2022 Osher Institutes National Conference
Plenary Session Descriptions
Monday, 4:00 – 5:15pm
Welcome to the 2022 Osher Institutes National Conference
The opening plenary session provides a general orientation of the conference agenda, staff introductions, and some inspiring words from The Bernard Osher Foundation. This session includes an overview of the state of the OLLI Network, as well as the first of three installments of Woo-Hoo! competition entries.
Presenters
Mary Bitterman, President, The Bernard Osher Foundation
Bernard Osher, Founder and Treasurer, The Bernard Osher Foundation
Kelly Jane Rosenblatt, Program Director, The Bernard Osher Foundation
Steve Thaxton, Executive Director, National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes
Tuesday, 8:30 – 9:45am
Raising the Money You Need for the Critical Work You Do
Many find themselves living in a ‘liminal’ space—we are not quite post-COVID; we are in the throes of climate change, racial and economic injustice and we remain a very polarized nation. OLLI’s work providing public spaces for older people to learn about, engage with, and contribute to the world around them is critical to addressing times like these. In this session, Diane Lebson will explore what Osher Institutes need to know to raise the money needed to do this critical work. She will discuss both challenges and opportunities for OLLIs in fundraising.
Presenter
Diane Lebson, CEO & Co-Founder, Evergreen Philanthropic Solutions, Camden, ME
Tuesday, 12:45 – 1:45pm
Keynote Address: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life
For decades, “old” has been defined as beginning between the ages of 60 and 70. That means most people alive today will spend more years in elderhood than in childhood, and many will be elders for 40 years or more. Yet old age has been made into a disease, a condition to be dreaded, disparaged, neglected, and denied. This presentation challenges not only the way we look at aging but also the way we think and feel about medicine and what it means to be a human being across the lifespan. New York Times bestseller Louise Aronson, using stories from her quarter century of caring for patients and drawing from history, science, literature, popular culture, and her own life, will weave a vision of old age that’s full of joy, wonder, frustration, outrage, and hope about aging, medicine, and life itself.
Presenter
Dr. Louise Aronson, Geriatrician, Writer, and Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Wednesday, 11:45am – 12:30pm
Working Across OLLIs: The Spirit of Collaboration
Notably said by John F. Kennedy, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Over the trying times of the pandemic, the spirit of collaboration among Institutes has been the rising tide, the trait that has kept everyone afloat. Although collaboration has always been a part of Osher Institutes, it has grown and thrived over these past two years. In this session, participants will hear of the vast collaborative efforts across the network. Several OLLI directors will share their collaborative undertakings and provide insight into their inner workings.
Presenters
Scott Bishop, Director, OLLI @ Auburn University
Lynn Boyer, Volunteer, OLLI @ University of Michigan
Ara Rogers, Director, OLLI @ University of South Florida
Jane Fletcher, Program Director, OLLI @ Granite State College
Kelly Jane Rosenblatt, Program Director, The Bernard Osher Foundation
Steve Thaxton, Executive Director, National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes