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OLLI
E-News
#2-12 of January 13, 2012
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LIFELONG
LEARNING AROUND THE WORLD
From the executive director
MOST PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED when
they realize that there are now 120 different "OLLIs" in the United
States, each affiliated with a different four-year institution of
higher learning. In addition, there are hundreds of other institutes
not affiliated with The Bernard Osher Foundation. Although organized
and run differently, each institute pursues learning for sheer pleasure
for older adults.
The lifelong learning movement is also growing
rapidly throughout the world. Rick Swindell from Australia introduced
his recent compilation of information about the "University of the
Third Age" movement with this overview:
Two
distinctly different approaches to Universities of the Third Age have
been successfully adopted by many countries. However, there is
considerable variation within each of these approaches. The original
French model (UTA) involved teaching and learning taking place in
traditional university systems. In contrast, the British model, also
called the self-help U3A model, which developed some years later, is
run entirely by retired volunteers, often in low cost or highly
subsidized community premises, with little or no support from formal
education providers. Other approaches, which incorporate some of the
features of each of these "parent" models, have evolved over the years
to suit local conditions.
If you'd like to learn about various models in
countries all over the world, check out the article here.
PROGRAM CORNER
Need for program volunteers
 By Kathryn
Russell,
Program Committee Chair
LAST WEEK'S E-NEWS ARTICLE by
Thom Clement describes with great clarity a central feature of OLLI:
volunteerism. We are truly a "cooperative" that depends largely on
member volunteers to create and sustain our fabulous program. Program
planners are looking for some of the untapped talent and energy among
our almost-1,000 members, as we know there must be many folks who are
willing to share their expertise with others.
We have many needs for program volunteers,
some requiring a small amount of time and others a larger commitment.
Consider these possibilities:
- Coordinating courses and special events:
Individually or in groups, volunteers contact instructors and maintain
communication with them.
- Teaching or leading a discussion:
You can create your own format—team-teach, help with a group
discussion, or teach individually.
- Attending resource group meetings:
These groups are the heart and soul of our OLLI program. They meet two
or three times a year to brainstorm ideas and choose courses to develop
for upcoming terms.
- Leading a resource group: Leaders
conduct the subject-area groups that are responsible for implementing
courses. Most resource groups have multiple leaders. Currently our most
critical need is a leader for the Science, Technology and Health
Resource Group.
- Helping teachers with audiovisual or
computer tasks: This is a great way to use your tech skills!
- Helping teachers to research topics for
upcoming classes: This may involve library or online research.
- Contacting potential volunteers:
Join a small group of people to contact members who have indicated an
interest in volunteering at OLLI.
- Maintaining the program bulletin board:
Lots of room for creative spirits here!
I can think of so many rewards for becoming an
OLLI program volunteer. Volunteers often speak of the personal
satisfaction that comes from sharing their talents with appreciative
OLLI audiences. And they enjoy the camaraderie of their peers who share
common interests – forging friendships along the way.
If you haven't yet found a volunteer niche at
OLLI, I hope you'll consider becoming a program volunteer. The rewards
are endless. For more information, contact me via email or one of the
resource group leaders listed in the front of the OLLI catalog and on
the website's Organization
page.
Registration has reopened for non-closed
courses
BELOW
IS THE LIST of closed
winter courses. All other
courses are still available
for you to sign up. Many courses
are not
full, and it's not too late to sign up ... preferably online (see note
below) or otherwise by filling in a Change of Schedule
Request form in the office or by emailing
the
office with your request.
Pending your receipt of confirmation of
requested courses and events, you can find out now which are confirmed.
Simply go to your My Schedule page
(log-in required), and the courses you selected are shown as either Confirmed or Waitlisted.
| CLOSED WINTER COURSES AND EVENTS |
Tallwood
F103 Play Something Country
F301 The Burden of Victory: Postwar Europe
F302 The Civil War, 1862–1863: Progress in the West
F304 World War II Along the Southern Shore of the Baltic Sea
F308 Russia Study Group
F309 Walls in the Age of Globalization
F310 China: From the Boxer Rebellion to the Triumph of Mao
F401 Readers' Theater
F402 A Modern Classic – Howard’s End
F404 Poetry Workshop
F601 Religions of Asia
F651 Technology, Culture, Social Networks and the Arab Spring
F654 The Year 1610, Part III (canceled)
F655 Aesop's Fables
F701 What's in the Daily News?
