- Rozovsky wins prestigious NSF Early Career Award
- UD students meet alumni, experience 'closing bell' at NYSE
- Newark Police seek assistance in identifying suspects in robbery
- Rivlin says bipartisan budget action, stronger budget rules key to reversing debt
- Stink bugs shouldn't pose problem until late summer
- Gao to honor Placido Domingo in Washington performance
- Adopt-A-Highway project keeps Lewes road clean
- WVUD's Radiothon fundraiser runs April 1-10
- W.D. Snodgrass Symposium to honor Pulitzer winner
- New guide helps cancer patients manage symptoms
- UD in the News, March 25, 2011
- For the Record, March 25, 2011
- Public opinion expert discusses world views of U.S. in Global Agenda series
- Congressional delegation, dean laud Center for Community Research and Service program
- Center for Political Communication sets symposium on politics, entertainment
- Students work to raise funds, awareness of domestic violence
- Equestrian team wins regional championship in Western riding
- Markell, Harker stress importance of agriculture to Delaware's economy
- Carol A. Ammon MBA Case Competition winners announced
- Prof presents blood-clotting studies at Gordon Research Conference
- Sexual Assault Awareness Month events, programs announced
- Stay connected with Sea Grant, CEOE e-newsletter
- A message to UD regarding the tragedy in Japan
- More News >>
- March 31-May 14: REP stages Neil Simon's 'The Good Doctor'
- April 2: Newark plans annual 'wine and dine'
- April 5: Expert perspective on U.S. health care
- April 5: Comedian Ace Guillen to visit Scrounge
- April 6, May 4: School of Nursing sponsors research lecture series
- April 6-May 4: Confucius Institute presents Chinese Film Series on Wednesdays
- April 6: IPCC's Pachauri to discuss sustainable development in DENIN Dialogue Series
- April 7: 'WVUDstock' radiothon concert announced
- April 8: English Language Institute presents 'Arts in Translation'
- April 9: Green and Healthy Living Expo planned at The Bob
- April 9: Center for Political Communication to host Onion editor
- April 10: Alumni Easter Egg-stravaganza planned
- April 11: CDS session to focus on visual assistive technologies
- April 12: T.J. Stiles to speak at UDLA annual dinner
- April 15, 16: Annual UD push lawnmower tune-up scheduled
- April 15, 16: Master Players series presents iMusic 4, China Magpie
- April 15, 16: Delaware Symphony, UD chorus to perform Mahler work
- April 18: Former NFL Coach Bill Cowher featured in UD Speaks
- April 21-24: Sesame Street Live brings Elmo and friends to The Bob
- April 30: Save the date for Ag Day 2011 at UD
- April 30: Symposium to consider 'Frontiers at the Chemistry-Biology Interface'
- April 30-May 1: Relay for Life set at Delaware Field House
- May 4: Delaware Membrane Protein Symposium announced
- May 5: Northwestern University's Leon Keer to deliver Kerr lecture
- May 7: Women's volleyball team to host second annual Spring Fling
- Through May 3: SPPA announces speakers for 10th annual lecture series
- Through May 4: Global Agenda sees U.S. through others' eyes; World Bank president to speak
- Through May 4: 'Research on Race, Ethnicity, Culture' topic of series
- Through May 9: Black American Studies announces lecture series
- Through May 11: 'Challenges in Jewish Culture' lecture series announced
- Through May 11: Area Studies research featured in speaker series
- Through June 5: 'Andy Warhol: Behind the Camera' on view in Old College Gallery
- Through July 15: 'Bodyscapes' on view at Mechanical Hall Gallery
- More What's Happening >>
- UD calendar >>
- Middle States evaluation team on campus April 5
- Phipps named HR Liaison of the Quarter
- Senior wins iPad for participating in assessment study
- April 19: Procurement Services schedules information sessions
- UD Bookstore announces spring break hours
- HealthyU Wellness Program encourages employees to 'Step into Spring'
- April 8-29: Faculty roundtable series considers student engagement
- GRE is changing; learn more at April 15 info session
- April 30: UD Evening with Blue Rocks set for employees
- Morris Library to be open 24/7 during final exams
- More Campus FYI >>
11:20 a.m., Sept. 10, 2009----The Academy of Lifelong Learning at the University of Delaware has received a grant of $100,000 from The Bernard Osher Foundation, a San Francisco-based philanthropic organization that seeks to improve the quality of life through support for higher education and the arts.
