Osher News - April 2018

April 2018

Fall 2018 Catalog is Coming Soon!

The new fall catalog will arrive in mailboxes in mid-May. In it, you will find a diverse list of high-quality and stimulating lectures, courses, special events, and a new category of programming—seminars and workshops!

Seminars and workshops will feature learning opportunities that differ from the standard Osher lecture and short course formats. They are for members interested in taking a deeper dive into the subject matter, typically through reading and class discussion led by the instructor. Seminars and workshops will tend to have smaller enrollments, possibly more sessions, and higher enrollment fees.

Please note: due to limited capacity, we anticipate these will fill quickly. We apologize if you are unable to enroll, but encourage you to get on the waitlist so we can determine interest in these opportunities for future planning.

Our volunteer curriculum committees and the staff have been working hard these past few months to provide a robust list of options to satisfy your intellectual hunger. Thank you to our Curriculum Track chairs, Sharon Bixby, Chuck Folkner, Sheri Robison, and Merilee Marsh, for leading our committee meetings and helping find expert instructors. We also thank you, our members, for your suggestions which help determine curriculum. We hope you like what you see.

Some highlights this fall include lectures on artificial intelligence (AI), critically endangered vultures of Gorongosa National Park, and Burning Man. Short courses will feature composers Chopin and Bernstein, a tour of the atom, the Russian intelligentsia, China, climate change, and marginalia in medieval art. Seminars and workshops will range from writing to a discussion on the First and Second Amendments.

Thank you in advance for renewing your membership and for your participation and support of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University.

Update Your Information

Have you moved or changed email addresses recently? Make sure you receive your fall 2018 catalog and important emails by updating your information with the Osher office. Call us at (208) 426-6554 or email osher@boisestate.edu to make changes.

Spring Social Reminder

Join us for refreshments and a short program that includes a sneak peek at the fall semester, introduction of new Advisory Board members, and a big thank-you to the many volunteers who help make the Osher Institute possible.

Cost: Free. Bring a friend! Registration is required for members.

Date and time: Tue., May 15, 2-4 p.m.

Location: Simplot Ballroom, Boise State Student Union Building

RSVP today! Visit the Osher Registration Website to register online. You can also register by phone by calling Customer Services at (208) 426-1709.

Thank You, March Volunteers

Thank you to the following members who served as greeters during the month of March:

Stephanie Miller, Allie Gooding, Sally Sherman, David and Peggy Currie, Sharon Bixby, Deanna Combs, Mark Eubank, Marilyn Floyd, Zoe Strite, Judy Thompson, Sharon DeLong, Maryann Mahoney, Steve Fields, Martha Hays, Candy Miller, and Mickey Vogt. Thank you!

A special thank you to Carol Delaney for planting beautiful pansies in the courtyard pots! We have enjoyed the burst of color they bring to our outdoor area.

ValleyRide Bus Passes Available

Do you use ValleyRide buses to get around town? Boise State's Transportation and Parking Services has gifted the Osher Institute a limited number of bus stickers to give away to our members on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring your current name badge to the Osher office to get your sticker! Passes expire on August 12, 2018.

Please Note: A valid Osher name badge with a bus sticker must be shown to the bus driver to receive a free bus ride.

Successful Aging Survey

The Osher Institute has once again been invited by Bonnie Kenaley, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Boise State University, to participate in a survey related to her research on successful aging. This is the same survey that ran in our December 2016 and January 2017 newsletters. If you completed the survey at that time, the survey system will prevent you from completing it again.

Have you ever pondered the factors that fostered you to age in a positive and successful manner? You are invited to participate in this study that will explore the determinants of successful aging, including humor, volunteerism, recreation, spirituality, optimism, cognitive well-being, physicality, resiliency, social support, and coping skills. The survey is anonymous and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete; you will have one attempt to complete it.

This study will assist in establishing a contemporary definition of successful aging. Findings will also inform national policy makers to revise standards of care for older adults as well as develop and implement evidence-based interventions to promote better physical, emotional, and social outcomes. Once published, the study's findings will be shared with Boise State University's Osher Institute and its members.

If you did not previously complete this survey in December 2016 or January 2017 and are interested in participating, please click on this link: Successful Aging Survey

In the Spotlight

The Labors of Andrew Jackson

In ancient Greek mythology, the divine hero, Heracles, completed a series of formidable tasks which earned him great renown and personal immortality. In American history, Andrew Jackson, the reputed hero of the Battle of New Orleans and the presumptive champion of the common man, encountered a few Herculean labors of his own: from cleaning the general government's supposedly filthy and foul Augean stables to slaying a national banking system that ostensibly constituted a many-headed hydra. This course will focus on the key political, social, and economic struggles that took place during Jackson's presidency (1829-1837), a period of time that effectively rendered Jackson a famous and infamous figure during and well after his lifetime.

Presenter: Dr. Raymond Krohn, Lecturer, Department of History, Boise State University

Dates and Times: Thu., April 5, 12, 19, and 26, 10 a.m.-noon

Cost: $45

Visit the Osher Registration Website to register online. You can also register by phone by calling Customer Services at (208) 426-1709.

The War that Never Ended (Repeat)

The American Civil War, now formally concluded for more than 150 years, nevertheless remains "the war that never ended." We continue to debate and disagree about the causes of the war that cost the lives of 620,000 Americans, nearly as many as have died in all our other wars combined. Recent controversies about the display of the Confederate battle flag and the proper place of monuments to Confederate leaders have shown anew that the war is still—and always will be—at the center of American politics and culture. This three-part course will consider a trio of big questions about our greatest national calamity: Why the War Came, What the War Wrought, and The Civil War We (chose to) Remember.

Presenter: Marc Johnson, Of Counsel, Gallatin Public Affairs

Dates and Times: Mon., Tue., Wed., April 9, 10, and 11, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Cost: $35

Visit the Osher Registration Website to register online. You can also register by phone by calling Customer Services at (208) 426-1709.

Free Learning Opportunities on Campus

First Friday Astronomy Lecture and Stargazing

In December 2017, NASA funded the Dragonfly Mission, a study of a brand-new concept to fly an autonomous quadcopter on Saturn's moon, Titan. Over the course of two years, the Dragonfly drone would fly to multiple locations on Titan, hundreds of miles apart, to sample materials and determine surface composition. Its four science instruments would investigate Titan's chemistry, monitor atmospheric and surface conditions, image landforms to explore geological processes, and perform seismic studies.

Join the Boise State Physics Department on Friday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. to hear Professor Jason Barnes of the University of Idaho discuss how the Dragonfly Mission will lift the veil on Saturn's most mysterious moon. This event will take place in the Science and Education Building in Room 112.

At 8:30 p.m., following the lecture, guests are invited to stargaze on the rooftop of the Science and Education Building at the newly refurbished Boise State Observatory, weather permitting. Because the observatory is not ADA compliant, telescopes will be available at ground level near the observatory.

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early. If you have questions about this event, please contact Professor Brian Jackson at bjackson@boisestate.edu . Discounted parking is available in the Brady Street Garage by selecting "First Friday Astronomy Lecture" at the payment kiosk. You will need to enter your license plate number at the payment kiosk, so please remember to write it down once you park.

Boise State Distinguished Lecture Series

The Honors College Distinguished Lecture Series is pleased to present Werner Herzog, screenwriter, film director, author, actor, and opera director, on Monday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. Herzog will discuss, "Fake News and Ecstatic Truth." Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Free parking is available in the Brady Street Garage and Morrison Center parking lot.

Herzog was born in Germany in the midst of World War II. He is a leader of the postwar cinema movement in West Germany, a distinction he shares with directors like Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders. Herzog's films typically portray characters in extreme physical and psychological situations, and often in conflict with nature.

A few of Herzog's most well-known films include "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" (1972), which tells the story of a 16th-century Spanish explorer leading a hopeless exhibition in the search of a city of gold; "Grizzly Man" (2005), a documentary about an animal activist, ultimately killed by a bear; and "Fitzcarraldo" (1982), the story of a man determined to pull a steamship over a Peruvian mountain to reach a rich rubber territory. "Fitzcarraldo" took two years to film; Herzog's crew famously pulled a real steamship over a mountain—a feat that inspired its own documentary.

"Herzog is a person who brings an alternative perspective to questions of nature and reality. His films are a commentary on what it means to be human," said Andrew Finstuen, dean of the Honors College. "His body of work is so vast, almost anyone can find something to connect to."

James Castle House Events

Boise artist James Castle (1899-1977) is arguably Idaho's most famous visual artist. Born deaf, Castle relied on found materials to make his art. He used paper scraps of packaging, twine, and paint made of soot and spit to create his famously atmospheric and frequently poignant drawings, collages, assemblages, books, and more.

Throughout April, events will take place on the Boise State campus and across the city to pay tribute to this visionary "outsider" artist whose work is in the collections of major museums including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and many others.

April 6: Art Exhibition Reception

The exhibition, James Castle: Eighteen Artist Books, will open on April 2 and run through May 20 in the first floor lobby of Albertsons Library, located on the Boise State campus at 1865 W Cesar Chavez Ln. A reception will take place on Friday, April 6, from 4-7 p.m. in the first floor lobby. This event is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served. Free parking is available in the East and West Plaza lots, located off W. University Dr. on either side of the "B" statue.

During his lifetime, Castle frequently grouped images, printed, and hand-lettered pages and bound them into “self-published” books. This exhibition features some of those books collected by the late Boise State English professor Tom Trusky. Trusky was a visionary in his own right who, early on, recognized Castle’s genius. As the exhibition’s interpretive materials note, books in the exhibition “will open to pages that reflect (Castle’s) deliberation and intended execution through use of patterns, pictorial juxtapositions, repetition of techniques and vernacular materials.”

April 26: Community Film Screening

Join Boise City Mayor David Bieter for a community party and film screening to celebrate the opening of the James Castle House. The party and screening will take place on Thursday, April 26, at 7 p.m. at The Egyptian Theatre, 700 W. Main St., Boise. This event is free and open to the public, but a reservation is required. Reserve your spot through Eventbrite.

It will include opening remarks by Mayor Bieter, a discussion on the making of the James Castle House with Boise's Department of Arts & Historical Cultural Sites Manager Rachel Reichert and Architect Byron Folwell, and a showing of Jeffrey Wolf's film, "James Castle: Portrait of an Artist," that will explore Castle's truly inspirational life and art. Jodi Eichelberger of Story Story Night will be the emcee.

April 28: Public Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The Boise City Department of Arts & History will hold a public opening and ceremonial ribbon cutting on Saturday, April 28, from 12-6 p.m. at 5015 Eugene St., Boise. This event is free and open to the public.

Joined by Boise City Mayor David Bieter, City of Boise representatives, and members of the neighborhood, this ribbon cutting will mark the official opening of the James Castle House. Festivities at this event include self-guided tours from 1-6 p.m., music from Hillfolk Noir from 1-4 p.m., and a found materials art workshop led by Kathleen Keys, chair of the Boise State Department of Art, from 1-4 p.m.

Visit the James Castle House website for more information.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University

Phone: (208) 426-OLLI (6554)

Email: osher@boisestate.edu

Website: osher.boisestate.edu

Boise State's Osher Institute operates within the Division of Extended Studies. It is a membership-based lifelong learning program offering non-credit, college-level short courses, lectures, and unique learning opportunities for intellectually curious adults over age 50.

Osher Institute Advisory Board

Susan Gibson | Mary Lou Kinney | Merilee Marsh | Mike Merz | Jo Anne Minnick

Gary Robb | Sheri Robison | Nancy Roehrkasse | Ben Simko

Osher Institute Staff

Director: Rosemary Reinhardt | Program Coordinator: Jamie Lundergreen

Assistant Program Coordinator: Holly Goldgrabe | Student Assistant: Alyssa Schnell

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