Hello, OLLI Friends!

  We are now settling into the pleasures of the spring study group session, even if the spring weather is a bit slow to catch up with us. And I hope that you are enjoying the conversations and learning something new every day - an old saying that rings especially true at OLLI!

 

  Within our walls, this has been a tremendous season of growth for us: in February, we crossed the 1,300-member threshold, and our spring courses had some of the highest enrollments and most enthusiastic evaluations we've ever seen! There are more study groups being offered right now (by both veteran facilitators and those who are leading their very first group) than we've ever had before. And we are cultivating new partnerships - on campus, in the community, and at the national level - to enhance our program offerings.

 

We have been affected by things that happen outside our walls, too - especially the ongoing state budget crisis, which has not been resolved but has already been responsible for the closing of offices and services across the state, cutbacks in higher education, and uncertainty on our own campus as we respond to this unprecedented situation.

It is becoming clear that OLLI will experience a considerable reduction in the state funds that come to us from the University of Illinois - but we have guaranteed that our facilities, our staff, and our exceptional programming will continue without any interruptions.

 

What will be affected is our general operating budget, which covers everything from maintaining classroom technologies and paying a stipend to our course instructors to office supplies and the software that is used to manage our membership/registration records. I have been working with the campus, and with our OLLI Board and standing committees, to implement numerous plans aimed at reducing our expenses and increasing our revenues - because meeting our obligations and remaining sustainable for the future will require multiple approaches.

 

The OLLI Board has unanimously recommended a modest increase in membership and course fees for the next fiscal/membership year - the first increase in four years - and all members will receive a detailed email later this month with more information. (The member renewal period will begin in May.) The annual membership fee will increase by $30, and course fees will increase by $10; study group fees will remain the same, as will the many member benefits.

These increases will make it possible for OLLI to continue its strong commitment to offering rewarding lifelong learning opportunities to our members. The Board was especially aware of the need to meet OLLI's urgent fiscal needs while maintaining OLLI's accessibility for its members.

 

We are also identifying cost-saving efficiencies within the budget, while preserving the exceptional programs that mean the most to you: our courses, study groups, lectures, and other member activities will not change. Or, to be more precise: of course, they will continue to change and grow, because that's what successful organizations do; but the quality and scope of our programs will not change because of the budget situation.

 

And, as other campus and state units have learned, fund-raising will be another important tentpole of our fiscal plan for the coming year and beyond. Donations from OLLI members are especially important, because they are invested in the very activities that are at the heart of OLLI - so the impacts are realized immediately. The sustainability of OLLI will depend on contributions from members who see that benefits from their involvement with OLLI far exceed course and membership fees.

 

A gift may be made in honor of an instructor or study group facilitator who made a special impression on you; or you may wish to become an "area sponsor" of courses on topics (literature, music, science, history, etc.) that are especially meaningful to you.

You may wish to support our scholarship program, or help to defray the cost of our coffee machine, or give to our general fund so that your gift can be used for an area with the greatest need. We are grateful for every gift, regardless of its size, and every gift helps us to keep OLLI operating in this new fiscal climate. (If you wish to make a contribution now, visit our online giving page at http://olli.illinois.edu/give.html.)

 

I will continue to share information with you as it becomes available. My top priority - one that is shared by our dedicated Board members and volunteer leaders - is to secure OLLI's future so that we can continue to offer exceptional programs and grow in exciting new directions. I'm confident that we can all do this together.

 

Best wishes,

Chris