Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Source: MU Extension Annual Report, FY 2008
Lifelong learner students grew to 637 in FY 2008, garnering a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at MU far exceeded its required 500 individual students by reaching 637 in FY 2008. The result of that student recruitment was a $1 million gift from the Osher Foundation that replaces the previous $100,000-per-year grant the program had been operating with the past three years.
Most institute instructors are active or retired MU faculty members, providing high-quality courses. Also this year, as part of the MU Retirees Association’s formal assistance in governing the program, the organization approved permanent seats on the OLLI advisory council for its board president and president-elect.
The institute also successfully transitioned to a student membership organization during the year. The introduction of a weekly film series has proven a motivating force. Light-hearted in approach, the experience becomes educational as well as the group discusses emotional responses and meanings in the relaxed setting. The films have added a new dimension to the lifelong learning experience, a sense of community.
A series of brown-bag seminars started in September. In what equates to a free course, experts present timely issues and then facilitate the ensuing discussion. The events are offered during the lunch hour, making them accessible to all participants, with refreshments provided.
Karen Onofrio, MD, explains human anatomy to students during class. “You may believe and give in to the myth of aging, or you may take control of time’s impact by gaining a fuller understanding of how your body’s critically important systems function,” says the former MU pathologist. Onofrio is also an artist.
The institute began offering events to attract the “gray tsunami” that is about to hit programs like OLLI as baby boomers reach retirement age. One of the 24 spring courses was scheduled in late afternoon, which proved particularly attractive to students.
Among the institute’s greatest successes in FY 2008 were the committees developed from the advisory council. The institute now boasts a capable, motivated development committee whose members immediately began designing a host of fundraising proposals. And a new program committee is being formed that will include help with recruiting volunteer faculty.
Student members continue to show increased interest in additional courses and program activities. With the planned installation of state-of-the-art interactive TV equipment, OLLI educational resources will allow course offerings to reach into the small towns and farm areas of rural Missouri — a win-win for MU Extension and the growing number of lifelong learners it serves statewide.
MU Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute Web site
Success story
Nursing Continuing Education Research Helps RNs Become Leaders
Shirley Farrah, assistant dean for nursing outreach and distance education at the MU Sinclair School of Nursing, has known for years that long-term-care nurses are “lone rangers.”
“They are often in rural and underserved areas, have no colleague reference group, face unfamiliar regulatory issues and lack a leadership or management background,” Farrah says.
To bring these nurses into the fold, Farrah obtained a federal grant to host the MU Leadership Development Academy for RNs in Long-Term Care. The certificate program is offered in eight sessions during a nine-month period at six sites across Missouri. The innovative and evidence-based curriculum offers a mentoring component, ongoing interaction with peers and faculty, a class project and an optional professional development day, as well as continuing education credit.
What differentiates the academy from other continuing education opportunities is research, Farrah says. To create the program, Farrah developed an advisory council. The members reasoned that if the point was to think critically, problem-solve and incorporate learning into daily practice, the nurses needed to get away from the work setting and come together.
With research in hand, participants from the first year say the academy has helped them network with peers, grow as leaders, learn about industry trends, develop interpersonal skills to better serve others and change the way they see leaders and themselves.
“My participation has influenced the way I perceive my position as nursing director,” says Jody DeLuca of Rolla, “especially in effecting change. I now perform more as a leader than a manager.”