F702 The Afghan War: Two Years into the Surge
F801 Hospice and End-of-Life Issues
F802 The Internet Cloud
F901 Comfort Foods
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Reston
R407 The Poetry of Angst
R409 Literary Roundtable
R411 Movies That Are Not Quite Musicals
R703 All the News That's Fit to Print
Loudoun
L311 Government and Politics in Ancient Rome
L313 Transportation Innovations that Changed History
L318 Colonialism in India
L805 George Mason's Library Online
Special Events
955 Trip Tales: Israel
956 Living in Hungary: A New Culture, A New Language
957 Semper Paratus: The History of the U.S. Coast Guard
958 Introduction to Humanism
960 To Read or Not to Read: So What's the Question?
961 INOVA's Simulation Center
962 Tour and Lunch at Clyde's Willow Creek Farm
963 Valentine's Tea at Oatlands Plantation
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Note
about
adding and
withdrawing. We encourage
you
to add or
withdraw from courses using the online registration system at the Member
Portal.
- To
ADD a
course:
after
logging in, click the Courses menu and select Register/Add Course; on
the OLLI Registration Page, select the desired course(s), and click
Submit.
- To
WITHDRAW from a course:
after logging in, click the Courses menu and select Drop a Course; on
the Withdraw page, select the course or special event from which you
want to withdraw, and then click the Withdraw button at the bottom.
Remember
that you
may also
update your personal info such as postal address, phone number, email
address, license tag and opting out of the printed catalog ("No
Catalog") through
this online system (click Membership/Edit Personal Info).
You must
first create a user account before attempting
changes. Follow the instructions on the Member Portal or refer
to page 41 of the winter catalog. Please
contact the staff by email
or phone (703-503-3384) if you need assistance in setting up your
user account.
OLLI Hot Breakfast Special a sold-out
success
 By Barbara Cereghino, OLLI
E-News staff writer
Top photo: buffet lineup; bottom photo:
poet Mike McNamara, standing at right. Banner image at top of this
issue: the breakfast chef and her assistants – from left, Janet
Cochran, Ernestine Meyer, Jeanne Rush, Chef Debbie Halverson, Bill
Reader, Rita Flickinger and Beverley Persell (not pictured, Bennie
Meyer and Bob Persell). Photos by Dan Feighery.
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AT 10:00 ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, a large group of
OLLI friends enjoyed a mid-term breakfast smorgasbord at the Tallwood
campus. OLLI Chef Debbie Halverson prepared an amazing feast for 45.
More would have loved to participate but there wasn't enough room, so
the registration had to be restricted to those who signed up earliest!
The menu included goodies such as biscuits and
sausage gravy, a variety of egg and cheese dishes, fruit, apple sauce,
gingerbread, doughnut holes, muffins, coffee, tea and juices.
Entertainment was provided by Mike McNamara, who read several original
poems with culinary themes! A hearty thanks is owed to Debbie, Mike and
numerous assistants identified in the photo caption above. Debbie was
heard saying that if everyone enjoyed the
breakfast, she might be willing to do it again in about five years! In
the meantime, her breakfast recipes are posted on DocStore ( click
here).
OLLI members are encouraged to read and
participate in the OLLI Foodie Blog
( click here), which
Debbie describes as a place to share recipes, cooking tips,
restaurant reviews, food-themed poetry, etc.
Back
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RED ALERT
Entertainment volunteers needed for
Valentine Party
 By Kisses the Klown (a.k.a. Carolyn Sanders, Member
Services Committee)
HELP!
FAST! The annual OLLI Valentine Party will be at 1:00 on Friday,
February 10 (mark your calendars), and Manny is only going to sing one
song. We need
more entertainment volunteers soon. We're looking for
instrumental musicians, singers, poets, trapeze artists, jugglers,
whatever. Manny and I cannot carry the whole show ourselves – even with
the OLLI Players doing some drama stuff. If you can help,
contact Wendy
Campbell
ASAP!
