Hampton University News July 8, 2010 Hampton University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Receives $1 Million Endowment Hampton, Va. - Hampton University has been awarded a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation in support of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute<http://www.hamptonu.edu/academics/cecs/lifelong_learning.htm> at HU (OLLI at HU), which offers continuing educational opportunities to mature adults. OLLI at HU offers educational and cultural learning opportunities for Hampton Roads citizens, ages 50 and older. The institute offers non-credit, six-week courses aimed at improving skills, exploring new ideas and interacting with active people who share similar interests. An array of courses taught by retired professors and professionals including computers, equestrian, music and theater, photography, psychology, and swimming is offered. "We are so excited to have received the $1 million endowment. The gift will allow OLLI to continue to offer non-credit courses to its more than 600 members in Hampton Roads," said Alisha Foster, director of OLLI at HU. HU is the only Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to host an OLLI. There are currently 119 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes hosted by selected colleges and universities in the nation, with only four in Virginia. OLLI at HU was launched in 2005 through a $100,000 first-year operating grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation. Due to the program's tremendous success, it was named the winner of the Association for Continuing Higher Education's (ACHE) Older Adult Model Program in 2007. The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., was founded in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a respected businessman and community leader. The Foundation seeks to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts. The Bernard Osher Foundation's Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes grant program provides support to institutions of higher education to develop and strengthen initiatives that offer intellectually stimulating, non-credit courses specifically designed for students 50 years of age or older who are interested in personal enrichment. Emphasis is placed on learning for the joy of learning and on keeping in touch with a larger world. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/meeting-form.html for the October 24-26, 2010 HBCU Library Alliance 4th Membership Meeting and the "Conference on Advocacy" pre-conference in Montgomery, AL. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.