In this Issue: A Note from the Director | Virtual Social Hours | Newly Added Offerings | Fall Offering Updates | Osher Institute Phone Number | Livestream Webinar Tips | Recorded Offerings | Call for Volunteers | First Friday Astronomy Lecture
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Dear Osher members,
Our fall 2020 semester has officially launched and we hope that those of you who registered for Dr. David Adler’s course, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” enjoyed the livestream. Please take a moment to check out the upcoming courses and lectures featured in this newsletter. Remember that you must register for a livestream presentation no later than one week (7 days) before the start day.
We held several practice webinars this past month to introduce members to webinar technology. If you missed attending a session and are interested in viewing one, feel free to click on the link we’ve provided in the newsletter to access. Thank you to the dozens of members who participated and shared great questions with the staff so that we could all learn together.
We hope you have added the subscription to The Great Courses Plus to your membership this year. If you have not done so yet, it’s not too late! Simply log into the Osher Registration Website, select “Access to The Great Courses Plus,” proceed to checkout, and receive a year of additional programs for only a small fee. If you have already taken advantage of this extra opportunity, let us hear how you are enjoying the programs!
We want to announce two additional “bonus” offerings for the fall semester. We have scheduled two more of Osher’s favorite presenters, Eric Collett and Susan Rowe for these lectures for your enjoyment. Eric Collett will present “The History of the Broadway Musical” and Susan Rowe will present “New Approaches in Memoir.” Both of these lectures are free for current Osher Institute members! See the section below for more details.
Finally, it is with a heavy heart that we say farewell to Holly Goldgrabe, Assistant Program Coordinator of the Osher Institute. After three and half years with the Osher Institute, Holly has accepted a position in another organization and will be leaving us on September 2. Please join us in wishing Holly a successful new chapter in her career path.
Warm regards,
Dana
Dana Thorp Patterson, Director
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We hope you will join us for our bi-weekly Virtual Social Hours held on the Zoom Meeting platform. These meetings are a great way to connect with your fellow Osher Institute members, meet the staff, and stay up-to-date on what's happening this semester.
Our fall semester Virtual Social Hours will take place at the following dates and times:
- Wed., Sept. 9, from 12-1 p.m.
- Wed., Sept. 23, from 12-1 p.m.
- Wed., Oct. 7, from 12-1 p.m.
- Wed., Oct. 21, from 12-1 p.m.
- Wed., Nov. 4, from 12-1 p.m.
- Wed., Nov. 18, from 12-1 p.m.
- Wed., Dec. 2, from 12-1 p.m.
An email with the link to join will be sent the day before the meeting. Keep an eye on your inbox! If you need assistance joining the Zoom Meeting, please contact the Osher Institute office at (208) 426-6554.
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New! The History of the Broadway Musical
From the minstrel shows and burlesques of the mid-1800s and the Tin Pan Alley shows of the early 1900s to the premiere of Showboat in 1927, the work of Rodgers and Hammerstein in the 1940s and 50s, and blockbuster modern productions like Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Wicked, and Hamilton, musical theater is an exciting part of American culture and history. As with any art, the evolution of musical theater also teaches us a lot about ourselves and how our views of the world as a nation have developed over time. Join Eric Collett for a fascinating look at the composers, performers, and shows that have been delighting audiences for almost 200 years.
Presenter: Eric Collett, owner and principal, A Mind for All Seasons, LLC
Date and time: Tue., Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-noon
Cost: Included with membership
Registration for this offering is now open on the Osher Registration Website. If you need registration support, please call Customer Services at (208) 426-1709. Registration for the livestream version closes on Mon., Oct. 19, at 11:59 p.m. |
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New! New Approaches in Memoir
The genre of memoir is evolving. During memoir's resurgence in the nineties, we grew to expect book-length narratives that promised hard-won wisdom. But recent memoirs have broken with this approach—in structure, style, and content. They have adopted inventive forms, incorporated other genres, and found new ways to convey discovery. This lecture will survey a number of memoirs and examine the trend toward more experimental approaches. We will look at how authors use different structures and story-telling techniques to enhance their particular story. Participants will gain an appreciation for how memoir is adapting to changing cultural norms as well as an exciting, new reading list. Time will be allowed at the end of this lecture to respond to questions.
Presenter: Susan Rowe, MFA
Date and time: Mon., Nov. 2, 10 a.m.-noon
Cost: Included with membership
Registration for this offering is now open on the Osher Registration Website. If you need registration support, please call Customer Services at (208) 426-1709. Registration for the livestream version closes on Sun., Oct. 25, at 11:59 p.m.
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Page to Stage in a Pandemic at Boise Contemporary Theater (BCT)
We are pleased to announce that a great line-up of panelists will join presenter Jessica Ires Morris for this course, which will take place on Mon., Sept. 14, 21, 28, and Oct. 5 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
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Session 1: Benjamin Burdick, Producing Artistic Director of BCT
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Session 2: Lynn Hofflund, local gem and a regular on the BCT and Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF) stages. Lynn will provide a sneak peek of BCT's first show of the season, Ann.
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Session 3: Tom Ford and Alex Syiek, ISF stars and writers of the original musical, The Show on the Roof, based on the historical events surround 1955 Boise's homosexual scandal. They will discuss the show's history, development, and staging.
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Session 4: A three-panelist powerhouse of theater leaders in different regional theater hubs across the country:
- Kittson O'Neill, Artistic Director of Shakespeare in the Park in Philadelphia and Director of last season's show at BCT, The Wolves.
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Julie Ritchey, Artistic Director of Chicago’s magical theater for Young Audiences, Filament Theater Company, and of Every Brilliant Thing at BCT.
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Jenny Slattery, Associate Producer at one of L.A.'s major regional theaters, Pasadena Playhouse. She also spent much of her career as Broadway Stage Manager on shows like Spider-Man, Bullets Over Broadway, and Guys and Dolls.
To register for this course and pay the $45 fee, visit the Osher Registration Website. If you need registration support, please call Customer Services at (208) 426-1709. Registration for the livestream version closes on Sun., Sept. 6, at 11:59 p.m. |
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The Channeled Scablands
Due to a change in presenter Dr. Brian Jackson's schedule, this recorded lecture will be available to members later than the original date published in the catalog. Instead of being available on Wed., Sept. 30, this recorded lecture will be available on Fri., Oct. 30, 2020.
To register for this offering, visit the Osher Registration Website. If you need registration support, please call Customer Services at (208) 426-1709. |
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Osher Institute Phone Number |
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If you experience technical difficulties before or during a Zoom Webinar, please call the Osher Institute office at (208) 426-6554.
If you have saved a number into your phone's contact list, please double-check and make sure it is this number. Please do not call Customer Services or email the Osher Institute with urgent technical requests. Calling the Osher Institute office at (208) 426-6554 is the best way to get a hold of a staff member.
Please note: Registrations, payments, and refunds are managed by the Division of Extended Studies' Customer Services team. If you need these services, please call their main line at (208) 426-1709.
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Did you miss a practice webinar session? We have you covered! Click the link below to watch a recording of a practice session that took place on August 13. |
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Main take-aways:
- 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 the office at (208) 426-6554 if you need assistance.
- For livestream webinars, you will receive two reminder emails: an email one week before and an email one hour before the offering begins. These 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 for the livestream will receive a complimentary copy of the recording within 30 days of the offering taking place.
- Registration for livestream offerings closes 7 days before the offering begins.
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Recorded offerings will become available within 30 days after the livestream takes place. For a multi-session short course, all recordings will be made available within 30 days of the last day of the course. This allows time for Osher staff to edit and caption each session and send them to members in one email.
Recorded offerings are available to view as many times as you wish until June 30, 2021.
If you would like to transfer from the recorded version of an offering to the livestream version, please do so no later than 7 days before the livestream begins.
To transfer your registration, please call Customer Services at (208) 426-1709.
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Curriculum Track Committees support the Osher Institute by helping build program offerings for each semester. This includes pitching offering ideas, reviewing programming requests and proposals, vetting possible presenters, and, especially, identifying experts and potential presenters. As Osher Institute ambassadors, committee members cultivate community relationships that may serve the Institute and its members. Members are expected to keep the Track Chair and Osher Institute Director updated on progress.
The following curriculum tracks are now accepting new members:
- Track 2: Physical Sciences, Technology, and Engineering
- Track 3: Earth Science, Life Sciences, and the Environment
- Track 5: Medical, Health, and Wellness
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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. Darci Snowden, Assistant Professor of Physics at Central Washington University, will present, "Peering Through the Haze: Titan's Fascinating Atmosphere and Surface."
This event will take place on Friday, September 4, at 7:30 p.m. MT. Click this link to join the livestream: http://www.astrojack.com/ffa-titan-haze. Participants will be able to ask questions in the chat feature once the livestream begins.
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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
Administrative Assistant: Jeremy Trent
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