Newswise — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at American University has received a $1 million endowment gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation. American University will manage the endowment.
The $1 million gift will build an endowment to support and expand OLLI programming and outreach for the university-affiliated, peer-taught, classroom learning sessions for adults and senior learners. The new endowment is an example of how universities like AU are serving the intellectual curiosity of an aging population and deepens the partnership between OLLI and American University. AU will be eligible to receive another $1 million gift from the foundation if OLLI membership increases from its current enrollment of 550 to 750 members.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which has been associated with AU for 25 years, is a national network of 119 lifelong learning institutes that offer continued educational opportunities for adult and senior learners on the campuses of colleges and universities and serve thousands of the nation's 75 million baby boomers. The OLLI-AU program is the oldest in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
OLLI at American University hosts 550 members and more than 55 study groups each semester at AU's Tenley Campus and other campus facilities. Spring courses included U.S. Immigration History, Policy and Issues; The Cosmos; History of Byzantium; The Novels of Jane Austen; and Contemporary Issues, among others. In addition, the institute holds 40 special lectures each year, most of which are held in AU's Katzen Arts Center. Members are also eligible to use the University Library, computers, parking, Metro shuttle bus, and dining facilities and to join the university's Jacobs Fitness Center at a reduced rate.
"We are honored to receive this gift and look forward to strengthening what has already been a successful, 25-year relationship with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute," said AU Interim Provost Ivy Broder. "With this generous endowment, American University and OLLI can continue to make education a lifelong pursuit for adults in the Washington, D.C. area."
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute programs are based on the notion that it's never too late to learn and that curiosity never retires. Best of all, there are no mid-terms or finals. Members and study group leaders—led by member volunteers—come from varied social, economic and career backgrounds, ranging from business, academia, and homemaking to education, the arts and government service.
The Bernard Osher Foundation was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a respected businessman and community leader. The foundation seeks to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts, especially through the support of postsecondary scholarship programs, lifelong learning institutes for seasoned adults, and selected integrative medicine programs.
American University is a leader in global education, enrolling a diverse student body from throughout the United States and nearly 140 countries. Located in Washington, D.C., the university provides opportunities for academic excellence, public service and internships in the nation's capital and around the world.
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