The grant will create an endowment to cover a portion of HSU OLLI operating expenses in perpetuity.
“OLLI is a terrific resource for older adults in our area,” says Rollin Richmond, President of Humboldt State University. “We are deeply grateful for the Osher Foundation’s support of this wonderful program.”
The Institute offers intellectually stimulating, non-credit classes for learners over age 50, in turn creating a more vibrant community. Classes are taught by HSU faculty and community members, some who do it simply for the joy of teaching. Classes for the coming semester cover a range of subjects, from memoir writing to landscape design to the history of the Carson family, including rare access to Carson family properties.
OLLI member and volunteer class assistant Walter Frazer says, “I’ve taken over a half dozen classes through OLLI. It truly is education for grownups, who are there because they want to be, and I learn a lot from my classmates as well as from the teachers.”
Under the stewardship of coordinator Laina Warsavage, membership in Humboldt State’s OLLI has grown steadily in recent years, rising from 227 members in 2005 to 903 in 2009. Warsavage, who worked with the Osher Foundation to make this gift possible, also oversaw a major expansion of the number of classes offered to over 90 per year.
“Older adults care about and value education. They are self-motivated learners,” says Warsavage. “OLLI has been so successful in our community because of our passionate faculty members and volunteers. The program empowers people to expand their horizons, meet new people and have fun.”
Because the $1 million grant will create an endowment, HSU will invest the core assets and only the income will be used to help cover OLLI’s operating expenses. HSU’s OLLI will kick off a fundraising campaign this spring to help cover the full cost of offering its breadth of classes.
“We deeply appreciate this gift,” says Carl Hansen, dean of Extended Education, which houses and provides in-kind support for the program. “It gives us a solid base that we hope to build on to continue offering these incredible learning opportunities.”
The endowment funds will be invested by the HSU Advancement Foundation, which in spite of a bad economy has been providing a rate of return better than its peers. During the 3-year period ending in 2008, the HSUAF’s return ranked in the top 9 percent of its peer group, measured by Russell/Mellon.
“The investment policies put in place by the Advancement Foundation board members are designed to provide more money over time to this program because of a strong rate of return,” says Robert Gunsalus, HSU’s Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the Foundation.
Humboldt State’s OLLI will hold its spring open house on February 6 from 1 -3 p.m. at the Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center in Eureka. At the celebration, people can sign up for classes, meet instructors and learn more about the benefits of membership.
The Bernard Osher Foundation, based in San Francisco, was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher, an accomplished businessman and community leader. The Foundation seeks to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts and provides financial assistance to Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at 119 universities and colleges from Maine to Hawaii.
To register for courses or learn more about OLLI, visit: www.humboldt.edu/olli
The Bernard Osher Foundation online: www.osherfoundation.org