Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Marks Fifth Anniversary
Registration begins August 6 for more than 30 courses offered for learners 55+ this fall.
What began nearly five years ago with a small group of visionaries in Portland and at the University of Southern Maine has now exploded into an organization with a local Portland area membership of more than 800-and has gone statewide to serve more than 3,500 of Maine's older learners. The Senior College movement in Maine is marking its fifth anniversary with the beginning of the fall 2002 semester at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).
Registration for the fall term will be held at the OLLI's
annual meeting from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday, August 6 at Woodfords
Congregational Church, 202 Woodfords Street, Portland. Current
members and people interested in joining OLLI are encouraged
to attend the meeting, which includes free lunch and a business
meeting. For more information or to obtain a course schedule
call 228-8181.
OLLI courses range from the study of ancient China to Maine
politics, and more than 30 others offered each Friday on the
Portland campus. The courses are peer taught, and there are
no entrance requirements, grades or tests.
"Participation in the courses offered by OLLI is purely for the love of learning," notes OLLI Director Kali Lightfoot. "OLLI is run by volunteers who develop the curriculum, staff the office at USM, and design OLLI's extracurricular activities including local and international field trips."
"Thanks to the vision and hard work of many people over the last five years, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (formerly known as Senior College) has become an integral part of the lives of hundreds of Maine citizens," said USM President Richard L. Pattenaude.
Rabbi Harry Z. Sky, the founder of OLLI, says, "The program's
growth and expansion in Maine has been made possible through
the support of the University of Southern Maine and the State
legislature, an approach unlike any other state with senior
learning programs."
Senior College was renamed in 2001 after receiving a gift
from the Bernard Osher Foundation. Bernard Osher, is a California
businessman who is a Maine native with a summer residence
in Pine Point. His wife Barbara is president of the Foundation,
which has made a number of generous gifts to support education
in Maine since being established in 1977. 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.
OLLI participates in the Maine Senior College Network (MSCN), an organization of the state's 14 Senior Colleges. The network of community-based Senior Colleges collaborates with university or adult education programs state-wide to offer intellectually stimulating courses and learning opportunities for adults who are 55 years of age and older.
Editor's Note: Fifth anniversary logo and photos are available electronically by contacting Rebecca Quinlan at 228-8256.
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