Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

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OLLI at Southern Miss

Spring classes begin Monday, January 30.

Spring course lists are now available in the Gulf Park Courses and Hattiesburg Courses pages of this website. Icons for each are in the left-side menu, and no matter which city you're in, you may enroll in classes listed for either campus. Courses will be held both in person and via Zoom.

Members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) are active adults who share a love of learning. Members enjoy innovative and enriching programs in an inclusive environment with others who share their interests. Many members are retired, but it is not a requirement to join, nor do you need to be a graduate or otherwise affiliated with Southern Miss. Our members come from a wide range of backgrounds, vocations, and connections to local community.

There are only 125 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes in the United States. In Mississippi, OLLI programming is available exclusively at Southern Miss, in Hattiesburg and Long Beach.

The platform Zoom provides us an opportunity to learn and socialize together online, whether in Hattiesburg, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast or anywhere in the world, as long as the Internet is accessible. It allows us to participate in courses with peers from both campuses and most anywhere, no driving required.

It is a user-friendly program, and instructions on downloading it are available in the short, straightforward video available here: ZOOM with OLLI! If you need assistance or practice on ZOOM, please call us.

On the coast? Register online, email your class list to Maryann.Herodes@usm.edu, or call 228.214.3277. In Hattiesburg? Register online, email your class list to olli@usm.edu or call 601.266.6554.

Spring 2023 Semester Dates

Term I - Monday, January 30 - Friday, March 10 (Six Weeks)

No classes March 13 - March 17

Term II - Monday, March 20 - Friday, April 28 (Six Weeks)

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Learning is for Life!

Our semester is filled with opportunities for learning, creating, camaraderie and fun!

Play a friendly round of Jeopardy with us on Zoom!

Friday, March 3, 11 a.m.

Join us for food and friendship at our OLLI Socials

Dana Stratton Art Reception—Hattiesburg, Friday, February 17, 1 p.m.
Spring Social—Hattiesburg, Tuesday, May 2, 1 p.m.
Spring Social—Gulf Park, Thursday, May 4, 11 a.m.

OLLI offers classes that meet the needs and schedules of active adults. We typically divide the Fall and Spring semesters into two five-week terms and offer a six-week term in the Summer, with no classes the week of July 4th. Fall terms typically begin in September and October. The Spring terms typically begin in February and March. The Summer term typically runs during June and July. During each term we offer three different formats of learning experiences: classes, seminars, and field trips. All Hattiesburg classes and seminars are held at the Peck House or Asbury Annex (unless otherwise indicated). Gulf Park classes are held in Lloyd Hall, unless otherwise indicated.

Two-Hour or Four-Hour Seminars

Seminars meet only once in a five-week term and are two hours in length. Occasionally we have a two-part seminar which meets a total of four hours. One-time, two-hour seminars are $10; two-time, four-hour seminars are $15 (unless a supply fee is included). Previous topics have included Famous Trials of the Early 20th Century, Self-Hypnosis, and Creole Jazz Lunch at The Kitchen Table, among many others.

Five-Week Classes

Classes are two hours each and meet once a week; however exercise classes are one hour in length and meet twice a week. Class fees are $25. Previous topics have included French Language and Culture for Traveling, Introduction to Apple Computers, Yoga for Strength and Flexibility, and Users' Manual of the Human Body.

Field Trips

Field trips are planned each semester. They range in length from one day to one week; costs vary. OLLI members have traveled to The Biltmore in Asheville, NC, Country Girls Creamery, Shroomdom (our local mushroom farm), and to various shows at The Saenger Theatre in New Orleans.

OLLI Code of Conduct
Our goal at OLLI at Southern Miss is to create environments that maximize the learning experience for all members. Many of our programs offer a forum for the lively and even passionate exchange of views. To that end, our learning community follows principles of courtesy and mutual respect that promote reasoned discourse and intellectual honesty. Opposing viewpoints are honored and appreciated to preserve the dignity of others.

Transgressions may include denigrating others’ views or opinions, threatening behaviors, offensive or abusive language, disruptive classroom conduct, sexual harassment or discrimination, and monopolizing discussions. Personal attacks are especially unwarranted.

OLLI members, instructors, facilitators, staff, or guests who do not or cannot adhere to the principles of courtesy and mutual respect may be removed from class or denied the privilege of future participation.

The Bernard Osher Foundation was founded by Bernard Osher in 1977. Through the foundation, his philanthropy has benefited a wide range of educational, cultural and other nonprofit organizations across the United States. Currently, the foundation provides support to four distinct programs:

Osher Scholars and Fellows
Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes
Osher Integrative Medicine Program
A Local Arts and Educational Program

In the 1990s, the foundation funded a series of Osher Scholar programs extending scholarship assistance for post-secondary education to nearly thirty colleges and universities as well as professional and technical schools in California and Maine. The Bernard Osher Foundation funded the first Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at The University of Southern Maine in 1997. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Network began in the fall of 2002, when the Foundation Board awarded initial grants to six campuses in the Southern California University system. The foundation began its partnership with The University of Southern Mississippi in 2008.

Bernard Osher is a successful businessman and community leader, a patron of the arts and education, whose philanthropy has affected countless organizations over the past quarter-century. His wife, the Honorable Barbro Osher, Consul General of Sweden in San Francisco, serves as chair of the foundation. To learn more about Bernard Osher, his philanthropic interests and investments, please visit the foundation's website: http://www.osherfoundation.org.