A popular, long-standing education program for seniors in Central Oregon recently expanded its offerings to Larkspur Community Center, home of the Bend Senior Center. This location has brought several positive benefits to the program including enhanced convenience due to the seamless transition between physical activity and intellectual stimulation, and providing much needed opportunities for social interaction and community building in our post-pandemic world.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Oregon (OLLI-UO) is part of a national network of university-based learning communities geared towards adults aged fifty and better that offers noncredit college-level courses, lectures, study/discussion groups, and social events. OLLI-UO has offered intellectually curious seniors a pathway to engagement in educational and social opportunities since the mid-1990s. OLLI-UO’s location in Central Oregon was founded in 2003, making 2023 its 20th anniversary.

OLLI-UO member Wendy, 67, says “With memberships to both OLLI and Bend Parks and Rec, I find it very convenient to be able to attend an interesting educational class offered by OLLI, and then workout or attend a yoga class at the lovely Larkspur facility.” Member Bonnie Campbells, 80, adds “I don’t have to decide if I am going to exercise my mind or my body, I can do both in the same location.” Bonnie also enjoys learning outside the classroom and is heading up an OLLI field trip later this spring that will explore the volcanic deposits throughout Central Oregon, led by a UO geosciences instructor.

Local members continue to benefit from the enhanced technology developed during the pandemic for program delivery across the state. Many classes still have a hybrid component with some participants sitting in a classroom in Bend, Portland, or Eugene, and others tuning in from the comfort of their home via Zoom. One recent Thursday morning, an in-person audience at Larkspur Community Center in Bend watched Bill Taliaferro, who is a favorite lecturer and member of OLLI-UO’s location in Eugene. Bill came to OLLI-UO in 2015 after a second career serving with the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer and has been leading OLLI members in The Persian Empire, a twelve-week course showcasing the remarkable achievements and lasting legacies of the Persian civilization.

Longtime OLLI-UO member Helen Pruitt, 92, affectionately referred to as the “matriarch” of this learning institute by her peers, has been part of OLLI-UO in Central Oregon since its inception. Helen discovered the nascent learning community after retiring from 20 years at Central Oregon Community College. Helen muses on the transition of OLLI-UO through the pandemic and the continued evolution since. While she is thankful for Zoom and all the programming possibilities it offers, she is very much looking forward to a purely in-person class this spring from a guest lecturer in our community on Comparative Religions. Participants in this course will take a diverse look at global faiths around the world through readings and discussion over the course of eight weeks.

OLLI-UO in Central Oregon member Maggi Machala, 72, challenges herself by taking and facilitating classes in subjects that are entirely new to her. This coming spring, she plans to co-lead a class titled Music as a Mirror of History. Maggi and her husband Tom moved to Bend in 2009 for jobs in public health. About seven years ago, while “slowing from warp to retirement speed,” they discovered OLLI-UO and thought it was just the breath of fresh air they needed. The lifelong learning organization provided opportunities for both learning and meeting a new group of interesting people. “No matter the topic, there always seemed to be an OLLI member who had expertise in the area!” she shares. Maggi values the history classes because, she says, “studying the past is fascinating, but it also helps me understand the present.”

To find out more about OLLI-UO, Central Oregon residents have an opportunity to attend a free Experience OLLI-UO event from 10:00–11:30 a.m., on Wednesday, March 13, at the Deschutes Public Library in Downtown Bend. More information on OLLI-UO and a list of Central Oregon offerings can be found at osher.uoregon.edu.