ATTENTION CLASS LIAISONS
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For the winter term
THANKS
TO ALL OF YOU who noted in your
registrations that you would be willing to be a liaison in one or more
of your classes. If you checked the L
box, please watch your email for confirmation of the class (or classes)
for which you have been selected to serve as liaison. For classes where
no offer was made, we are currently calling members of those classes to
ask them to serve as liaisons. If you are called, we hope you will
consider this most important job as an opportunity to join the
dedicated core of OLLI volunteers who ensure that our OLLI classes run
smoothly and our members are kept up-to-date on news and important
events.
Liaisons selected for the winter classes will
receive all relevant materials next week by email. These materials will
include:
- A
letter of thanks that indicates the class for which you have been asked
to be the liaison and a description of the course as shown in the
catalog.
- A
separate email will include "The
Guidelines" – detailing your responsibilities. Please read carefully!
Of
particular
importance, you should inform the teacher or class coordinator
before classes begin that you will be the liaison. If a class
has a coordinator, determine whether the liaison or coordinator will
introduce the speaker. Note: There
will not be an orientation meeting, so
if you have questions after reading "The Guidelines," please contact
one of the liaison chairs.
Each Friday during the term, you will
receive by email The OLLI
Communicator – telling you the important announcements to make
in class the following week.
Many thanks in advance for your contributions
to the OLLI program!
-- Contributed by liaison chairs Kathy Breen and Mary Ann Seesholtz
(Loudoun), Janet Cochran (Reston) and Martha Scanlon (Fairfax).
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Back
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 THE
TOM SWIFT SQUAD
NEEDS YOU!
Interested in technology? Learn with us.
OLLI'S
AUDIOVISUAL SUPPORT COMMITTEE (a.k.a.
The Tom Swift Squad) is looking for additional volunteers to help
ensure the smooth employment of OLLI's audiovisual resources. Our
primary
mission is to help instructors, liaisons and staff with any audiovisual
issues
that might arise during the classes we attend.
We'll be
meeting at 1:00 on
Wednesday, January 18 – location will be noted on the Tallwood class
board. We'll be training on OLLI's classroom audiovisual
equipment in preparation for the winter term.
Please let
me know if you're planning to
attend or would like to become a "Swiftie" even if you can't
attend
this meeting. Contact me by email
(preferred) or phone (703-860-9246).
For more
information on the Audiovisual Support Committee, see its web
page.
Back
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Sat, Jan 21 – "The Public Library Today"
& Consumer Electronics Show review
 
Left,
the public
library; right, the Consumer Electronics Show.
OLLI'S
COMPUTER CLUB (the OLLI
Personal Computer User Group, or OPCUG) will meet on Saturday, January
21. Join us at 12:30 for soft drinks and socializing in the Tallwood
social room. Presentations will begin at 1:00 in TA-1. This month's
offerings will include the following.
- The Public Library
Today: Interface and Edifice by
Sam Clay, director of the Fairfax County Public Library. He notes: "In
the 21st century the public library provides an online interface with
its community while retaining its value as a place. We attract and
serve all – preschool kids, retired people, ESL, entrepreneurs and
more. Digital technology helps us be everywhere our users are. But,
public libraries are not new to the digital world. Our catalog has been
computerized for almost two decades. Computers began by empowering our
staff, and now they empower our customers. You can browse our catalog
from your iPhone, search online consumer and health information from
your home, and download eBooks and eAudiobooks to whatever device you
own. The future of the public library is in flux, but we remain
essential to our communities – both virtual and real."
- "Learn 30" – 2012 Consumer Electronics Show.
Geof Goodrum, president of the Washington Area Computer User Group,
reports after visiting the show. Hear about technology for home, car,
and office – what gadgets and gizmos, tablets, ultra-laptops, smart
phones, and silliness will wind up as the "must-haves" for the coming
year.
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OLLI
SPIRITWEAR
Click image or here to shop
Order
sweatshirts,
shirts, caps and tote bags with the OLLI/Mason logo
at any time directly from the vendor for delivery to your home. At the
store, click "OLLI-GMU Store" to see the pictures, then click on each
item
to see details. Note: The
pictures do not show our logo but it
will be embroidered on items that you order.
