Osher Grant, Continuing Education Partner to Increase Educational Programs for Retirees

For nearly 15 years, Continuing Education has sponsored a program for retirees called the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR). During this period, over 600 mature learners have designed and developed a vibrant organization consisting of educational travel and non-credit classes.

The success of the ILR was recognized in June, 2008, by the Bernard Osher Foundation, a private foundation in San Francisco that supports, among other things, a network of “senior colleges” located on university campuses. Chosen as one of only three projects in Illinois, Bradley's ILR was awarded $100,000 to expand its existing program for retirees.

This distinction has resulted in a new name for the ILR, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Bradley University (OLLI). It also means that the program will see significant growth in program opportunities for retirees.

Continuing its tradition, OLLI will remain a collaboration among Continuing Education, the OLLI Executive Committee, and the 600 members of OLLI. Together these groups will introduce these new initiatives this fall:

• The creation of Study Groups, a collection of people of similar interests who explore a familiar topic in the context of a weekly get-together
  
• The expansion of Learning Trips to evening and weekend travel, with a focus on more active venues
  
• The development of a retirement planning weekend for those who are looking for a fresh approach to this important phase of life
  
• The growth of intergenerational programs connecting retirees and Bradley students
  
• The enhancement of marketing activities to increase the visibility of OLLI.

The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in
1977 by Bernard Osher, a patron of education and the arts known as “the quiet philanthropist.” Osher is a respected businessman and community leader whose namesake Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life through support for higher education and the arts.

The Foundation supports a growing network of lifelong learning institutes at 121 colleges and universities from Maine to Hawaii. Bradley is the third Illinois university to be supported by the Osher Foundation Lifelong Learning Institutes. Other OLLI programs are at Northwestern and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

The grant proposal to the Osher Foundation was prepared by staff in Continuing Education in consultation with the ILR Executive Committee.