Osher News - May 2021

May 2021

A Message From the Director

Dear Osher Members,

The month of May brings us spring flowers and more reminders of new life. I love this time of year for those reasons, but I’m also filled with hope for a resurgence in health and well-being for all of us.

In May, we bring you another nine great classes and presenters to close out the semester. While our live presentations will conclude at the end of May, we are delighted to share the new Archived Library of Osher presentations with members. Simply register for programs in which you are interested, and a link to the recording will be provided. You can view these programs through the end of June. If you selected a subscription to The Great Courses Plus this year, access to those programs continue through the end of July. I also hope you are enjoying the Osher on Demand resource, located on the Osher Institute’s homepage, where we feature dozens of curated articles, video presentations, and so much more.

Please join us for our final spring Virtual Social Hours in May. Our featured guest for May 5 is Dr. Hartzell Cobbs (a presenter on Raven Mythology) and on May 19, Dr. David Adler (presenting on Searching for America’s Conscience and Soul).

We need your assistance! This month, you will receive a survey from us, and we wish to hear your review of this past year—of programs, presenters, and Zoom meetings/webinars—and your suggestions as we move into the next year. Please watch your email for a link, and take a few moments to share your feedback. This survey is anonymous, and we invite your suggestions for improvements!

I hope this month brings many wonderful gifts to you as we watch all the new life around us blossom and grow. I learned this poem as a child, and it often comes to mind this time of year. I thank my teachers who shared poetry with me at a young age.

The First of May

Annette Wynne

If I could stay up late no doubt

I'd catch the buds just bursting out;

And up from every hidden root

Would jump a tiny slender shoot;

I wonder how seeds learn the way,

They always know the very day—

The pretty, happy first of May;

If I could stay up then, no doubt

I'd catch the buds just bursting out.

Warm spring wishes to each of you!

Dana

Dana Thorp Patterson, Director

dthorppatterson@boisestate.edu

Pack Your Parachute:

Tech Tip of the Month

We want to pack your parachute! As a way of showing our appreciation for the support of our Osher members, the Osher staff will be answering common questions and providing helpful tips on various topics.

This month, we have the answer to a common question members ask when they receive their recording link:

"How can I find the handouts from a recording

of a course or lecture?"

You can find the instructor's handouts within the recordings themselves. Once a recording is clicked into and opened, the handout will appear to the right of the video recording on your screen.

Handouts that are multiple pages can be scrolled through with your mouse wheel. The "+" and "-" symbols above the document allow you to zoom in and out of it. On the upper right side of the document, you can click on the Down Arrow icon to download the handout and the Printer icon to print it.

On the left side of the handout, you may see a small list of images displaying the document's pages. To hide this image list, click the Three Horizontal Lines icon on the upper left of the handout window.

To hide the handout and make the recording full screen, select the Square icon in the upper right side of the video's window. To bring the handout back into view, click on the Inverted Square icon in the upper right side of the screen.

Thank You, Volunteers!

Even though many of our volunteer activities have been put on hold due to the pandemic, we would like to thank our committees that have been working behind the scenes on a variety of tasks to help plan for future semesters.

This month, our thanks go to Walt Thode, Merilee Marsh, Barbara Olic-Hamilton, and Carolyn Wolfe on the Catalog Proofreading Committee for their keen proofreading eagle eyes on the draft of our upcoming Fall 2021 catalog.

We also want to thank the five Curriculum Track Committee members for generating a robust list of course and presenter ideas at the All-Track Committee meeting in April.

We are hopeful that next semester will bring renewed opportunities for volunteering at the Osher Institute. Please watch your email and future issues of this newsletter for updates.

May Virtual Social Hours

Grab a beverage and join us for an Osher Virtual Social Hour on Zoom! Our purpose is to connect with you and Osher members while providing an opportunity to connect with one another. We will also give updates on Osher activities and meet a special guest.

The last social hours of the Spring 2021 semester will be held from

12-1 p.m. on Wednesdays, May 5 and May 19. An email with the link to join will be sent out the day before the meeting date.

If you need assistance joining the Zoom meeting, please contact the Osher office at

(208) 426-6554.

Fall 2021 Catalog Update

The Osher Fall 2021 catalog will be mailed to members

and posted on the Osher website on TUESDAY, JULY 6.

Registration for the Fall semester will open the same day.

Highlights from the Fall 2021 semester include:

Lectures on Polly Bemis, gray wolf management, submarine volcanoes, allergies, domestic terrorism, chamber music, monarch butterflies, and Idaho's Constitution.

Short courses on Vardis Fisher, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, climate change, Leonardo da Vinci, space weather, and the early American West.

The return of several favorite Osher presenters, including Dr. Richard Bell, Dr. Pei-Lin Yu, Ralph Bild, and Dr. Laura Jenski.

And much, much more!

We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our Curriculum Committees each semester to provide us with a list of high-quality programs spanning a variety of topics.

PLEASE NOTE: If you've received recent promotional mailings from The Great Courses Plus, please disregard them. We will be offering the option for a discounted subscription again in the Fall 2021 semester.

Thank you in advance for renewing your membership and supporting the Osher Institute!

Please watch your email and future issues of this newsletter for information regarding a return to seated and/or hybrid classes.

Osher-Sponsored Event

City Club of Boise's 4th Annual Marilyn Shuler

Human Rights Forum

Whitney Mestelle, Co-founder and Executive Director, Inclusive Idaho; Estefania Mondragon, Executive Director, PODER of Idaho; and Dan Prinzing, PhD, Executive Director, Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

Tuesday, May 4, at 12 p.m.

For more information and to register, click here.

Campus Food Pantry Update

The Boise State Campus Food Pantry has successfully secured funding through the Associated Students of Boise State University (ASBSU) to purchase a commercial refrigerator and other operational equipment. The funding will allow the Pantry to being offering perishable food for the Fall 2021 semester.

The Pantry is also in need of the following specific items:

Pasta-Roni
Instant mashed potatoes
Instant rice
Toilet paper
Full-sized shampoo and conditioner

For more information about the Pantry, to schedule a donation drop-off time, or to make a financial donation, click here.

Osher Office Holiday Closure

The Osher office will be closed for the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 31.

Starting on Tuesday, June 1, the Osher staff will be working from home through June and July.

If you have any questions during this time, please feel free to email osher@boisestate.edu or call (208) 426-6554.

Our thanks for the continued support from our Community Sponsors and Partners:

‌

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University

Phone: (208) 426-OLLI (6554)

Email: osher@boisestate.edu

Website: boisestate.edu/osher

The Osher Lifelong Learning 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 programs for intellectually curious adults age 50 and over.

Osher Institute Advisory Board

Chair: Merilee Marsh | Past Chair: Ben Simko | Cindy Anson | Ralph Bild | Russ Centanni

Sharon Moses | Rainey Pieters | Virginia Rivers | Chuck Robertson

Osher Institute Staff

Director: Dana Thorp Patterson | Program Coordinator: Laura Mehlhaff

Communications Specialist: Jill Chmelko | Administrative Assistant: Jeremy Trent

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