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OLLI FACEBOOK GROUP
Click
icon or here to
join
OLLI
members are
encouraged to join the OLLI Facebook group as
a means
of enhancing intra-OLLI communications. Recent articles: how to join;
how to post
photos. (The icon is also under the Quick
Links table
on our Home page and What's New page.) Note: Once you join the OLLI group,
you can access the group from your personal Facebook page by clicking
on "Groups" or "More" in the left-side navigation area. |
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Courtesy of the OLLI Poetry Workshop
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Afterward
There is Always Spring
After the land is bleak and barren
After the cold crashes on our bones
After the wicked wind whispers
Words of frozen fear
There is always spring.
After the most terrible war
When boys too young to shave go off to fight
After the deprivation, hunger
Even then, there is always spring.
After the hurricane rips out levees
And drowns our low-lying land
And lives are uprooted and torn
There is always spring.
When the ground is hard as granite
The energy in bulbs lies asleep beneath
And rises up like Lazarus
When the warm winds come
The energy is released.
There is always spring.
There is always spring.
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Back
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MASON ARTS AND
MUSIC
Upcoming Fairfax performances, Jan 13 - 22
 By
Jan Bohall, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
FOR
TICKETS, call
1-888-945-2468 or buy online
(phone and online orders are handled by
tickets.com; a service charge applies) or visit the Center for the Arts
Box Office, Tue-Sat,
10:00-6:00. More info on tickets is at the CFA tickets page.
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Passion
and Romance
Christopher
Zimmerman,
conducting
Guest
Artist: Sergey
Antonov, cello
Sat, Jan 14, 8:00
The
musical selections highlight the transition from Glazunov's romantic Chant du Ménéstrel
into the shattering intensity of his pupil Shostakovich's Symphony No.
11, surrounding the Cello Concerto in C by Haydn.
Admission: $55, $45, $25, ages 6-18 $5
Concert Hall
Come at 7:00 for an artistic discussion on Grand Tier III. |
 U.S. Navy Concert Band
Brian
Walden, conductor
Fri, Jan 20, 8:00
This concert band, the premier wind ensemble of the U.S. Navy, will
perform selected marches, patriotic songs, orchestral transcriptions
and modern wind ensemble repertoire.
Admission: Free, non-ticketed
Concert Hall
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Community Saxophone Choir
Sat, Jan 21, 7:30
Todd Morrison will conduct this saxophone group in a pre-concert
presentation.
Admission: Free, non-ticketed
Concert Hall Lobby
U.S. Navy Band Commodores
Sat, Jan 21, 8:00
The
Navy's premier jazz ensemble will present jazz, popular and patriotic
music, under the leadership of Philip Burlin.
Admission: Free, non-ticketed
Concert Hall
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American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
Daniel
Spalding,
conductor/music director
Guest
artist: Dotian
Levalier, harp
The
Human Spirit
Sun, Jan 22, 3:00
The
ensemble will perform Miguel del Aguila's The Giant Guitar; Mark
Adamo's Four Angels, Concerto for Harp and Orchestra; and Jean
Sibelius' Symphony No. 1 in E minor. Dotian Levalier is the principal
harpist of the National Symphony Orchestra.
Admission: $14
Free
tickets for those 18
and under will be available at the door
Note:
Ticketing info will read that this concert is at 1:00. The start time
has been moved to 3:00.
Concert Hall
An instrument petting zoo will be available after the concert.
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Other Mason events, next two weeks
 By Helen Ackerman, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
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>Men's Basketball Watch Party.
Come cheer on the Patriots as they take on their traditional rivals,
James Madison University. Discounted food specials will be available.
The Well ("Our Bar serves a broad selection of affordable wines by the
glass, fine spirits and a contemporary menu of small food plates"), The
Mason Inn. Sat, Jan 14, 7:00.
>Free
Trial Piano Class for Older Adults. If you have always wanted to
learn to play the piano, this is your chance. Potomac Arts Academy
invites all adults age 55+ to come try out the Beginning Piano for
Older Adults class for free. Check out the
class and socialize with other adults interested in exploring something
new and creative. Thu, Jan
26 at
10:30 and 6:00. 4260
Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax VA 22030 (directions).
