UH Manoa Osher Lifelong Learning Institute receives second $1 million endowment

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Rebecca Goodman, (808) 956-8224
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Posted: Nov 20, 2006

HONOLULU — Nearly a year after receiving its first $1 million endowment from The Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has received a second $1 million endowment from the Foundation. The UH Mānoa program is one of only five university-based lifelong learning programs in the U.S. to receive unsolicited second endowments from the Osher Foundation.

The endowments were awarded based on demonstrated program success, strong evidence of sustainability, and increasing local demand for services. Other second endowment recipients include the Osher Institutes at California State University at Sonoma; Duke University; Kennesaw State University; and University of Dayton.

"We are overjoyed to receive this generous second endowment from The Bernard Osher Foundation," said Rebecca Goodman, Director of the UH Mānoa OLLI program. "The additional support will allow us to continue expanding our course and workshop offerings to provide a richer learning experience for older persons in Honolulu."

Now in its 10th year of operation, the OLLI program at UH Mānoa has more than 1,000 members and is under the sponsorship of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences. It is an educational membership program for people 50+ who want to learn for the joy of it, connect with peers, enhance health and well-being, and give back to the community. The program provides an array of courses, life review workshops, creative writing and poetry workshops, film series, performing arts events, museum tours, service projects and more. It received the national MindAlert Award from the MetLife Foundation and the American Society on Aging in 2004 in the category of Innovative Older Adult Learning Program.

The Bernard Osher Foundation is a charitable foundation established in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a businessman and community leader in San Francisco. His philanthropy has benefited a wide range of educational, cultural and other nonprofit organizations. Since 2002, the Foundation has been offering grants and endowment funding to university-based lifelong learning programs and scholarship programs for non-traditional students returning to university. At present, the Foundation is supporting 93 university-based lifelong learning programs in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

For more information about the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, call 956-8224 or visit www.all.hawaii.edu/.

For more information, visit: http://www.all.hawaii.edu