Wonderings
A publication of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU
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"Always interesting and informative! It is the best value for any program
I have been a part of since I moved back to Bozeman.”
-Participant, OLLI Shorts
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Rab's Note
As cooler weather and shorter nights mark the start of autumn, the OLLI at MSU Fall Semester is in full swing. Classes, speakers, forums, travel, tours and book discussion groups are meeting almost every day of the week.
One example is the OLLI Speaker Series. Members packed the Hager Auditorium for the first Speaker Series to hear Susan Dana analyze recent decisions by the Supreme Court. One week later, the house was full again for OLLI Shorts as eight OLLI members took the stage to showcase their passion for lifelong learning. The Speaker Series is the place to be on Mondays between 3-5 pm, so mark your calendars, arrive early to meet friends, and settle in for some of the best presentations in the region.
It’s a great time to share this wealth of opportunities as well. Please encourage friends and family to join in and enjoy the rich learning environment, friendships, and new experiences happening every day at OLLI at MSU. If you’re already a member, consider volunteering to help make OLLI even stronger. All are welcome.
We’ll see you out there.
Rab Cummings
Program Coordinator, OLLI at MSU
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October Friday Forum
Bozeman Traffic: What Does the Future Hold?
Nick Ross, Bozeman’s transportation and engineering director, will discuss current transportation projects and future challenges as Bozeman continues to grow. Ross will discuss the many factors considered in designing, constructing and managing a safe and efficient transportation system, including speed limits, engineering standards and public comment.
“Traffic management is a timely local issue as the city experiences continued growth of all housing types in its core and periphery,” he said.
This Friday Forum meets on October 11 from noon to 1:30 p.m. online via Zoom. Click or tap here for more information or to register directly through Zoom.
Participants must register by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 11. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email with the Zoom link and instructions to join the Friday Forum. Registration is required to receive the Zoom information.
Friday Forum features presentations and community discussions on local and regional timely topics on the second Friday of each month from September through May. OLLI at MSU Friday Forum is free and open to the public.
Click or tap here for past Friday Forum recordings on the OLLI at MSU Recordings page.
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New Prelude and Performance
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Montana Shakespeare in the Schools Final Tech Rehearsal
Montana Shakespeare in the Schools presents "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Kerry Bishé. OLLI invites members to attend the last tech rehearsal before this production departs to perform before 50 school audiences across Montana and Wyoming. Montana Shakespeare in the Schools offers this slightly abbreviated production to viewers in the way it was meant to be presented - in a fun, engaging live performance.
This opportunity to preview "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a tech rehearsal, which means that the director may pause throughout the performance to give notes, adjust staging and cues, or have actors repeat certain sections. Afterward, the actors and director will hold a discussion/talkback session where audience members can ask questions and learn more about bringing this remarkable production to life. This event is an excellent opportunity to enjoy one of Shakespeare's most famous plays and to get a little peek into how the magic is made.
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks' mission is to engage and enrich rural and underserved communities with professional productions of Shakespeare and other classics and, through educational outreach, inspire creative expression and appreciation of the arts in young audiences.
Click or tap here for more information or to register. Space is limited to 50 people. Wednesday, October 2, 2:40 - 4:45 p.m. Face-to-face at the MSU Bozeman Black Box Theatre.
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Featured Courses
Global Civics 2.0 with Steven Maly. Tuesdays, October 15 - November 26 (no class November 5), 10:00 - noon. Face-to-face.
Refresh your traditional civics knowledge and expand our shared understanding of rights and responsibilities beyond borders. Learn how the principles of sovereignty, legitimacy and subsidiarity form a lens through which to analyze trends and events in a global context, with a view toward the progressive realization of human rights at home and abroad.
What Happened to Dick and Jane? Issues, Trends, and Best-Practices in Teaching Children to Read with Ann Ellsworth. Wednesdays, October 16 - November 13, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
Revisit how you learned to read and learn about the trends that have guided reading instruction in this country for the last 100+ years. You will also be introduced to current research findings that inform how children today are instructed and understand the reading process with new insight.
Comparative Religion with David Smith. Thursdays, October 31 - November 21, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Online via Zoom.
Are world religions a mass of confusion or a world of opportunity? This course will survey and compare the central teachings of some major world religions, addressing similarities and differences. Traditions covered include Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and a brief discussion of alternative religions and cults.
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Upcoming Speaker Series
Critical Minerals in Montana: Past, Present and Future with Kyle Eastman. Monday, September 30, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Face-to-face at Museum of the Rockies.
Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall with Anette Isaacs. Monday, October 14, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Online via Zoom.
Generating Gas and Fertilizer from Food Waste with Roland Ebel. Monday, October 21, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Face-to-face at Hope Lutheran Church.
Resurrecting the Sweetpea Festival, 1978 with Beverly Mattson, George Mattson, and Eileen Tenney. Monday, October 28, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Face-to-face at Hope Lutheran Church.
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Featured Osher Online Courses
Registration closes 48 hours before a course begins.
Medieval Science: Exploring Insights and Discoveries with Ilya Dines. Mondays, September 30 - November 4, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Online via Zoom.
The Power of Introverts with Jeri Bingham. Wednesdays, October 2 - November 6, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Online via Zoom.
Gender and the Law with Lauren Andersen. Thursdays, October 3 - November 7, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. Online via Zoom.
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Belgrade Community Library
These community events are free and open to the public, and they are presented by OLLI at MSU and the Belgrade Community Library, with sponsorship by the Belgrade Community Library Foundation. Refreshments are available at 5:30 p.m. We recommend advanced registration, but walk-ins are welcome.
Galloping in the Gallatin: Montana's Horse Racing History with Brenda Wahler. Thursday, October 17, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Face-to-face.
Please note: Birthing the West: Caring for Women, Caring for Communities on October 3 has been cancelled.
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Featured OLLI Extras
Confluence: Nature's Symmetry, Mathematics and Science in Poetry with Michael Smith. Wednesdays, October 30 - November 13, 10:30 a.m. - noon. Face-to-face.
Hidden within poetic forms are underlying mathematical or symmetrical structures found in nature. Examples include sestinas, the Fibonacci sequence and fractal poems. We will consider several poems grounded in mathematics, science and nature, gaining an appreciation of the challenge of writing them and their poignant results.
Brawl of the Wild, Today's Collegiate Sports: How NILs are Changing the Game with Sean Dotson and Jean Gee. Wednesday, November 20, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
Join your fellow OLLI at MSU members in person and UM OLLI counterparts virtually for a friendly and cheer-filled educational program celebrating the long-standing Cat-Griz rivalry. Learn more about name, image and likeness (NIL) and its impact on college sports from Montana State University and the University of Montana representatives.
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Early Autumn Reads
OLLI at MSU offers three member exclusive book discussion groups. We are sharing the below titles to allow you time to enjoy a good cozy read and join in the discussions! You may join any of the groups below for one, a few, or all of the sessions. Registration is required to participate in the book discussion groups.
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Learning Opportunities for Everyone: Feed Your Curiosity at a Price That Works for You!
We aim to make participation accessible for everyone aged 50 and older who wants to engage in lifelong learning. Recognizing that program or event fees can be a barrier, OLLI at MSU provides financial assistance for both tuition and membership.
We are grateful to the family and friends of our late OLLI at MSU leader and consummate lifelong learner, Doug Young, for establishing the Doug Young Memorial Scholarship Fund. We encourage you to apply for membership or program tuition assistance as needed and encourage your neighbor or friend to do the same. Our application is quick and easy. Click or tap here to view more information or apply for financial assistance. Please complete the application process BEFORE registering for programs.
Online donations are also encouraged to help us sustain and support the OLLI at MSU Doug Young Memorial Scholarship fund and OLLI at MSU general program fund.
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Campus Corner
Below are a few upcoming events offered on the Montana State University Bozeman campus that may interest our OLLI at MSU members. Click or tap titles and locations for more information. These events are not sponsored or produced by OLLI at MSU.
Montana Supreme Court Candidate Forum Thursday, September 26, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Gaines Hall, Room 101. Please join the Pre-Law Club and the Gallatin Bar Association as they host the candidates for the Montana Supreme Court at this election panel. Free and open to the public.
Abriendo Puertas: Hispanic Heritage Month with Isabel Allende. September 30, 7:30 p.m., Strand Union Building Ballrooms. Acclaimed novelist Isabel Allende will visit Montana State University in September as part of the second annual President’s Crossing Boundaries Speaker Series. Allende is a Chilean-American writer known for interweaving imaginative stories with significant historical events in her books. She first won worldwide acclaim in 1982 with the publication of her debut novel, The House of the Spirits, which began as a letter to her dying grandfather. In addition to her work as a writer, Allende is a philanthropist and devotes much of her time to human rights causes. In 1996, following the death of her daughter, Paula, she established a charitable foundation in her honor. It has since awarded grants to more than 100 nonprofits worldwide that deliver care to hundreds of thousands of women and girls. Allende’s books have sold more than 77 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 40 languages. A Q&A session will follow Allende’s talk. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.
Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer Series, All in the Family: The Scientific Study of Families and Relationships with J. Mitchell Vaterlaus. Tuesday, October 15, beginning at 7:00 p.m., Reception to follow. Museum of the Rockies, Hager Auditorium. J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, who came to MSU in 2014, will share highlights of his career and discuss his research on family dynamics, including information about his research on family dynamics and particularly how media, technology, the COVID-19 pandemic and inherent family strengths shape relationships within the family unit. This lecture, designed for both members of the public and those in academia, is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.
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Would You Like More OLLI?
Follow the OLLI at MSU Facebook page for program updates and reminders, news, and technology tips. The best time to follow is now.
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We hope you enjoy the selection of items we have chosen for this edition. Everything in this email will be archived on the Newsletter Archive page of our website. | |
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU is a program of MSU Academic Technology and Outreach. OLLI at MSU provides intellectually stimulating and enjoyable programs that foster lifelong learning and community engagement for individuals 50 and greater. There are no tests, no grades and no papers. OLLI at MSU offers opportunities for the pure joy of learning. Become a member, support lifelong learning, consider teaching for OLLI at MSU. Contact the OLLI office by phone at 406-994-6550. | | | | |