For
details call 703-993-9889. Free parking close to the
building is available. |
 HYLTON
ARTS AND MUSICUpcoming Manassas performances, Jan 13 - 22
By
Sheri
Siesseger, OLLI
E-News Staff Writer
FOR
TICKETS,
call
1-888-945-2468 or click "Buy Tickets" at the event listing in the calendar
(phone and
online orders are handled by
tickets.com; a service charge applies) – or visit the box office in the
lobby of the Hylton
Performing
Arts Center on Mason's Prince William Campus in Manassas, Wed-Sat,
noon to 6:00. More info on tickets is at the ticket
purchase page. Note: Two OLLI
members have advised E-News that tickets for events at the Hylton
Performing
Arts Center in Manassas are also routinely available at the Center for
the Arts box office on the Fairfax campus, open Tue-Sat, 10:00-6:00.
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
Passion
and Romance
Sun, Jan 15, 3:00
Conducted by Christopher Zimmerman, the Symphony presents Glazunov's Chant du Ménéstrel,
Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major, and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11,
"The Year 1905." Cellist Sergey Antonov is the guest artist.
Admission: $25, $35, $45; children ages 6-18, $5
Merchant Hall
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Woodbridge Dance Company
A
Coffee House Concert Collection
Sat, Jan 21, 7:00
The
Company, composed of dancers and choreographers from the DC
Metropolitan area, specializes in contemporary dance styles, including
modern, jazz and hip-hop.
Admission: $25; seniors 65 and over, $20; ages 10 and under, $20
Merchant Hall
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COMING
ATTRACTIONS
Upcoming non-class events at
OLLI
THE
FOLLOWING LIST
covering
the next two weeks is extracted
for your
convenience from the master calendar maintained by the office, with
direct web links added when available. OLLI members are welcome at all
Board, committee and resource group meetings. For more activities
specifically related to the Loudoun
site, see Roberta Sherman's latest Loudoun
Notes (pdf). For
more activities
specifically related to the Reston
site, see Sharon Gilman's latest Eye on Reston (Word
document).
Note:
The below list is accurate as of mid-week but for the very latest
information, please see Upcoming
Non-Class Events to view the
real-time OLLI online
calendar maintained by
the office.
Back
to top
KEY
CONTACT
INFORMATION
How to contact OLLI
HERE
IS A READY REFERENCE
on
how to contact OLLI.
For email
addresses and phone numbers not listed below, please consult the online
Membership Directory (log in to Member
Portal).
About
OLLI E-News
and the
member/volunteers who
produce it
Rod
Zumbro
Editor |
Barbara Kyriakakis
Associate
Editor |
Ernestine Meyer
Backup
Editor
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Review Team: Gordon
Canyock,
Barbara Kyriakakis, John West
Database
Manager: Barbara
Kyriakakis
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- About
this newsletter.
OLLI's
weekly newsletter, OLLI
E-News,
is
emailed
to
current
OLLI
members
with
email
addresses
on
Fridays.
When
classes
are
in
session, printed copies of this newsletter are distributed in
classrooms. Comments,
suggestions or complaints? Please contact Editor Rod
Zumbro or Communications Committee Chair Gordon
Canyock.
- Submissions. We
encourage members
to submit news items, articles and photos for this newsletter. The deadline
to
the editor is 7:00 pm Wed (7:00 pm Mon for letters to the
editor
for which an
OLLI response is appropriate) for that
week's issue; submissions
earlier in
the week are strongly encouraged and greatly appreciated.
Please
limit
articles to about 250 words. Submit material via email to Editor Rod
Zumbro
(email rzumbro@gmu.edu).
- Read the latest
issue early. The
new weekly issue of OLLI
E-News
is posted to the OLLI website Thursday evening. Read it by visiting http://www.olli.gmu.edu/pubs.htm#enews,
where
you
will
find
a
list
of
the
last
12
issues;
click
the
latest issue listed.
- Viewing or searching past
issues. Your options for finding items in past issues of OLLI E-News
include viewing the last
12
issues; searching the
content of
ALL issues for any word or words; and searching the
DocStore archive of all past issues by date or issue number.
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Updated:
January 13, 2012
Copyright © 2012 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at
George Mason University. Materials in this publication subject to
OLLI-Mason copyright may be reproduced for noncommercial educational
purposes as long as credit is given to OLLI-Mason.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George
Mason University, 4210 Roberts Rd., Fairfax, VA 22032-1028
Phone: (703) 503-3384; Email: olli@gmu.edu;
Fax:
(703) 503-2832
Original site design and construction by OLLI-Mason member Rod Zumbro. |
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