OLLI at MSU offers lifelong learning for Bozeman community

For the last five years, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU has provided the Bozeman community with resources for continued education. Adults aged 50 or older have the opportunity to attend courses, lectures, travel programs and more.

There are 125 OLLI programs across the nation partnered with various institutions of higher education, according to the Bernard Osher Foundation (BOF) website. The OLLI programs are funded by the BOF, which was started in 1977 by businessman and community leader Bernard Osher. According to its website, OLLI programs aim to provide post-secondary scholarship funding to institutions across the country to support “a national lifelong learning network for seasoned adults.”

Before OLLI was offered at MSU, a program called Wonderlust — started by Sally Mason — provided a place for community members to take advantage of extended learning opportunities in Bozeman. Wonderlust was active for 18 years until some members who knew about OLLI reached out to the MSU Academic Technology and Outreach (ATO) office because they were interested in applying for an OLLI program to be brought to Bozeman, according to the Director of OLLI at MSU Bobbi Geise.

After many meetings, Wonderlust’s board of directors and the ATO applied and were granted their first funds from the BOF. When Wonderlust started, it was only a small group of people — but now since OLLI partnered with MSU, the program has access to many more resources and now has almost 800 members, according to Geise. The program also has over 100 volunteers who act as both instructors and ambassadors.

“[The instructors are] teaching to a very knowledgeable audience that have tons of life experience,” Geise said. “They want to be here. They're incredibly curious, and they just want to learn for the fun of it.”

OLLI at MSU offers courses, speaker series, travel programs, community partnership events and special interest groups through its membership program. All OLLI courses can be attended with an OLLI at MSU membership, which costs $45. In the courses, there are no tests, homework or grades.

Bill Ranard said he and his wife became interested in OLLI when they helped audit a class. As he listened to the course, he became very intrigued and decided to take a class that an acquaintance of his was teaching.

“It's just a top-notch program — and a lot of very good teachers — they don’t just throw this together,” he said.

Derek Strahn, a history teacher at Bozeman High School, has taught a variety of historical courses for OLLI. Strahn was contacted by a grandparent of one of his students about OLLI, which led him to this opportunity. He explained that he enjoys teaching for OLLI because the appreciation he receives makes the courses insightful and enjoyable.

Strahn also said teaching OLLI courses presents challenges. “Last spring, I was teaching the second half of the American history survey and I had to face these guys, most of whom lived through the 1960s,” he said.

For both instructors and members, OLLI is a symbiotic relationship. Instructors like Strahn get the chance to teach a group extremely eager to learn, while members get to build a larger community. OLLI has grown extensively within the community, and continues to be an accessible program to their members.

“It's such a great thing that MSU is doing. It's just a way of broadening MSU’s mission, you know, and to reach even a broader audience who's hungry to be stimulated and engaged,” Strahn said.

To learn more about OLLI and to see its current program offerings, visit https://www.montana.edu/olli/about/.