None of the classes involve roll call, taking tests or assigning grades. The goal is simply to bring adults together to enjoy learning for the sake of learning. Many of the teachers come from within the membership base, having been lecturers, teachers, professors or single subject experts in their prior working lives. A series of single topic lectures are also offered, generally given by visiting university faculty or political figures.
The cost for this program varies by university, with ours currently running $230 for a full year's membership, parking included. For our $230 we can take as many OLLI courses as we wish, attend all campus sporting events at no additional cost, receive discounts on concerts and plays, and apply to audit any of the other classes being taught on campus that are not part of the OLLI program - the ones that do involve roll call, tests and grades!
This semester I'm signed up for Intermediate Spanish, History of Broadway, Intermediate Digital Photography, Intermediate Recorder, Study of Shakespeare, Middle Age European History, Tennis, Beginnig Bridge and a whole slate of one day lectures like Understanding Israeli-Palestinian Tensions, The November Elections, Artificial Intelligence, and Rover Reveals Planet Mars History.
Continuing education programs for older students abound, but for more information about OLLI specifically, visit www.osherfoundation.org. For a list of the 150+ universities currently part of the OLLI program, visit http://www.osherfoundation.org/index.php?olli_list. If your local university is listed, contact them directly for more information, as each university operates their OLLI program independently.
Tamara,
ReplyDeleteI checked out the Life Long Learning Institute at our local college and it doesn't have nearly the broad spectrum of classes to choose from that your location has. I couldn't find one class that interested me. I would like to take a photography class - which you'd think would be available, or a literature class. Not. Oh well, maybe next semester.
Thanks for the lead.
Well that's a bummer, truly! Is there a possibility of auditing one of the college's photography classes as part of the OLLI membership?
DeleteAlso, you might want to pend this and check back on your univeristy's program every once in a while. As baby boomers surge into retirement, these programs seem ripe for expansion.
Maybe the problem is you and I are ahead of the silver tide to a degree!
Like Suzanne my local (read community college) does not offer photography in what they call SAIL. However they do offer many many classes including watercolor, painting from photographs and the like. After this semester of "real school" I will probably concentrate mainly on these kind of classes unless there is something simply not available. our Fee is$85 to take as many courses as one would. That said Im glad I went through the "admissions process" so I can take a regular versus continuing on senior class on occasion.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting Watercolor today actually. I'm a bit trepidatious - I do photography as my creative outlet primarily because I don't think of myself as having any other artistic talent. I'm much more comfortable behind a camera, but I'm willing to give it a shot. I'll share the results here . . . good, bad or otherwise!
Delete