The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida State University will introduce its fall semester curriculum of classes and activities from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center, 555 W. Pensacola St.
Aimed at mature learners, OLLI classes to be offered this fall cover history and current events, humanities, personal enrichment and science and technology, along with a wide range of other topics. There are no educational prerequisites, no grades, no tests, no required homework or reading — just learning for the love of learning.
Nearly 1,200 Tallahassee residents have enrolled in OLLI over the past year. Among them are FSU President Emeritus Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte and his wife, Patsy Palmer, who took Professor Emeritus Jim Jones’ popular courses on the Civil War. During OLLI’s fall semester Jones will offer a class on World War II in Europe.
Other FSU faculty members who will be OLLI instructors during the six-week fall semester, which begins Monday, Sept. 28, include Horst Wahl, professor and chair of the Department of Physics. Wahl’s course is titled, “Einstein’s Legacy — Would the World Now Be Different if Albert Einstein Had Never Lived?”
Geoffrey Thomas, FSU teaching professor of anthropology, and Katie Miyar of the National Park Service will offer “Osteology: Tales from the Dead.” Professor Emeritus Bruce Bickley will teach a class on William Faulkner’s short fiction. Ken Brummel-Smith, the Charlotte Edwards Maguire Professor of Geriatrics at the FSU College of Medicine, has named his class, “There’s Only One Thing in Life You Can’t Avoid — and It’s Not Taxes.”
The full schedule of 40 classes, taught by instructors from FSU, plus FAMU and TCC faculty, as well as community experts, is available online at www.olli.fsu.edu.
The showcase will feature Scott Atwell, president and CEO of the FSU Alumni Association, along with instructors introducing their classes. OLLI’s extensive offerings, clubs and activities will also be on display.
Among the semester’s many offerings, President John Thrasher will speak at OLLI’s Tuesday noon speaker series on Monday, Nov. 2, in the Broad Auditorium, 636 W. Call St.
The fee for annual membership, which covers fall and spring terms, as well as a three-week May semester is $110. Per-semester membership is $60 for fall and spring. Most class fees range from $35 to $60. Membership is required prior to registering for classes.
Registration for classes begins at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, online at www.olli.fsu.edu.
Free, convenient parking will be provided. For more information, visit www.olli.fsu.edu or call (850) 644-7947.