THE (not really) WEEKLY READER

There are more than 120 Osher Life Long Learning Institutes, with at least one in every state, and each is associated with a college or university, per Osher Foundation requirements. You probably know that OLLI at WVU is the only one in West Virginia.  Not-so-far-away OLLIs are at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon, with the next closest at Penn State; the DC/Baltimore area; Charlottesville, VA; and Dayton OH. You can find a map of OLLIs across the country at http://nrc.northwestern.edu/?page_id=46.

From the OsherFoundation.org website:

The Foundation has not been highly prescriptive in the type of lifelong learning program it has chosen to support. While one finds considerable variation among the Osher Institutes, funded programs share a common set of standards to encourage excellence and promote long-term sustainability and success:

* A diverse repertoire of intellectually stimulating, non-credit courses and educational activities, specifically designed for people who are 50 years of age or older;

* Participants are offered membership and significant opportunities for volunteer engagement and leadership;

* Strong support from the host institution (including a commitment to provide space or cause space to be provided for program operations);

* Established mechanisms for evaluating member satisfaction with educational offerings; and

* A sound and stable organizational structure.

Our Program Director, Jascenna Haislet, submits a report each year to the Osher Foundation; the most recent has been accepted and will be reviewed shortly. A copy of the annual report is available in the OLLI office. We don’t anticipate any issues. 

Ed Johnson
President, OLLI Board of Directors