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Volume 2 Issue 28

Hello!

It's an exciting day today as we launch our 2024-25 OLLI at DU Membership Renewal period. This is a great time to invite your family, friends and neighbors to join our wonderful community of lifelong learners. As we say, come for the courses, stay for the connections! Members enjoy so many benefits - free webinars, lunch and learns, and fitness classes as well as access to over 330 courses each year, social events and excursions, and both domestic and international travel opportunities. And at a cost of about $5 per month, it is one of Denver's best kept secrets for those 50 and better!

Our Fall term mini-catalog was just completed and lists all the courses, webinars, and facilitators (teachers). We are happy to announce that we will be offering 49% of our courses in-person at five locations and 51% online via Zoom!

So, take some time to browse through the mini-catalog by clicking the image below and discover the amazing schedule of courses and webinars which will be offered during this Fall Term which runs from September 16 through November 8. I know you will be impressed and have a difficult time choosing from among our offerings. The full catalog with complete course descriptions and facilitator (teacher) bios is in final production and will be available on our website on August 12.

REGISTRATION BEGINS at 10:00 AM MONDAY, AUGUST 19.

You talked; we listened! Our pricing plan is changing this year. We heard from many of our members that they wanted different course registration fees for different length courses. Our financial advisory team of three volunteers spent months reviewing the data from this year and designing a plan for courses that would allow us to meet our expenses and keep our fees low. We based on budget on our 2170 members registering for the same number of courses as this year. Last year's registration fee was $65 per course, no matter the length. The new pricing plan is:

$70 for an 8-week course

$65 for a 7-week course

$60 for a 6-week course

$55 for a 5-week course

$50 for a 4-week course

When you look at the increased cost of attending at a concert, play, or musical, or spending a day on the slopes, which is over in a day, this is a great deal. And the time that our facilitators put into preparing and teaching their courses is truly worth the cost!

I am truly grateful for the input of members over the past year regarding their thoughts for course pricing and for the support and dedication of the Finance Advisory Team- Jean Friedberg, John Rough, and Tom Bieging, who helped put together our new pricing plan.

Wishes for a wonderful weekend,

Jackie Wyant

Executive Director, OLLI at DU

Our Fall Term Mini-Catalog is here!

Our long-awaited mini-catalog contains an index of all courses and webinars which will be offered during our Fall Term 2024. Click on the image above to access the digital version. "Hard copies" will be available in the office beginning 7/24. Our full catalog with course descriptions and facilitator bios will be available on our website on 8/12/24.

Our Annual Membership for 2024-25

is now available for purchase

Today our annual membership renewal period begins. It's also the day new members can join our lifelong learning program. The cost of an OLLI at DU Annual Membership remains at just $65 and includes a number of benefits:

• free registration to over 40 webinars and access to a library of recordings of the webinars (individual non-member webinar cost is $15)
• free daily online fitness classes (Tai Chi, Yoga, Mindfulness, Meditation, and Qigong)
• Lunch and Learn presentations throughout the year
• social events and excursions
• domestic and international travel opportunities (this year: Washington DC, New York City, Cuba, Ireland)
• access to registration for over 330 courses each year

To renew your membership and be ready when registration opens on August 19, simply go to our website and follow these instructions:

1) FIRST sign into your account (click on SIGN IN which is in the red bar below the image of DU

2) NEXT on the Home page, click on BECOME A MEMBER.

3) Select OLLI at DU ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP and click on ADD TO CART. NOTE: If you don't sign into your account first, the ADD to CART button will not appear for you to purchase a membership.

Having challenges? Email or call our office for assistance. Note our summer office hours are 9-2 Tuesday through Thursday. Email: olli@du.edu. Phone: 303-871-3181.

How to use your

OLLI at DU Account to:

• find your Zoom links
• make a payment
• review your courses and webinars for the term
• update your personal information (phone, address, email address)

Every OLLI member has an account on our website which is linked to our registration system (this is called a Learning Management System). We encourage you to use this account to find out all the information about your courses, events and webinars

To access all the information about your course/webinar/event or to pay an outstanding balance:

1) Simply sign into your account on our website (olli.du.edu).

2) Once there, click on the word ACCOUNT in the red bar below the image of DU.

3) Click on MAKE A PAYMENT to pay an outstanding balance

4) Click on CLASS LIST to see all the information about your courses/webinars/events, INCLUDING your Zoom Links for online courses and class meeting locations for in-person courses.

OLLI at DU

Annual Report 2022-2024

Building a Lifelong Learning Organization focused on

 Collaboration, Communication, Community

Over the last two years, the staff and volunteers of OLLI at DU has worked to re-invigorate our program and to further nurture the learning community of members and facilitators which has enjoyed success for 28 years. Our goal remains to foster a collaborative and communicative community where members and facilitators learn from each other as friends. Where every member has the opportunity to both teach and to learn.

As with almost every organization in the world, the Covid pandemic of 2020-2022 necessitated significant changes in almost every aspect of our program–location of our sites, marketing, technology, communications, member engagement, volunteer involvement, finance, and operations. There were silver linings, however: members no longer had to choose from attending courses which were close to their homes; they could enjoy online courses with facilitators and members and create new friends from throughout Colorado and the nation. Facilitators who previously had difficulty attracting enough members for in-person courses for meaningful discussion could welcome members from multiple OLLI at DU sites. Facilitators who had moved could once again teach for OLLI and new facilitators from other states could offer online courses to our members enriching our program of opportunities. And, finally, the behind-the-scenes operations of OLLI could create program-wide processes and procedures to reduce the burden of staff and volunteers at each in-person location and to create consistency throughout.

