OLLI builds a family of lifelong learners

By Erin Coggins | Living 50 Plus

Whether it is a new hobby or a history lesson, it is never too late to learn something new. And those wishing to do so, can look no farther than the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Alabama Huntsville.

OLLI is a member-based learning community for people 50 and older with the mission of fostering accessible lifelong learning by providing stimulating activities to interest the intellectual, cultural and social lives of its members.

“The purpose of OLLI is for members to continue their learning journey with a fun and encouraging community,” program director Clay Williams said. “Studies show that staying engaged mentally and socially is key to long-term health and we provide that for our members. As we say, ‘Never Stop Learning.’”

A lifelong learning program is nothing new to UAH. The institution began offering programs to citizens over 50 in 1993. In 2005, the Bernard Osher Foundation approached the university about becoming a part of the OLLI network. Just one year later, the program officially became an OLLI program.

“The big benefit about being in the Osher Foundation’s network is the endowment,” Williams said. “We are allowed to use interest from the endowment which is a big part of our budget. We also benefit from being in a network of 120 plus other OLLIs and a National Resource Center that provides consulting help with our services.”

Those services include the offering of courses during the fall, spring and summer semesters. Some of the courses offered this semester include quilting, African American women writers, women in popular music, birds and birding in North America and dancing the Rumba.

“We offer a wide variety of options from history, science, foreign language, exercise and fitness, health, hobbies, arts and literature, technology and more,” Williams said. “We think we have a course for everyone.”

Madison resident Carol Moats joined OLLI because of the variety of classes geared toward older people. She likes the fact that the classes keep one’s mind sharp.

“Everything is at a calmer pace,” Moats said. “You can learn new things without worrying about tests or homework.”

An annual membership is $40 yearly and allows members to register for courses, taught either in person or via Zoom, participate in social and cultural events and trips, attend bonus presentations either online or in person, utilize the extensive DVD lending library, discounts to UAH events, including athletics, free access to Nearpeer, a closed social networking app for OLLI members at UAH. And one of the most important benefits is free campus parking.

When it comes to the travel portion of the program, OLLI organizes several nationwide and international excursions for its members. Recently, members have traveled to Alaska, Canada, Philadelphia, Spain and the Rocky Mountains.

“We have a travel committee that sets up two to three opportunities each year through travel companies like Road Scholar,” Williams said. “They go internationally to such places as Peru and Iceland and domestically to places like New Orleans and the Georgia Sea Islands.”

The organization also combines lectures with local travel destinations as well. Moats says the classes are reasonable and interesting and they are free with membership. She recently participated in several field trips around Huntsville, including the viewing of the A Journey into Imagimation: Over 100 Years of Animation Art from Around the World exhibit at the Huntsville Museum of Art.

“The behind-the-scenes tour of Harrison Brothers allowed us to go into the basement and see artifacts that are not normally seen and it was accompanied by a lecture from the Director of the Huntsville Historical Foundation. It was really cool,” Moats said. “We also visited the Decatur Train Station. I liked it because my family worked for Southern for four generations. Each tour is geared towards older adults and the guides are always ready to interact and answer questions.”

OLLI currently boasts 870 members. Williams said that prior to COVID, membership was at 1,200. The goal is to get back to at least 1,000 members.

“COVID knocked our numbers to 500. We are slowly but surely getting back to where we need to be,” Williams said.

Williams says choosing the most popular part of the program for members is not an easy task, but he says some members join simply to participate in the Member Interest Groups (MIGs). OLLI offers seven MIGs: hiking and biking, Mah Jongg, Tai Chi, Dine Out, Artist Studio and the newest one, OLLI Reads.

“These groups provide more of a silent benefit and that is community. OLLI provides a chance for like-minded individuals to come together to share experiences in retirement and their later years,” Williams said. “OLLI gives all of our members a sense of belonging which is a key factor in lifelong mental and social health.”

OLLI is first and foremost a member-based organization. Members themselves help devise courses, social events. The OLLI staff handles logistics to put members’ framework into effect. Volunteers also come on board to teach courses and lead events. It is the members and volunteers who have been beneficial in the organization recently having celebrated 30 years of lifelong learning.

“We like to say we are not an organization, but simply a family,” Williams said. “We provide an inviting place for those 50 and above to continue their journey of lifelong learning with a group of like-minded people who become their friends and extended family.”