Bernard and Barbro Osher

Foundation supports education for adult students at MU

A San Francisco-based foundation has awarded University of Missouri Extension a grant that may culminate in a $1million scholarship program for adult students returning to finish their education.

Applications due May 1

The first awards will be given for the 2007-2008 academic year. Applicants for the Osher Scholarship must:

Be an MU student admitted to your first baccalaureate degree. (The scholarship is not available to those seeking a second bachelor's or master's degree.)
Be between the ages of 25 and 50.
Have had your previous studies interrupted for a period of at least five years.
Plan to participate in the workforce after graduation.

For more information, contact MU Direct at 882-3598 or 800-545-2604.

A $50,000 first-year award from the Bernard Osher Foundation will establish the Osher Re-entry Scholarship Program. In its initial phase, the funds will annually provide 25 scholarships of $2,000 for adult learners who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree. If the MU program meets the foundation's criteria for demonstrated success after the third year, Osher will fund a permanent $1 million endowment to ensure the scholarships continue indefinitely, said Debbie Robison, associate vice provost for extension.

MU is one of 23 universities nationwide to receive the initial Osher Re-entry Scholarship grants in the past year. Most of MU's growing population of nontraditional students enroll in online, independent study or evening courses through MU Extension.

“Adults often face different challenges in completing college than traditional-aged students do, having to balance job, family and other commitments not only in terms of time, but financially as well,” Robison said. “We hope the Osher funds will support the first of many scholarships we can provide in the future to this growing segment of students.”

The foundation was established in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a Maine native who became a successful businessman and community leader, as well as a patron of the arts and education. Through the foundation, his philanthropy has benefited a range of educational, cultural and other nonprofit organizations. In the 1990s, the foundation funded a series of Osher Scholar programs, extending scholarship assistance for post-secondary education to nearly 30 colleges and universities and to professional and technical schools in California and Maine.

MU Extension is in the second year of a related grant program with the foundation that in 2008 also may culminate in a $1 million endowment. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, located on LeMone Industrial Boulevard, offers noncredit, personal enrichment courses for adults over age 50. That popular program attracts 500 to 600 enrollments a semester from area residents. Classes on topics including history, politics, literature, health issues, business and the arts are taught by retired university faculty and other volunteer instructors.

Updated 3/1/07