Osher Foundation Grant Gives Fulir New Name
August 12, 2008
GREENVILLE, SC – August 12, 2008 – Thanks to a significant grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco, the Furman University Learning in Retirement Program (FULIR) has been renamed the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Furman.
Furman received an initial grant of $100,000 in February, the first in a series of grants that will provide more than $2.2 million for the lifelong learning education program over the next three years.
“The generous support of the Osher Foundation will bolster the program financially and enable us to offer an even more outstanding educational program to the community,” said Lucy Woodhouse, OLLI’s new director. “We will continue to serve senior adult learners with classes and activities that inspire students to stay intellectually and physically active.”
Woodhouse expects to have more than 900 members take courses this academic year. The non-credit courses are taught by current and retired Furman professors as well as OLLI members and people in the community who have expertise in the subjects.
The OLLI program is offering more than 80 courses this fall. Registration begins Aug. 18, with classes starting on Sept. 8 and ending Nov. 14.
There are classes in art, computers, finance, fitness, history, hobbies, foreign languages, literature, music, politics, business, religion, science and math.
There are also 16 trips to corporate and cultural locations such as Lockheed Martin Aircraft, Mitsubishi, Mountain View Orchids, the Carl Sandburg House and Victoria Vineyards.
The classes include “Lewis and Clark,” “The Destruction of the Nazi War Machine,” “Great Trials in History,” “European Architecture,” “Greek Drama,” “Shakespeare,” “Wealth Management after Retirement” and “Intermediate Hiking.” There are also a number of fitness classes.
Membership in OLLI costs $140 per term (up to four classes) or $300 per year (three semesters and up to 12 classes). Individual classes are $65. Scholarships are available.
To obtain a registration form or view the class brochure, visit the OLLI website at http://www.furman.edu/olli or call the office at 864-294-2998. The OLLI office is located behind McAlister Auditorium, next to the Playhouse Theatre.
The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, 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.
The foundation supports 121 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes on university and college campuses across the country.
There are also OLLI programs in South Carolina at Clemson University, University of South Carolina at Beaufort and Coastal Carolina.
For more information, contact OLLI at Furman at 864-294-2998.
