In a Kelley Conversation, MTN's Donna Kelley learns that the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, or OLLI, on the Montana State University campus, is attractive to older people who love to learn.
Donna: At an older age, you still want to stay vibrant in life and one of the ways to do that is to keep your brain active and learning.
Director of Academic Technology and Outreach Kim Obbink: So, it was designed, it was set up for people, especially getting to be retirement age or beyond. Those who want to continue learning, but might not want to go and sit in a class with a whole group of 20-year-olds. They’re great, they’re awesome, right? But that might not be the kind of learning experience that you’re looking for.
There are no tests or grades. So that’s one of the things that we love about the program is you don’t have to worry. Even when you went through high school, you had to worry if you were like me, you had to worry if the teacher was going to call on you and you would have to stand up and answer in front of the class.
There is a membership fee of $45 per year, per person. For that membership, some of the classes are free. Not just classes, but there are field trips, there’s speaker series and some are free. Some of them have additional costs besides the membership, but we do have scholarships.
Donna: I mean, the variety. You could do anything from music, astronomy, vanished kingdoms of Eastern Europe, the James Webb Space Telescope, Russia and Ukraine, past and present.
Mark, You have been a student in the program. What have you taken?
Mark Rosolowsky, student volunteer, and retired scientist: Oh, I’ve taken a variety of classes and that’s what I like about all of it. You can take religion, politics, first amendment economics, things that I didn’t take in school. I’m taking an astronomy class now, and that’s fascinating. Jim Manning is teaching it from his Museum of the Rockies and retired from there. And one I had just taken over Monday was a Bruce Gourley class on civil America and that was fascinating.
Donna: What did you learn in civil?
Mark: Well, it’s trying to get America more civil, so it’s talking about instead of talking past each other, talking to each other and getting more harmony within America which is pretty hard to do.
Donna: You were an instructor, too. You taught some of the classes.
Mark: I have, yes. So last semester, last year, I taught viruses, and vaccines during covid. I thought, well, by the time you get around my lecture, it’ll be over. But that wasn’t the case.
Kim: There are ways to get involved by volunteering and then social events. What we know about healthy aging is that we all know we have to keep our bodies engaged. But, we also need to keep our minds engaged by doing that with other people who give you social opportunities and give you the chance to meet new people. It’s no pressure. You can be as involved as you want or not as involved. But it is just to look for the joy in learning.
Donna: You do not get college credits, but there is an appeal to not having to cram in an all nightery.
Check available classes by emailing OLLI@montana.edu or calling (406) 994-6550.
