Wonderings

A publication of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at MSU

"We’ve learned some of the best courses we’ve taken were topics we didn’t know anything about and didn’t think we’d like!”

-Member Participant

Why Should You Register for Free OLLI Programs?

Fall semester 2024 registration opens August 29 at 10:00 a.m.

OLLI at MSU offers over 50 programs each semester, and more than half of those programs are free to current OLLI members. Registering for free programs allows our office to send helpful program reminders, notifications about changes due to weather or other unforeseen issues, venue information, and sometimes even extra content from the speakers!

Members who register also receive an end-of-program evaluation so they can make their voices heard. We share registration numbers, your feedback and kudos with our speaker and program committee members. This feedback helps shape future programs to meet member interests and needs.

Each year, OLLI at MSU reports to its benefactor, the Bernard Osher Foundation, on member numbers, engagement, interests and how we serve our OLLI at MSU community.

This year, please register for free member programs such as the Speaker Series and Belgrade Community Library!

Jessica Alvarez

Program Coordinator

OLLI at MSU

We invite you to the OLLI at MSU Fall Semester Reception!

Get ready for an evening of connection, discovery, and celebration! We’re thrilled to invite you to the OLLI at MSU Fall Semester Reception, a vibrant social gathering where lifelong learners from across the Gallatin Valley and beyond come together.

• Engage with the passionate instructors who will be guiding our exciting fall courses.
• Get the scoop on upcoming OLLI programs and find your next intellectual adventure.
• Enjoy delicious refreshments and light appetizers as you mingle and meet new fellow members.
• Don’t miss our special video showcase featuring dynamic presentations from our fall semester course instructors.

Share the excitement and invite a friend to this informative social outing on Thursday, August 22, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church (new location).

If you want to volunteer at the reception, please reply to this email. Tasks include setup, hosting the food or drink tables, greeting, information table and other critical tasks.

We can’t wait to see you there and kick off the fall semester in style!

The Fall Semester Reception will take place on August 22 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Hope Lutheran Church. We will not accept program registrations at the reception. Registration will open on August 29 at 10:00 a.m.

Sneak Peek at September Programs

Full program details will be available on the OLLI at MSU offerings page August 14. Registration opens August 29 at 10:00 a.m. We encourage you to register online.

• Speaker Series - Why Did the Supreme Court DO That?! with Susan Dana. Monday, September 9, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
• Course - Les Davis: Search For the First Montanans with Daniel Smith. Tuesdays and Fridays, September 10 - 27, 10:00 a.m. - noon. Face-to-face.
• How It's Made - Béquet Confections, Wednesday, September 11, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. Face-to-face.
• OLLI Extra - Historic Helena and Capitol Tour, Thursday, September 12, 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Face-to-face.
• Course - The Baltic Countries: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with Asya Pereltsvaig. Thursdays, September 12 - October 24 (no class Sept 26), 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Online via Zoom.
• Speaker Series - OLLI Shorts with members like you! Monday, September 16, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
• How It's Made - Towne's Harvest Garden, Tuesday, September 17, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Face-to-face.
• Course - How to be a Birder with Ashley Martens. Wednesdays, September 18 - October 9, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. with an optional field trip Friday, October 4, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Face-to-face.
• Course - The Montana Medicine Show: Frontier to Modern Times with Derek Strahn. Thursdays, September 19 - October 31 (no class October 17), 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
• OLLI Extra - Nature's Calendar: The Phenology of Autumn with Cedar Mathers-Winn. Friday, September 20, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
• Speaker Series - A Brief History of Montana's Historic Highways with Jon Axline. Monday, September 23, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
• OLLI Extra - Nurturing the Soul Through Creative Collaging with Jill Davis. Tuesdays, September 24 - October 29, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Face-to-face.
• OLLI Extra - Machines That Make: Demystifying Generative AI Technology with Jason Clark. Wednesdays, September 25 - October 2, 10:00 a.m. - noon. Face-to-face.
• 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.

Learning Opportunities for Everyone - Feed your curiosity at a price that works for you!

We strive to keep member participation affordable so everyone 50 years of age and better can engage with us in lifelong learning. We also understand that program or event fees can sometimes be prohibitive. Therefore, OLLI at MSU offers 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.

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.

Late Summer Reads

Registration opens August 29 at 10:00 a.m.

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.

OLLI Mystery Book Discussion Group

Mistress of the Art of Death

Ariana Franklin

October 1,

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Online via Zoom

OLLI Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group

True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America

Betsy Gaines Quammen

September 16,

1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom

OLLI at MSU Book Discussion Group

Dreams of My Russian Summers

Anreï Makine

October 7,

3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Face-to-face

Hope Lutheran Church

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.

Native Food History Lecture with former OLLI presenter Mariah Gladstone of Indigikitchen. Thursday, August 8, 6:00 p.m. Museum of the Rockies, Hager Auditorium. During her lively talk, Mariah Gladstone, who is of Blackfeet and Cherokee descent, will explain traditional Indigenous food systems and the negative impacts of their destruction on the health of Native peoples and the environment. She will also discuss how reconnecting with traditional foods can improve physical, mental, and emotional health and provide creative ideas for using Native foods. Click or tap here to purchase tickets.

2024 MSU Move-In and Convocation Saturday, August 17 through Monday, August 19, times optional. Montana State University is preparing to kick off MSU Debut 2024 with Move-In Weekend and various welcome events for our students. Festivities begin with Move-In Weekend, Saturday, August 17 - Monday, August 19, when we open our campus to first-year students and their families. This is a special opportunity for members of our community to come and welcome the next generation of Bobcats.

Economics in the 2024 Presidential Election Thursdays, August 22 - October 31, 12:15-1:05 p.m. 136 Animal Biosciences Building, and live streamed. This seminar course explores the economics of the policy positions of the 2024 presidential candidates on major issues ranging from climate to immigration to health care and beyond. Discussions will be led by faculty and experts from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics. The class will also explore the role of political and economic institutions in Democracy by reading and discussing one chapter from the book “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson. Click or tap here for schedule information.

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.