The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute's10th Anniversary Luncheon

No Grades. No Homework. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Celebrates 10th Anniversary at SSU and Beyond.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sonoma State University celebrates the remarkable learning community it has become at its 10th anniversary this May.

The decades long program has grown to more than 2,000 students and is thriving at three campuses in Sonoma County.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute started at SSU in the fall of 2001 to bring interesting, substantive and rewarding educational experiences to students aged "50 or better" who are eager to stay engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. 

The success of the Lifelong Learning Institute was immediately and widely recognized and resulted in being selected by the Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco as an exemplary lifelong learning program and was the second program to be awarded a $1 million dollar endowment.

The program is proud of its association with the Osher Foundation and the Osher Lifelong Learning Network which now has a program in every state with over 100 institutions. It has also been replicated  throughout the California State University system.

From the program’s inception, the vision and innovation of the founding participants - Ed Stolman of Sonoma Valley, a local entrepreneur, Les Adler, the former Dean of Extended Education,  and Robin Draper, former Assoc. Vice president of Development, was apparent in the wonderful array of courses offered and program goals.
 
“Education should be a joy, not a chore,” said Dr. Lou Miller, Executive Director (2002-2010). “We offer that opportunity by bringing interesting courses that provide exciting learning for its own sake.”

The program offers a rich  array of courses taught by distinguished faculty in art, music, film, literature, writing, current events, politics, history, theology, philosophy, psychology and economics, to name a few. The classes are offered three times a year.

The program thrived on the Rohnert Park campus for many years until January 2007 when the first classes at Oakmont (Santa Rosa) were held. In the fall of 2009 classes began at Vintage House in Sonoma.

“Ed Stolman had a vision. He is a true learner who is committed to the program and continues to promote and work towards the expansion of the institute in Sonoma County,” Mark Merickel, Dean of Extended Education says.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute celebrates its 10th anniversary with a luncheon beginning at noon on Friday, May 20, at Sonoma Mountain Village Events Center, 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park. 
About 300 current and former OLLI members as well as faculty and instructors are expected to attend the celebration. OLLI faculty member and music professor, Will Johnson, is the guest speaker.