Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers Offers 120 Courses this Spring at Three Sites

Registration has begun for more than 120 courses in art, music, language and other interests for adults over 50 offered this spring at three sites in Central New Jersey by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers (OLLI-RU). 

In addition to its sites in Highland Park and Freehold, OLLI-RU programming now will be offered in Bridgewater through a new partnership with Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) that responds to the growing popularity of lifelong learning.

Classes will be offered in 5 and 10-week sessions from Feb. 22 through May 4 at RVCC@Bridgewater at 14 Vogt Drive; March 5 through May 8 at The Reformed Church of Highland Park, 19 S. 2nd Ave.; and March 8 through May 11 at the Western Monmouth Higher Education Center at Brookdale Community College, 3680 Route 9 South, in Freehold. 

Courses are designed to appeal to the diverse interests of adults over 50. Popular course areas include painting and drawing, film and theater, personal development, and computer and social media skills. New courses are being offered this session in astronomy, history, music, current
affairs and recreation.

The noncredit courses are taught by current and retired instructors from area colleges, including Rutgers and RVCC, and high schools. There are no grades or tests, and a college degree is not required to enroll.

The complete catalog and course descriptions along with registration information can be found online at olliru.rutgers.edu. For a print catalog, send email to olliru@docs.rutgers.edu, or call 732-932-7233, ext. 4200.  Information about RVCC’s lifelong learning programs also may be found at www.raritanval.edu/lifelonglearning.

OLLI-RU is a unit of Rutgers’ Division of Continuing Studies. The program was established by Rutgers in 1993 in The Reformed Church of Highland Park. The Freehold location was added in 2006.

In its 19 years, OLLI-RU has grown from 75 students and eight courses to 1,772 students enrolled in 96 classes at two sites in Fall 2011.

OLLI-RU receives funding from the Bernard Osher Foundation, which was established in 1977 to benefit a wide range of educational and cultural activities. Osher, a Maine native and San Francisco resident, is a successful businessman, community leader and a patron of the arts and education. His wife, the Honorable Barbro (cq) Osher, consul general of Sweden in San Francisco, serves as chair of the foundation.