Lifelong learning: FIU announces winter lineup

The Open House for OLLI’s first winter term will begin at 11 a.m. on Jan. 8 at the Kovens Conference Center in North Miami, 3000 N.E. 151st St. Instructors of art history, drawing, floral design, opera, languages, literature, computers, and cinema will be on hand to meet prospective students and provide overviews of their courses.

“The open house will provide a colorful and vivid snapshot of our courses and serve as an excellent way to begin the year by celebrating what OLLI has to offer with a spirit of joy, sharing and community,” said Clara Barman, senior program coordinator of FIU OLLI. “We are very excited as this particular open house will be very special as AARP will be present along with many of our communities’ leaders.  This will give our lifelong learners an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with local and national leaders to shape our community into the ideal place for active seniors to live in and thrive.”

For the first time, FIU OLLI is hosting a town hall meeting as part of the open house.  Entitled, “A 20/20 View of Our North Miami-Dade Landscape:  Creating Together a Sustainable Community for 2020″, this innovative discussion will bring together AARP, community leaders and area residents 50 and older with the purpose of shaping the future of our community.  After a presentation by FIU’s Metropolitan Center Associate Director, Dr. Edward Murray, participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with key players in the creation of a community that encourages participation in lifelong learning, social activities, volunteerism, and civic engagement.  Attendees will also experience firsthand a conceptual presentation by AARP of the ideal livable community for those 50 and older.

More than 40 courses will be offered in the new term, which starts on Jan. 12 and continues through Feb. 20.  Cultural tours are also planned for the term – a highlight of the FIU OLLI program.  Those who register for classes by Jan. 8 will receive an early registration discount per course.

To learn more about or register for OLLI courses, please visit the FIU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Web site at http://www.caps.fiu.edu/olli or call the institute at 305-919-5910.  To receive a catalog, please call 305-919-5910 or view it online at http://www.caps.fiu.edu/olli.

For more information, contact FIU OLLI Executive Director Mercedes Ponce at 305-348-1560 or poncem@fiu.edu or Clara Barman at 305-919-5910 or barmanc@fiu.edu.

-FIU-

About OLLI:
Funded by a grant through the Bernard Osher Foundation, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at FIU is part of a prestigious network of over 120 lifelong learning institutes nationwide.  Offering over 150 engaging and stimulating courses developed to advance the joy of learning among learners age 50 and over, and with 800 students rich and growing, FIU’s OLLI aspires to become a life-enhancing institution for its members, deeply embedded in the landscape of its surrounding Miami-Dade community.

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, FIU graduates more Hispanics than any other university in the country. Its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University.” In 2006 FIU was authorized to establish a medical school, which will welcome its first class in 2009. FIU’s College of Law recently received accreditation in the fastest time allowed by the American Bar Association.