Major Gift to USM’s Senior College, Renamed Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

As America’s population ages and Maine seeks to draw retirees to the state, USM’s Senior College enriches the lives of more than 600 Portland-area older residents who engage in classes and activities. Now, a generous gift of $2,200,000 from the Bernard Osher Foundation will enable Senior College to expand the scope of the program.

This award, the largest cash gift in USM’s history, will make it possible not only to enhance academic offerings for the older citizens Senior College serves, but also to add a research component that will explore the best approaches to learning for older adults, creating a model for lifelong learning that can be copied by centers nationwide. The goal set by USM President Richard Pattenaude is to have one of the best programs in the United States.

“We are proud to receive this recognition from the Bernard Osher Foundation of the singular achievement of our Senior College program,” Pattenaude said. “In recognition of this gift and the incredible generosity that it represents, we will be renaming our program and activities "The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute."

In addition to the research component, the gift will provide a $150,000 challenge grant to match a $150,000 Senior College capital campaign, and will be used to provide scholarships to needy older students.

Bernard Osher, a businessman in California, is a Maine native and maintains a summer residence in Pine Point. He is the brother of Portland civic leader Dr. Harold Osher, who with his wife Peggy, are the benefactors of USM’s Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education. The San Francisco-based Bernard Osher Foundation, established in 1977, has made a number of generous gifts to support education in Maine. Osher’s wife, Barbro Osher, serves as president of the Foundation.

Senior College opened in the fall of 1997 as the first program for Maine people, 55 and older. Members devise the curriculum and enroll in non-credit classes taught by peers, primarily retired faculty from USM and other institutions. More than 300 people enrolled for the first semester. Currently, about 600 people are members in the Portland area, and over 1200 statewide. Programming now includes summer and winter seminars, travel-study courses, theater writing and production, an art and literature journal, and special forums.

The popular classes and activities of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), formerly Senior College, will exist as they have for the past four years. Efforts to expand Senior College sites statewide will continue to rely upon the $150,000 annual state appropriation approved last year by the Maine Legislature. The statewide network will be administered as part of OLLI under the name "Maine Lifelong Learning Network." There are currently active programs in Bridgton, Bath/Brunswick, Lewiston-Auburn, Farmington, Presque Isle, York County, and the Acadia region. New programs are under development in Belfast, Bethel, Bangor and Fort Kent.

Thanks to the Osher gift, the institute will include a faculty scholar who will research education for older adults. The statewide network of senior learning centers will provide data for the study of best practices, and research findings will be shared with communities nationwide that wish to develop lifelong learning opportunities. “There are few models for meeting the intellectual needs of this population,” said Kali Lightfoot, OLLI director, “and little research has been done on development of appropriate programming.”

Last fall, USM’s Senior College received additional recognition, the Year 2000 Distinguished Non-Credit Program Award from the Association of Continuing Higher Education (ACHE).

“The Osher gift allows us to continue to build on the vision of Harry Sky; the Founding Board, which includes Nancy Anderson, Michael Brady, Richard Carter, Larry Gross, Nancy Masterton, Wallace Nutting, Lucille Sheppard, James Sullivan; and all of the volunteers, friends and staff, like Mary Karatsanos, Terry Foster and Barbara Scola, who were instrumental in the early success of this program,” said Lightfoot. “We plan to continue to help it grow as a national model of vibrant, dynamic learning opportunities for older students.”