Take your time to submit your three course requests, but be sure to submit them by 4:00 pm on Friday, March 5, if you want to participate in the lottery for spring courses. Course assignments will be sent out March 15, and spring term begins March 29. Click here for the spring catalog.

Open Enrollment Begins March 22. At that time you will be able to add as many courses as you'd like from among the dozens of courses that will have available seats at that time. A list of open courses will be available online.

Questions? Click here to read OLLI's guide (PDF) to "Registration and Getting the Courses You Want." More help is available from the OLLI office by calling 541-552-6048 during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM).

While you are signing up for classes, please consider taking the opportunity to make your Annual Fund donation online! It just takes one click.

All Spring 2021 instructors new to online teaching will be taking a new and improved "Teaching on Zoom" class on Saturday, March 6th from 10:00–12:00. And If you've been thinking you might like to try the online world for Fall 2021, you are invited to join us. To sign up, email Susan Stitham, Curriculum Committee Co-Chair, at [email protected] by end of day on Friday, March 5. We'll send you a link for the meeting and see you on March 6th!

Advances in medical imaging have sped diagnosis and enabled minimally invasive surgery. OLLI members and the public are invited to learn what is on the horizon in this rapidly evolving field at a free lecture presented by Joe A. Pastrano, MD, on Wednesday, March 3, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. To obtain a Zoom link for this program and for details of the final lecture in the New Directions in Healthcare series, a presentation on "Trends in Geriatric Care" by Lee Shapley, MD on March 10, click here.

Conversation Connections (Con-Cons) are one-time meetings on a specific topic of discussion. No preparation or teacher is required, just someone to facilitate the conversation so everyone has a chance to talk.

If these topics don't resonate with you or fit your schedule, stay tuned for other options, or host one yourself. It's easy to hold a Conversation Connection on a subject of your choice. To find out more, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Pauline Black at [email protected]

All OLLI members are invited to grab a cup of coffee/tea and join Rob Casserly, OLLI Assistant Director, and Larry Hunter, OLLI Council President, for an informal, free-form conversation about all things OLLI. There's no agenda, just friends and cohorts getting together to talk. The Zoom link will be emailed to registrants approximately 15 minutes beforehand. Click here to RSVP.

Everywhere you look, there's a volunteer in front of the screen or behind the scenes putting their skills, time, and enthusiasm into making our OLLI outstanding. Click here to tell us who you'd like to thank and why, and we'll share your comments in a future NewsFlash and on Facebook.

To kick things off, here's our first thank you, submitted by Member Services Chair, Andrea Gay: I would like to send appreciation to Jeff Roberts of our Zoom technical support team, for both instructors and members. He also has assisted with Team OLLI technical operations, making slides and videos available while the moderator can speak without trying to perform two functions at once. Jeff has answered technical questions that have been outside many of our skills. He recently helped me understand how to help a blind resident participate by phone in the upcoming Radio Show. He never hesitates to get back with any of us that have questions or needs. He truly is our resident technical master and I know many of the Committee Chairs would give him a standing ovation.

Get involved in OLLI governance and be a candidate for Council. To learn more about this rewarding role, email Lorraine Vail, Leadership Development and Recruitment Committee (LDRC) Chair, at [email protected].

Here's the latest installment in the Lifelong Learning series that OLLI's Communications & Community Outreach Committee has partnered with Rosebud Media to develop. This week's article highlights the power of partnerships as volunteer Laura Simonds describes OLLI instructor Peg Evans' collaborative efforts to involve SOU music faculty in OLLI classes. Click here to download a PDF copy of the article, or here to read it online.

Help a friend discover OLLI this spring at the special spring rate of $75. With so many courses offering unlimited enrollment, there is more room than ever to welcome newcomers, regardless of where they live. Our OLLI is enriched by fresh ideas for programs and course offerings, and by an expanding circle of friends. Forward this newsletter to a friend, and invite them to try OLLI classes this spring. Click here for more information or to register.

Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 pm, join Betty LaDuke and the Friends of Hannon Library for Art, Community, and Social Justice: Reflecting on the Challenges of 2020. To register for this Zoom webinar, visit bit.ly/MarchEvent2021

Project Gutenberg offers access to a collection of over 60,000 free downloadable works of literature. Click here to check it out.

The Aspen Institute hosts free lectures and panel discussions on a wide range of topics from personal to global issues. Click here to see what's coming up this week.