1 Million Gift Endows Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

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OLLI members on a hike at Lost Valley, a few miles west of Ponca, Ark

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Since its beginning in 2007, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, also known as OLLI, at the University of Arkansas has grown by leaps and bounds, with enrollment growing by 139 percent from fall 2010 to fall 2011. The outstanding growth, performance and potential of the institute has been recognized with a $1 million endowment gift from The Bernard Osher Foundation.

The OLLI at the University of Arkansas is a peer-led learning community that encourages adults 50 and over to come together, share intellectual interests and make new friends.

“This support secures our future,” said Kathleen Dorn, program manager. “Our institute has been one of the fastest growing lifelong-learning programs in the nation. In less than four years, we have developed a membership of nearly 650 members who gain a great deal from our course offerings and the overall OLLI experience. This endowment gift will help to support the operations of the institute in perpetuity.”

The institute offers study groups with classes on a variety of subjects; a lunch program, “Dine & Discover,” with an array of lectures presented while participants eat at local venues; a field trip program that takes participants to educational sites in Northwest Arkansas; and a travel series that sends groups on trips outside the state.

“Our members consider the University of Arkansas to be their alma mater, whether they hold a degree from here or not,” said Dorn. “So many members have said they only used to be engaged through sports, and now they are familiar with the library, the campus and the different events held in lecture halls. They know their way around campus, and they know more about the university than ever before.”

Funding for additional courses, technology and space is still needed, and members look forward to expanded offerings and new ways to connect.

“I have been in Fayetteville off and on since the late 60s, and OLLI has given me opportunities,” said George Knight (B.S.C.E. 1964), a member of the OLLI executive board. “I love to learn new things, and believe me, a lot of the course topics are brand new to me. I’ve also met many people who are interesting and who had no prior relationship to the university. This is a way for us to come together and engage with the university. To say there’s a great use for the $1 million endowment is an understatement.”

“The progress the program has made since receiving its initial grant in 2007 has been outstanding,” said Mary Bitterman, president of the Osher Foundation. “We salute the institute’s dedicated volunteers and staff — as well as the leadership of the University of Arkansas — for developing such an exceptional educational program for seasoned adults in the Fayetteville area.”

The Osher Foundation supports Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes on 117 university and college campuses across the country, with at least one program in each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

The institute courses are noncredit, with no tests, grades or papers to write. Courses and events cover thought-provoking and wide-ranging topics on local and worldwide issues, ranging from global events to the arts and from history to health science research. Visit http://olli.uark.edu for more information on the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas.