In This Issue: Osher Office Updates | Casual Coffee Social | New Osher Travel Opportunities! | Member Spotlight: Paul Werner | Steve Thaxton Interview on Idaho Matters | Presenter Spotlight: Dr. Libby Lunstrum | Osher Programs in the Spotlight | SIGS in the News | Archived Osher Programs | Upcoming Partnership and Community Events | Campus Food Pantry Donations | Daylight Saving Time

As a reminder, the Osher office will be closed for a lunch break Monday through Friday from noon to 1:00 p.m.

During Spring Break week, the Osher office will be open Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You may contact the staff at osher@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-6554. On Friday, March 22, the Osher office will be closed.

Join us for our next Casual Coffee Social on Tuesday, March 12, at the Yanke building, Room 510! Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. for members to mingle and get acquainted. At 12:10 p.m., we will have a brief program including guest speaker Jodi Eichelberger, Director of Programming at Surel's Place. Afterwards, members are welcome to enjoy refreshments provided by the Osher Baker's Dozen and continue their social visits until 1:30 p.m. We hope to see you there!

We've added new travel opportunities to our partnership with Collette Travel for 2025!

Majestic Cities of Central and Eastern Europe (May 18-31, 2025)

Featuring Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, and Krakow

Discover the Best of Eastern Canada (August 7-15, 2025)

Featuring Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Montreal

Christmas on the Danube (December 3-11, 2025)

Featuring a six-night Danube River cruise

If you are interested in learning more about the Ireland, European Christmas Markets, and Southeast Asia trips that are available in 2024 and 2025, view the Collette Travel Information Session recording hosted by Andy Boone.

This month, our Member Spotlight shines on Paul Werner.

Paul has been an Osher member for 12 years. He says, "There are numerous lifetime reading plans listing books that every person is supposed to have read. When I first joined Osher, my idea was to fill in the gaps in my education with the classics I had missed. From ancient Greece to the United Kingdom through the centuries, from New England to the Pacific Northwest, Osher has given me the chance to catch up on the many authors I had neglected. And I can’t forget the Hemingway classes."



Although he was not a founding member, early on Paul joined a writing group that had spun off from an Osher class, and they still meet every month. He's also taken many excellent Osher writing courses over the years, the first one taught by Boise State alumni JR Walsh. Paul doesn't consider himself a history buff, but he has been fascinated by the historical classes about the Constitution, the Civil War, the World Wars, Jews, Muslims, China, Japan, and Idaho politicians and minorities.

One of Paul's favorite Osher experiences was the geological tour across Idaho to Yellowstone and back. He is grateful for the ways Osher has enriched his life. Outside of Osher, he enjoys walking along the Boise River to clear his mind, going to plays on Broadway, and watching the sunrise over the ocean on Kauai.

We had a wonderful site visit by Steve Thaxton, the Executive Director of the Osher National Resource Center, in February! While here, he spent time with the Osher Advisory Board and the Osher staff; held a town-hall style session for some Osher stakeholders at Boise State; and was a featured guest at the Casual Coffee Social. In addition, Steve stopped by Boise State Public Radio to share his expertise about Osher Institutes across the nation and also our very own Osher Institute. Listen to Steve's interview on Idaho Matters with Gemma Gaudette. Thanks to you and the NRC for all you do for Osher Institutes around the country, Steve!

Our March Presenter Spotlight shines on Dr. Libby Lunstrum. She will be presenting the lecture "National Parks After Dispossession: The Return of Buffalo" on Wednesday, March 13, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Originally from Boise, Dr. Lunstrum is a fourth-generation Idahoan as part of a dairy and cattle ranching family in Canyon and Payette counties. She has three kids who are obsessed with Broncos football games, and two cats. She obtained her PhD in Geography from the University of Minnesota.

Some of Dr. Lunstrum's favorite topics to teach are on environmental studies, and she is the coordinator for Boise State's Introduction to the Environment course, which provides students with a broad understanding of environmental issues from social-scientific and policy perspectives. She also teaches upper-division courses on global environmental change and Indigenous approaches to environmental issues.

Much of Dr. Lunstrum's research was involved with Southern Africa, and she's excited to share comparisons with what's happening there and in the Intermountain West. She has been working on a project with the Blackfoot Confederacy over the past few years, and her Osher lecture will be one of the first public presentations on their research. She's grateful to share her work with Osher members.

If you would like to register for Dr. Lunstrum's lecture, visit the Log In/Register Online page, or call Customer Services at (208) 426-1709.

From Grape to Bottle: An In-Depth Look at Wine Production

(In Person Only)

Presenter: Riley Gorman

Dates and times: Fri., Mar. 8 and 15, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Cost: $25

A Modern Masterpiece: The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis

(In Person Only)

Presenter: Dr. Jon Fennell

Dates and times: Wed., Apr. 3, 10,

and 17,10:00 a.m.-noon

Cost: $35

The Four Basic Questions of Philosophy (Livestream Only)

Presenter: Dr. Vincent Coppola

Dates and times: Mon., Apr. 1 and 8,

10:00 a.m.-noon

Cost: $25

Food and Dairy Innovation Center

Presenter: Dr. Owen McDougal

Date and time: Wed., Apr. 3,

1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Cost: Included with membership

To register for these programs, visit the Log In/Register online page, or call Customer Services at (208) 426-1709.

AVAILABLE NOW!

If you can't find your printed copy

of the Osher Spring 2024 catalog, we've got you covered! Now you can view a flip catalog on the

Browse Curriculum page on our website;

just click on the orange button that says

"Download printable Spring 2024 catalog (PDF)."

The Personal Writing SIG welcomes the opportunity to share selected works of its members. This month's featured writing is from SIG member Celeste Miller.

Celeste is an Idaho lawyer who joined Osher after retiring from a fulfilling 38-year career as both a civil and criminal litigator in private and government practices. Celeste and her husband, Joe, raised a family in Boise and are fortunate to be surrounded by their own as well as numerous extended family members. Celeste’s primary focus in Osher has been on writing programs, including the Personal Writing SIG, where stories of her life-long experiences and events are prompted out of her by the group facilitators.  

You can read Celeste's piece Where to Spawn on Osher on Demand.

Did you miss a great program from last semester? No worries! You can register on the Log In/Register Online page to view the following archived programs:

• The Economics of Inequality
• The Current and Future Healthcare Workforce Challenges in Idaho
• ChatGPT and Large Language Models: What Are They?
• The 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory
• America's Hidden History in Asia
• Smokejumping: A Different Way to Fight Fire
• Alzheimer's Disease: Prevention, Early Diagnosis and Management
• You at 100: Exploring the Science of Nutrition and Longevity
• The History of the Idaho Candy Company
• The American West: Land, Myths, Government and Identity
• How the War in Ukraine is Reshaping Our World

First Friday Astronomy Lecture

Plumes and Spiders in the Laboratory: Insights for Surface Processes on Mars and Europa

Dr. Lauren McKeown, JPL, Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Friday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.

Boise State University Education Building, Room 112, and via Zoom

To join the livestream, visit First Friday Astronomy.

Organ Recital With Amelie Held

Saturday, March 2, 6:00 p.m.

Boise State University Hemingway Center

For more information, visit the Hemingway Center.

City Club of Boise Forum

Hidden Histories: A Chinese Story in Idaho With Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Tuesday, March 5, 11:45 a.m.

Idaho State Museum, 610 Julia Davis Dr., Boise

For more information and to register, visit City Club of Boise.

Fettucine Forum

Housing and Home in a Growing Boise

Dr. Krista Paulsen, Associate Professor of Urban Studies, School of Public Service, Boise State University

Thursday, March 7, 6:00 p.m.

Trailhead and via Zoom

For more information and to register for the livestream, visit Fettucine Forum.

Rhapsody Above the Blue

A Multimedia Big Band Dance Concert

Kings of Swing Big Band, The New Modernaires, Paul Schiller, and more

Saturday, March 9, 7:30 p.m.

Boise State University Albertsons Stadium, Stueckle Sky Center

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit rhapsody.simpletix.com.

Distinguished Lecture Series

The Meltdown of the University and Ideas for Rebuilding It

Jonathan Haidt, Social Psychologist, Stern School of Business, New York University

Wednesday, March 13, 7:00 p.m.

Boise State University Morrison Center

For more information, visit Distinguished Lecture Series.

Idea of Nature Lecture Series

Over the Adventure Gap

James Edward Mills, Freelance journalist and mountain guide

Thursday, March 28, 6:00 p.m.

Boise State Student Union Jordan Ballroom and via Zoom

Sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

For more information and to register, visit The Idea of Nature.

Visit the Idea of Nature's Pony Up campaign to donate and support the program.

We appreciate your generosity in helping Boise State students by donating to the Campus Food Pantry! You may drop off your non-perishable donations in the bin in the Yanke building lobby.

Here are the most-requested donation items:

PB & J | Canned meats | Cereal | Mac 'n cheese

The Pantry is in need of volunteers on Tuesday through Friday to assist them with smaller deliveries, restocking, and completing routine tasks. If you are interested, you may fill out the Campus Food Pantry Volunteer Form.

For more information, visit the Campus Food Pantry website.

Remember to turn your clocks ahead

one hour on Saturday night, March 9!

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 designed for intellectually curious adults age 50 and over.



Support the Osher Institute here.

Osher Institute Advisory Board

Chair: Cindy Anson | Chair Elect: Bae Emilson | Tom Baerwald | Michael Bixby

Chuck Folkner | Bob Fontaine | Dennis Hall | Rod McLean | Sharon Moses

Rainey Pieters | Dr. Chuck Robertson | Diane Ronayne

Osher Institute Staff

Director: Dana Thorp-Patterson | Assistant Director: Laura Mehlhaff

Senior Communications Specialist: Jill Chmelko

Administrative Assistant II: Cherie Ellingson

Student Office Assistant: Priscilla Gallardo