OLLI celebrates 30 years and counting of lifelong learning, luncheon planned for Aug. 3

HUNTSVILLE – College education doesn’t have to end in your twenties, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UAH has been making sure that education is a lifelong adventure for thirty great years!

UAH has been encouraging lifelong learning since the Academy of Lifelong Learning was founded in 1993. In 2005, the academy transitioned to an affiliate of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a network of one-hundred twenty-five programs on university campuses nationwide supported by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

“We’re all a resource to one another,” the manager of OLLI at UAH, Clay Williams, said. “Not only can we go to the Osher Foundation for information, but we’re all connected via annual meetings, email and other avenues to lean on each other for bettering our organization.”

The year is OLLI at UAH’s milestone thirtieth year, and the program is celebrating its birthday with a special luncheon on Aug. 3. Author of “Rocket Boys” and Huntsville local, Homer Hickam, is the keynote speaker, and the UAH Propulsion Research Center will offer a rocket demonstration at the event. Representatives from OLLI programs at the University of Alabama and Auburn University will also be present in celebration of Alabama OLLI Day, which is also on Aug. 3.

OLLI offers a wide variety of classes and field trips throughout the year. The upcoming fall semester will have a total of more than sixty different classes at UAH, including “Common Ethics in World Religions,” “Great Books: Reclaiming Conversation,” and “Cyber Safety Overview.” This summer, OLLI has hosted exciting field trips touring antebellum homes in the Twickenham neighborhood, touring the world through wine, and a backstage tour of the Von Braun Center.

OLLI at UAH currently has over eight hundred members but is hoping to surpass one thousand in the next year.

According to Williams, “OLLI seeks to increase its membership and continue to offer outstanding continuing educational experiences while maintaining and improving its sense of community with its members. We never forget that OLLI at UAH is first and foremost a family, full of members who enjoy educational opportunities and fellowship.”

Membership is open to those fifty years of age and older and costs $25.00 for a one-year membership. Registration for the Aug. 3 luncheon is open until July 20 and costs $25.00 for members and $50.00 for non-members which includes a twelve-month OLLI membership. Register online at uah.edu.