The Academy of Lifelong Learning, which has facilities on UD's Wilmington campus, will receive $80,000 from this grant. Another $20,000 will be used by the University's Southern Delaware Academy of Lifelong Learning, which is located in Lewes.
The award also gives the two Delaware academies access to the Osher network, a premier lifelong learning association composed of more than 115 such institutes located at colleges and universities nationwide.
“The Osher Foundation has long admired the work of the University of Delaware's Academy of Lifelong Learning under the able leadership of Ruth Flexman,” noted Mary Bitterman, foundation president. “We are confident that this fine program will contribute to and benefit from the national experience represented by the Osher Institute network.”
"The Bernard Osher Foundation is well known for its outstanding philanthropic work, seeking to improve the quality of life through support for higher education and lifelong learning, and the University of Delaware is pleased to be a partner through the Academy of Lifelong Learning," UD President Patrick Harker said. "We appreciate our ongoing relationship, one that provides our lifelong learners with the finest in educational opportunities."
“The University is excited about the $100,000 gift from The Bernard Osher Foundation to support our Academy of Lifelong Learning in Wilmington and Lewes,” James Broomall, assistant provost for professional and continuing studies, said. “The funding also lays the groundwork for potential future support from the Osher Foundation of a total endowment award of $2 million, contingent upon completion of the name change from the of the Academy of Lifelong Learning to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Delaware.”
Earnings from the proposed gift will help support academy operations, with the potential to minimize annual increases to membership fees.
While the names of the two academies would change should future funding be realized, their mission, governance structure and programs would remain unchanged by their association with the Osher network.
“Joining the network of Osher Lifelong learning Institutes enables us to engage in a national dialog about the importance and value of learning across the lifespan with colleagues from similar programs at universities like Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Duke and UCLA,” Broomall said. “The exchange of ideas regarding the dynamics of learning-in-retirement programs will enrich the experience of the academy's more than 2,000 members.”
The academy, which listed 14 courses on its schedule in 1980, now offers more than 200 courses, taught by volunteer faculty to members age 50 and older. The average age of members is 70.
The Southern Delaware Academy of Lifelong Learning also has seen a significant growth that parallels the increasing popularity of Sussex County as a retirement haven. Ruth Makin, public relations volunteer for the Southern Delaware Academy of Lifelong Learning, said the Osher Foundation grant of $20,000 has been warmly received among academy members in Sussex County.
“Our academy has grown from under 100 students in the early days to more than 400 students, and this fall we are offering our largest curricula, with 67 courses, all taught by volunteer instructors,” Mankin said. “The Osher Foundation support will enrich and enable our ongoing process, and our goal of learning for the joy of learning will be made available to even more lifelong learners.”
Don Grimes, chairperson of the Academy Council, said the foundation grant enhances the academy's efforts to communicate more broadly with other lifelong learning schools.
“The Osher Foundation vigorously supports lifelong learning, and they have provided grants for many such institutions,” Grimes said. “Because the grant will help us interact with other member institutions, we think that this is a positive step for us.”
Grimes said it is particularly important to communicate with other lifelong learning institutions as the academy starts to look at how to develop courses for the next generation of lifelong learners.
“A lot of us grew up with paper, and we have to realize that paper is not going to be the way to communicate at large to the next generation of lifelong learners,” Grimes said. “We want to have things that are responsive to these people, and we need to have the facilities to be able to do this.”
The grant is especially important to help meet the needs of the growing membership in the Southern Delaware Academy of Lifelong Learning, Grimes said.
“The added revenue stream will be shared with the Southern Delaware Academy of Lifelong Learning,” Grimes said. “This will help to enrich lifelong learning in that area and reinforce the University of Delaware's position there as a primary source of education for people ages 18-98 and beyond.”
Article by Jerry Rhodes