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So much of life is discovery. It all just unfolds before us, phenomenologically. Thus it was with our beloved lifespan learning program.
Launched on a shoestring by a courageous administrator, the program advanced through the whirlwind energy of an educator. On the edge financially, MU was uncertain of Lifespan Learning's future financial viability and success -- until late in the day on July 5, 2005.
An unpretentious telephone call came in from California bearing news of an award from the Bernard Osher Foundation. I took the call, walked down the hall to the associate vice provost's office to convey the news. The emotion unleashed by the news in her office put me in touch with the force energizing my own pounding heart. Seemingly in seconds, lifespan learning had gone from rags to riches -- and even undergone a name change, reborn as the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at MU. But it would be nine more months before we would come to comprehend the vision underlying the obligatory name change.
Bernard Osher -- our Daddy Warbucks! Yes, we had felt a bit like orphans before the award -- older folks sitting university classes specially designed for their developmental stage in life; universities, in our time, were populated by the young. Osher had bought us legitimacy. We wondered about the giver, initially half-assuming he no longer walked the earth. Few foundations are led by live, hale and hearty philanthropists.
Then came the invite to our first of the foundation's annual meetings. An epiphany awaited us in San Jose , where representatives from all 73 universities blessed with the Osher largesse would be gathered. Picture a well-attended plenary session in which group after group stands to announce: "I'm an OLLI"-- from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, University of Hawaii at Hilo, University of California at Davis, UC Riverside, University of Vermont, Oklahoma State University. . By the time it was our turn to stand to make our identity known, we were part of the culture. There was recognition of the fact that we had been inducted into a force -- the OLLI Force!
Soon thereafter, a member of the group introduced himself simply as Barney Osher. Barbro Osher took to the platform to address the assembly: "I'm speaking to you at my husband's request -- he's shy. Go forth in strength, and do well as you do good," the elegant Mrs. Osher essentially urged in her lilting Swedish intonation. The Force had evolved into family. "Don't stay with them what brung ya," was Kali Lightfoot's appeal. "Get to know every OLLI." Kali is CEO of the Osher Foundation's National Resource Center established at the University of Southern Maine (USM). We are members of a national family force that is always only an e-mail away, ready to answer questions, resolve problems and give advice. The USM staff no longer takes it on alone, however. An automated e-mail distribution list now connects all 93 OLLIs -- yes, the Force continues to grow. It's an awesome collective intelligence!
The Man, his accomplishments, his mission
Listed in Forbes magazine as self-made and among the "world's richest
people," financier Bernard Osher co-founded Golden West Financial, a profitable
thrift. Subsequently, he took over Butterfield and Butterfield and built it into
one of the nation's largest art auction houses, which he sold to eBay for millions
in stock in 1999. In 2005, Mr. Osher's net worth was reported as $1.1 billion.
In 2002, the charitable foundation he established 25 years earlier began offering
$100,000 annual grants -- now in four-year cycles culminating in endowments of
$1 million -- to learning programs that serve to keep aging populations cognitively
and socially active and contributing to society.
Grants are offered in four additional categories besides OLLIs:
In addition to our OLLI, MU Extension is the recipient of an Osher Foundation Re-entry Scholarship gift. The Oshers have indeed been good to us. The foundation likely will have invested $1.45 million in our OLLI at MU by the year 2010. In return, we are obliged to demonstrate that our program is financially secure and capable of carrying on its educational mission far into the future. Drawing on his financial wisdom and his vision, Bernard Osher advises that financial security for all OLLIs lies in a viable all-membership organization.
In recent months Lucille Salerno has received national recognition on several fronts that will allow her the opportunity to share and build on her experiences as director of MU's OLLI. She was appointed to the editorial board for the American Society on Aging's Lifetime Enrichment and Renewal Network newsletter. At the organization's annual meeting March 7 to 10 in Chicago, she will lead a roundtable discussion titled "Living Life to the Brim: Retirees Who Know Little About 'Being Old.' "
In addition, she was named to the editorial board of The LLI Review: The Annual Journal of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, a new peer-reviewed journal published by the Bernard Osher Foundation.
Updated 5/5/08
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Classes meet once a week at the same day and time, all during daytime hours.
All courses meet at our facility on LeMone Boulevard unless otherwise indicated.
As a registered student in our program, you may request a library card for use in the MU Libraries. Should you wish a library card, please apply through our office.
Contact OLLI at MU
For information e-mail learnforlife@missouri.edu or call 573-882-2585.
To register, call 573-882-4349.