OLLI at DU has emerged from the shadow of the pandemic a stronger and more cohesive community of learners. After much reflection and a thorough review of both the origin of our OLLI (as VIVA in 1996 and then as OLLI at DU in 2006) and through communications with other OLLIs nationwide, we introduced an annual membership in the summer of 2023. The focus of this membership is on building a community of curious individuals who seek to both teach and learn from each other – it’s how we began 28 years ago! OLLI at DU wishes to distinguish our program from other lifelong learning organizations who only offer courses. Through this membership program, we will build a foundation of members who can engage, socialize, have meaningful discussions between classes, attend webinars, participate in fitness activities, and travel together.

We are grateful for your participation in OLLI at DU and have prepared this report to inform you of our work. Throughout this report, you will note the accomplishments of this community of learners over the past two years; I am confident you will be impressed.

OLLI at DU will end the 2023-24 year with a balanced budget. Costs, as you know, have skyrocketed over the past three years and one area which OLLI could benefit from is more volunteer participation. There are a number of staff tasks which could be done by our members. I encourage you to reach out when you see a notice that volunteers are needed – everything from a one-time task to serving on one of the committees noted above will be of great importance to our community.

As the Executive Director, I am proud of the accomplishments of our community and look forward to seeing you in a course, at a social event, or even on a travel opportunity.

All the best,

Jackie Wyant

Executive Director

SUMMER OFFICE HOURS

During the summer months, OLLI staff relax and spend some time gearing up for the intensity of the academic year.

Our office hours beginning 6/10 and continuing through 8/1 are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00-2:00. Please understand that we will respond to you in a timely manner once the office reopens each week. Our Support Specialists are Dave Johnson (david.k.johnson@du.edu) and Mitra Verma (mitra.verma@du.edu).

Join us each Tuesday morning from 10:00-11:30.

Our Summer Shorts webinars are free to OLLI members and cost $15 for a non-member. This is the perfect opportunity for you to introduce a friend, colleague, or family member to OLLI. The lineup of speakers is outstanding and a new member will pay just $35 for a Spring-Summer membership which will include free registration for all 10 webinars (only $3.50 per webinar instead of $15 if they attended all of them). If you loved our spring webinars, you're in for a treat this summer. And guess what? You can invite your friends along!

This special Summer 2024 membership is only available until July 15 so have your friends and family act fast before the webinars begin!

Share this info with your friends so they can get a taste of what OLLI has to offer this summer!

Seventh Summer Shorts Webinar

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

10:00-11:30 via Zoom

free for OLLI members

Pro

Promoting Sanity and Maintaining Balance in Crazy Political Times

with Eric Sondermann, Independent Political Commentator and Consultant

In the smaller, more immediate picture, we will discuss this election year, and the political forces and dynamics shaping it. We will then bridge to the bigger picture and talk about the accelerating tribalism and dysfunction that define this political era…the built-in, structural incentives that lead to ever-greater polarization…and what conscientious citizens can do to push back, promote sanity and maintain some semblance of balance.

Eric Sondermann is a well-known, independent, non-aligned political pundit, commentator and columnist. He writes a featured weekly column under the heading of “Down the Middle” for a trio of local publications – the Denver Gazette, Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Politics magazine. He has also long been a regular panelist on PBS-Channel 12’s Colorado Inside Out program. His reputation for telling it straight and his ability to distinguish analysis from spin have made him a go-to resource for local as well frequently as national media outlets. Eric and his wife Tracy divide their time between the mountains near Tabernash, Colorado and what they now regard as their “second home” in Denver.



Eighth Summer Shorts Webinar

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

10:00-11:30 via Zoom

free for OLLI members

The Past, Present, and Future of Water in Colorado

with Thomas Bellinger,

Hydrologist; MSU Adjunct Professor of Earth & Atmospheric Studies; H20 Talk Podcast co-host.

This webinar will focus on water resources in Colorado. Topics discussed will include a brief introduction to water resources, and history of water resource development in the state, as well as the existing doctrine of water rights/”ownership” in Colorado. Main topics covered will include present and future water related issues in the state and Denver Metro area such as potential water conflicts, supply needs, quality concerns, and the influence of climate change on Colorado’s water resources.

Tom Bellinger is a certified Professional Hydrologist with the American Institute of Hydrology (Emeritus). He retired as Principal Hydrologist from the Bureau of Reclamation. He also worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Since retiring, Tom has been on the faculty at MSU Denver (Earth and Atmospheric Science Department), served on the Board of Directors for Bancroft Clover Water and Sanitation District and Metro Water Recovery and has consulted both domestically and abroad on a variety of environmental/water issues. Tom also co-hosts a podcast: H2O Talk (on Spotify, Amazon Music, Podbean, and Google Music.

Did you miss an edition of our weekly Everything OLLI newsletter?

Click here to go to our website where we archive all of our editions:

Everything OLLI Newsletter Archive (du.edu)

Come visit the OLLI at DU Facebook page!

2211 S. Josephine Street | Denver, CO 80208 | olli@du.edu | 303-871-3181