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Bernard Osher Foundation Awards Program for Dedication to Older Adult Education
IRVINE, Calif. – June 2, 2006 – Osher Lifelong Learning Institute-UC Irvine (OLLI at UCI) has been awarded a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation. The annual funding from the endowment will enable OLLI to expand course offerings, provide additional outreach to underserved seniors and to embark on fundraising to establish a permanent home at UCI. OLLI at UCI is a learning community for retired and semi-retired people who enjoy a challenge and are committed to life-long learning. Members have a love of knowledge and desire to pursue intellectual and educational stimulation.
“We are overjoyed to receive this large endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation,” said Catherine Follett, president of OLLI at UC Irvine Extension. “We are now posed to leap into the next phase of development. These improvements will give our students a richer and fuller learning experience.”
More than nine years ago, UC Irvine Extension was presented with the idea of forming an organization for retired senior citizens interested in furthering their education. From that meeting, the Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL) was launched. The group originally started with 200 members and currently has more than 750 members. After several successful years, ALL approached the Bernard Osher Foundation with a grant proposal to expand their program and provide more sustainable operations. Upon receiving the first $100,000 grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation, they changed their name to Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UCI.
“UC Irvine Extension has always provided opportunities for community members who enjoy learning,” said Gary Matkin, Dean of UC Irvine Extension. “We truly value the students in OLLI and their ongoing love of knowledge. OLLI is a vital, growing, exciting group of lifelong learners who have become community ambassadors for the University of California Irvine.”
Since its inception, OLLI has become an integral part of the University of California, Irvine, most importantly in their outreach to the community. It offers the growing senior population in South Orange County a place to gather in a common pursuit of learning and intellectual stimulation. The UCI Medical Center has turned to OLLI to provide geriatric patient experience for their interns and residents and OLLI supported a successful NSF grant application for research funding in the Chemistry Department.
OLLI has an annual membership fee of $130 which allows members to participate in any of the more than 130 classes offered each year. The year is organized into two semester terms; the first runs from September to January; the second, from February through May. All classes are taught by volunteers that include UCI professors, instructors from other local universities and colleges, emeriti, outside professionals and qualified OLLI peers. OLLI is dedicated to keeping the core of their organization volunteer. For more information about the OLLI program visit http://unex.uci.edu/olli or call Harriet Whitmyer at (949) 824-8316.
About The Bernard Osher Foundation
The Bernard Osher Foundation was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a successful businessman and community leader. The Foundation supports a national network of lifelong learning institutes on 73 university campuses from Maine to Hawaii. The Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for residents of California’s San Francisco and Alameda Counties and the State of Maine through post-secondary student scholarships and arts, cultural, and educational grants. In addition, they assist selected programs in integrative medicine in the United States and Sweden. For more information visit http://www.osherfoundation.org.
About UCI Division of Continuing Education
The University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education (DCE) provides lifelong learning opportunities to thousands of students worldwide each year – fulfilling the school’s 60-year curriculum platform to connect degree programs to the world of work and achievement after graduation. The Division offers a broad range of certificate programs, specialized studies, and sequential courses to local, regional and global markets through online, on-campus and on-site delivery. A leader in the open education movement, the Division offers free Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and content through the UCI Open initiative. For more information about UCI Division of Continuing Education, visit ce.uci.edu.
About the University of California, Irvine
Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. Located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities, it’s Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy.