In This Issue: A Message from the Director | Happy Holidays! | Spring 2021 Registration | Archived Recordings | Virtual Holiday Social Hour | Zoom Webinar Practice Sessions | Thanks, Mike and Sally! | Osher Institute Scholarships | Osher on Demand | Excellence Fund Donations | First Friday Astronomy Lecture | Research Study Opportunity
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A Message from the Director |
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Dear Osher Members,
On behalf of our team in the Osher office - Jeremy, Jill, and Laura -
I wish each of you a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season. Your continued engagement with us and the Osher Institute this year has been one of the very best gifts we could receive. Thank you for your perseverance and for your love of lifelong learning.
We also want to thank the many Osher volunteers who served on virtual committees this year. They contributed hours of service to support the Institute and to help bring engaging and stimulating programs to you. The Osher Advisory Board is to be commended for their hard work, creative solutions, and professional guidance. We are a strong Institute because of the dedication of many.
Within the next week, you will receive the catalog of presentations scheduled for Spring 2021. We are embracing all the silver linings from a challenging 2020, and one of these is that as soon as you receive your catalog, you may register online at your convenience.
Because we were able to record our Fall 2020 speakers, you will also have an opportunity to see many presentations that you may have missed. I truly hope that you find great value in these educational lectures and courses.
During this holiday season, remember that the gift of learning is powerful. An Osher Institute membership can be purchased as a gift, so let us know if we can wrap one (or two) up for you!
I wish you joy and love this season and beyond.
Happy holidays,
Dana
Dana Thorp Patterson, Director
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During this unprecedented time, we're thankful and grateful for your support of the Osher Institute. Your commitment to lifelong learning is what keeps us inspired all year long.
As of Tuesday, December 1, the Osher staff will be working remotely from home. You can still reach them by phone at (208) 426-6554 or by email at osher@boisestate.edu until the start of the holiday break.
Boise State University and the Osher Institute will be closed from
Thursday, December 24 through Friday, January 1.
We wish everyone safe and warm holidays, and may the new year bring you and your loved ones continued health and happiness.
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The Osher Spring 2021 catalog will start arriving in mailboxes on Monday, December 7.
Programs for the Spring 2021 semester will begin on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.
NEW! You can register for the Spring courses and lectures of your choice
as soon as you receive your catalog.
All presentations will be offered via Zoom Webinar
as a livestream event and recorded.
Can't attend the day of the presentation? No worries. Members registered for each presentation will receive a link to the recorded program within 30 days of the final recorded session. Members may view the recordings at their leisure, as often as they like, through June 30, 2021.
Once you have registered, you will receive an email confirmation and reminders leading up to the presentation with a link to the webinar embedded.
If you live in a household with another Osher member, only one member needs to register for a fee-based course. We only ask that both individuals be current Osher members.
Access to The Great Courses Plus will also be available for the Spring 2021 semester. Register for this program to receive a unique login for your own account with The Great Courses Plus at a significantly discounted rate.
Please note: It will take two weeks to process your account information after you register.
If you have any questions with your registration, please contact Customer Services at (208) 426-1709.
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NEW! If you missed an Osher presentation that was offered in the Fall 2020 semester, you now have an opportunity to enjoy these programs at your leisure. Simply select the recorded presentation that you wish to view and a link will be provided via email.
Here are the presentations that are available:
- 50 Years of NPR
- A Republic, If You Can Keep It
- Agricultural Pesticides
- Beyond the Peregrine: 50 Years of Raptor Conservation
- Chinese Mining in Idaho
- Defining Terrorism
- Elephants and Rhinos
- Global Conflict in the 21st Century
- Hearing Loss and Treatment
- How Vaccines Work
- Is This Pain Arthritis?
- Passion to Action: The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial
- Race, Class, Gender, and Rock n' Roll
- Recreation in the Boise Foothills
- Spider Biology for Arachnophobes
- The Art and Times of Sandro Botticelli
- The Channeled Scablands
- The Dawn Mission
- The Evolution of Gastrointestinal Medicine
- The Monsters That Saved Hollywood
- The Spartans
- Too Fit to Fall: Exercise and Parkinson's Disease
- Trauma in the Criminal Justice System
- Trauma Surgery
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Virtual Holiday Social Hour |
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Come join us at our bi-weekly virtual Social Hour on the Zoom Meeting platform! It's a great way to engage with other Osher members, meet the staff, and stay connected during the semester.
Our last Virtual Social Hour for the semester will be held on Wednesday, December 2 from noon to 1 p.m. Grab a beverage and feel free to don your favorite holiday attire! Joining us will be our very special guest, Boise State University President Dr. Marlene Tromp.
An email with the link to join was sent out on Friday, November 27, so be sure to check your inbox. If you need assistance joining the Zoom meeting, please contact the Osher office at (208) 426-6554.
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Zoom Webinar Practice Sessions |
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Need some extra help with Zoom or a refresher on how to use the system? We have you covered! The Osher staff will be holding Zoom practice sessions in January to get you up to speed with using the Zoom Webinar platform.
The sessions will be held on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, January 12 from 1-1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 13 from 10-10:30 a.m.
Thursday, January 14 from 2:30-3 p.m.
Here are the main takeaways from the sessions:
- Make sure you are connected to the internet.
- Join the livestream webinar up to 10 minutes early to make sure you can get in.
- Technical support is available through the Osher Institute office. Please call (208) 426-6554 if you need assistance.
- For livestream webinars, you will receive an email confirmation and reminders leading up to the presentation. The emails contain the Zoom Webinar link and Webinar ID. Multi-session short courses will have a new link sent for each class session.
- Questions must be submitted through the Q&A feature. You will not have access to your camera or microphone during the livestream.
- Can't make it to the livestream? No worries! All members who are registered will receive a copy of the recording within 30 days of the final session.
- Livestream registration will close seven days prior to the presentation's start date.
If you have any questions, please contact the Osher Institute at (208) 426-6554 or osher@boisestate.edu.
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A huge thank you goes to Mike and Sally Merz for their amazing clean-up work in our Yanke Building courtyard! The dried leaf piles and branches have been replaced with festive greens and pine cones. We appreciate the time and care you took to make our space beautiful for the holidays!
Our volunteers are a crucial part of the Osher Institute, and we look forward to the days when we can all meet in person again. In the meantime, all volunteer activities will be done utilizing Zoom meetings.
If you are interested in serving virtually on one of our volunteer committees, please submit the Volunteer Interest Form.
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Osher Institute Scholarships |
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The Osher Institute believes the opportunity to participate in our rich intellectual community should be open to anyone. Scholarships are available for adults age 50 and over whose financial situation prevents their involvement without scholarship assistance.
Osher Institute scholarships include:
- One free membership, valid for one academic year
- One free fee-based course each semester (up to $60 value per semester)
- Access to register for lectures at no additional cost
Please note: Scholarships are not available for fee-based special events.
Applications are accepted year round and expire at the end of each fiscal year (June 30). For more information, please contact the Osher office at osher@boisestate.edu or
(208) 426-6554.
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Looking for new ways to stretch your brain over the holidays? Visit our blog, Osher on Demand, to access a wide variety of online resources, including recorded lectures from Osher Institute presenters, curated TED Talks, academic articles, podcast recommendations, virtual tours, local resources, and more! Visit boisestate.edu/osher/osher-on-demand.
We would love to hear your recommendations for content to add to the blog! Please send your suggestions to osher@boisestate.edu.
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Excellence Fund Donations |
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We hope you will keep the Osher Institute Excellence Fund in mind as you consider your year-end giving. Annual gifts to this fund support high-quality programming taught by talented instructors. These funds also ensure that we have the necessary resources to meet future challenges and opportunities as they arise. Your support has been instrumental to our success. Thank you to all who have donated to the Osher Institute
so far this year.
You can make a gift on your Spring 2021 catalog registration form, online when registering, or anytime under the "Make a Gift" section on the Osher Institute website. Thank you for your ongoing support! |
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First Friday Astronomy Lecture |
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The Department of Physics at Boise State University invites you to join them for an online First Friday Astronomy Lecture. Dr. Cathy Olkin of the Southwest Research Institute will present "NASA's Lucy Mission: 1 Spacecraft, 7 Trojan Asteroids, 12 Years."
This event will take place on Friday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. Click this link to join the livestream: http://www.astrojack.com/ffa-lucy-mission/. Participants can ask questions in the chat feature once the livestream begins. |
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Research Study Opportunity |
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The Center for Orthopaedic and Biomechanics Research (COBR) at Boise State University is conducting a research study and welcomes Osher members' participation. The purpose of the study is to learn how the musculoskeletal system responds to challenging external conditions and how this response differs between younger and older individuals. To participate, you need to be 65 years or older and have sustained at least one accidental fall in the past 12 months. Male participants are greatly appreciated.
If you are interested in participating in this study, contact the COBR department at cobr@boisestate.edu.
This research is conducted under the direction of Dr. Clare Fitzpatrick, Principal Investigator, BSU IRB 126-MED19-021.
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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University
Phone: (208) 426-OLLI (6554)
Email: osher@boisestate.edu
Website: boisestate.edu/osher
The Osher Institute at Boise State University operates within the Division of Extended Studies. It is a membership-based lifelong learning program offering non-credit, college-level offerings for intellectually curious adults over age 50.
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Osher Institute Advisory Board
Chair: Merilee Marsh | Past Chair: Ben Simko | Cindy Anson | Ralph Bild | Russ Centanni
Bae Emilson | Chuck Folkner | Susan Gibson | Dennis Hall | Rod McLean | Celeste Miller
Sharon Moses | Rainey Pieters | Virginia Rivers | Chuck Robertson
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Osher Institute Staff
Director: Dana Thorp Patterson | Program Coordinator: Laura Mehlhaff
Communications Specialist: Jill Chmelko | Administrative Assistant: Jeremy Trent
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