NRC OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute

National Resource Center

for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes Newsletter

December 2012
In This Issue
Greetings from Kali
Happy Holidays From OLLI NRC
It has been a long time coming...
Visit the National Conference page on the NRC Website
OLLIs -- Toot Your Horns!
OLLIs in Cincinnati and San Francisco Seek Program Director
See OLLI at Johns Hopkins' New Video
U Mass Boston Welcomes LGBT Seniors
UNF VOLLIs Participate in Career Connections
Meet Scott Prebys, OLLI @ UND Instructor
OLLI at U Delaware Hosted Language Workshop for Teachers
You're Invited to Travel to London With UVM OLLI
Jottings
Quick Links:

Greetings from Kali 

It was inspiring to meet and talk with representatives from the entire OLLI network at the National Conference last month in Colorado Springs.The enthusiasm was remarkable! We have posted conference photos and videos of the WOWs and keynote speaker Adrienne Berg on the OLLI NRC website -- please see an article below for a link to the National Conference page.Planning has already begun for the next conference in 18 months!

Kali


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Wishing You All a Happy Holiday Season!

Happy holidays tree
 
Warm wishes for a happy holiday and a joyous new year from all of us at the OLLI National Resource Center!
Kali, Anne, Fran, and Kyle

It has been a long time coming...
Our new look OLLI National Resource Center website is now up and running. The site is still very much in transition, and you will see it continue to evolve over the coming months.

The site is designed to be easier to see for those of us who are always searching for our reading glasses. You will also see that the site is organized into three main sections.

The top menu bar is designed to be the first level of entry into our network. Our home page holds a Facebook-fed news feed that is updated regularly. You will find links to the National Resource Center and the Osher Foundation here and, via our "Find An OLLI Near You" page, visitors can locate the different Institutes located across the country. You will also find "Ask OLLI" (one of our most visited website areas).

The sidebar navigation takes you to OLLI Resources (designed to assist OLLI staff and OLLI board members) and to OLLI Showcase which is designed to show off the work of OLLI members and Institutes.

Visit the new website and take a look around, and do keep coming back to see our next updates!

Visit the National Conference Page on the NRC Website!
The 2012 OLLI National Conference has come and gone, but how about a trip down memory lane...

Visit the conference page on the new NRC website to see conference photos, videos of the opening and closing sessions, Kali's WOW powerpoint. and speaker materials from the fantastic breakout sessions.  Enjoy!!

OLLIs -- Toot Your Horns!
colorful drawing of a trumpet
Toot your horn! Does your OLLI have news that you are proud of and would like to share with the network? The NRC newsletter is looking for articles about those special happenings that you know will inspire and excite others. So, keep the network newsletter in mind as a place to "toot your horn!"

If you have a story to share, please send it (with photos if possible) to Fran or Anne at the National Resource Center.


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OLLIs in Cincinnati and San Francisco Seek Program Directors
Fred Bassett, program director of the OLLI at the University of Cincinnati, is retiring effective January, 31, 2013. The University is presently conducting a search for a new program director.

Here is a web link for reviewing the job description and applying for the job. Anyone interested should apply as soon as possible as the University is hoping to fill this position by January 1, 2013.

Across the country, Debra Varner, director of the OLLI at San Francisco State University, has retired, and the University has posted the position. Details can be found online at this link.

OLLI at Johns Hopkins Has a New Promotional Video!
Life After Retirement: Osher at JHU
Life After Retirement: Osher at JHU

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Johns Hopkins University is pleased to share its new promotional video with the OLLI network.

- submitted by Susan Howard, Program Coordinator, OLLI at Johns Hopkins University
 
UMass Boston's OLLI Welcomes LGBT Seniors
The Stonewall SIG at the OLLI at University of Massachusetts Boston
The Stonewall SIG at the OLLI at the University of Massachusetts Boston
Remember your first day at college, anxious about meeting new roommates? Then the feeling of relief a few days later when you realized you were destined to become lifelong friends? The Stonewall LLI meets UMass Boston's Osher LLI story is very much like that! When the Stonewall Lifelong Learning Institute, a group of senior gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered folks in the Boston area unexpectedly needed a new home in the fall of 2011, UMass Boston's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute welcomed them with open arms.Learn more about this vibrant group.

