The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at USC Beaufort recently received a landmark $1 million endowment and a $50,000 bridge grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to continue providing educational enrichment to Lowcountry seniors.

The endowment will help the institute provide nearly 300 not-for-credit educational classes for more than 1,000 senior adults at four USC Beaufort locations throughout the Lowcountry. In addition to the North Campus in Beaufort and the South Campus in Bluffton, OLLI classes are offered at the Pineland Station Mall on Hilton Head Island and in Jasper County.

"We are grateful to the Bernard Osher Foundation for providing such a significant level of support to this vital educational initiative for the older citizens of our community," said USC Beaufort Chancellor Jane T. Upshaw. "The OLLI program is a valuable component in the overall educational program at USC Beaufort. With its ever-expanding variety of educational and cultural content, OLLI proves that intellectual curiosity is a lifelong pursuit."

The $1 million endowment represents the third significant financial contribution the Bernard Osher Foundation has made to USC Beaufort in three years. Having conducted a lifelong learning program for 16 years, USC Beaufort was invited by the foundation to join more than 100 select colleges and universities nationwide in sponsoring an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in 2005. In concert with the invitation, the foundation bestowed a $100,000 grant on the campus. It presented another $100,000 grant to USC Beaufort in 2006.

Today, the OLLI at USC Beaufort ranks in the top 10 percent in relation to size of all OLLI programs in the United States.

"This endowment reflects a significant increase in the level of continuing support the Bernard Osher Foundation has extended to our lifelong learning program," said Dan Campbell, director of the OLLI at USC Beaufort. "The funds will be put to work expanding the scope of the program's courses, attracting top-tier faculty to teach the courses, and broadening our reach into the community."

OLLI classes were developed specifically for older adults. There are no entrance requirements and no tests. Students enroll for personal enrichment and choose from a wide variety of subject areas, including arts and culture, finance, gardening, government, history, literature, science, music, and other subjects.

Philanthropist Bernard Osher created the foundation in 1977 to improve the quality of life in America by funding post-secondary scholarships, lifelong learning institutes, and other educational initiatives. The Bernard Osher Foundation supports affiliated Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities, including Duke, Northwestern, Brandeis, Rutgers, and UCLA.

For more information about the OLLI at USC Beaufort, call 843-208-8247.

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