-submitted by Diane McCormack, Chair of the Board of Directors, OLLI at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

UNF VOLLIs Participate in Career Connections

 

photo of UNF VOLLIs
UNF's VOLLIs (L to R): Bill Howes, Lee Marshall,
Walter Mattingly, Joseph Steinman, Nancy Lundgren,
Jay Marshall, and Ralph Sawyer.

 

On the evening of November 13, seven University of North Florida VOLLIs (OLLI Volunteers) participated in "Career Connections," a collaboration between UNF OLLI and UNF's Honors Program. UNF VOLLIs provided 200 Honors students with perspectives on their lives and careers from the retirement end. The format of the event was "table talk." Each VOLLI was stationed in a room and discussed how real life twists and turns affected their career plan, demonstrated the impact of contingency, chance, flexibility and new information on their lives and careers, and introduced students to careers they didn't know existed. Midway through the evening students were able to switch to a second VOLLI's table talk session. The event was a resounding success and produced unexpected student insights!

 

- submitted by Jeanette Toohey, Director, OLLI at the University of North Florida

 

Meet Scott Prebys, OLLI @ UND Music Instructor
Photo of Scot Prebys
OLLI@UND music instructor Scott Prebys in the
Prairie Public Radio studio.

OLLI @ University of North Dakota has a second site in Bismarck, ND, in partnership with Bismarck State College. At the Bismarck location, OLLI is very fortunate to have a fabulous instructor, Scott Prebys, teaching music courses. He has taught many times, but has never taught the same course twice. Read what one OLLI member, Jenette LeBlang, has to say about Scott's classes.

 

-submitted by Connie Hodgson for OLLI at the University of North Dakota

 

OLLI at U Delaware Hosted Language Workshop For Teachers
photo from U Delaware language workshop
OLLI at U Delaware Wilmington hosted a language learning workshop highlighting the Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling methodology.
(Photo courtesy of Christiane Shields)
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Delaware in Wilmington hosted a workshop for language teachers at the high school, university and older adult levels on October 26. The workshop was attended by teachers of French, Italian, Spanish, and German -- and enthusiastically received. Read more about this workshop.

- submitted by Tara Kee White for the OLLI at University of Delaware.

 


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U Vermont OLLI's London Trip will Focus on Shakespeare, Theater
photo of Parliament in London
Moonlight view of the Parliament in London

University of Vermont English Professor Andrew Barnaby and Lane Series Director/OLLI Travel Coordinator Natalie Neuert are teaming up to lead an OLLI tour to London in June 2013, and they extend an invitation to members of other OLLIs to join the tour.

Focusing on Shakespeare and other theatre, the group will explore this vibrant and cosmopolitan city with a daytrip to Stratford -- Shakespeare's birthplace and home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Andrew, who teaches Shakespeare at UVM and has led many student trips to London, and Natalie, a long-time theatre professional with extensive experience in London, will hand pick 5-7 plays for the group to attend, and will also lead discussions and assign optional readings to deepen the group's understanding of Shakespeare. Click here for more information about this travel opportunity.

-submitted by Natalie Neuert, Director, UVM Lane Series/OLLI TravelCoordinator


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News From Here and There . . .
  • Some OLLIs have discussion groups based on The New Yorker magazine. Group 1-year subscriptions to The New Yorker at a significant savings are available for OLLIs that use the magazine in their courses or special interest groups (SIGs). For information on subscribing as an OLLI group and the current rate, call Amber at 515.237.3683 or Jodie at 515.243.327
  • Purpose Prize winners "follow a gut sense of what's right and just and meaningful in this world," says Forbes' Kerry Hannon. The New York Times' Michael Winerip calls The Purpose Prize a "MacArthur genius award for people who develop a second career as social service entrepreneurs.Follow the links above to read about the 2012 winners.
  • Registration and Call for Proposals is now open for Generations United's 17th International Conference, July 30-August 2, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The theme is: Intergenerational Pathways for Strengthening Communities. For more information visit the website.
  • The Journal of Intergenerational Relationships just published an article by University of Southern Maine professor Lenny Shedletsky about his OLLI intergenerational class.The article, "Undergraduates Mentoring Older Adults: Breaking Stereotypes," is available online.