In This Issue: Yanke Building Closure | Lifelong Learning: The Gift That Keeps on Giving | Spring 2025 Registration Info | Holiday Blood, Platelets, and Plasma Drive | NEW! NRC's Osher Online Winter Session | SIGs in the News | Join Osher Staff on the Danube! | Participants Needed for SAP Lab Study | Thank You From the Campus Food Pantry | Upcoming Partnership and Community Events | |
The Yanke Family Research Park is getting a new HVAC system this winter! All offices in the building will be closed from December 13, 2024 through January 20, 2025.
Boise State University will be closed for the winter holiday from December 23 through January 1. The Osher staff will be working remotely from December 16-20 and from January 2-17, and can be reached at 208-426-6554 or osher@boisestate.edu. If you need assistance with your spring registration, please call Customer Services at 208-426-1709.
Several Osher committee meetings are scheduled in January during the closure dates. If you are on a committee, you'll receive reminders with directions to the meeting sites, along with parking instructions.
We'll see everyone back in the building for our first classes that begin on January 21. Have a safe and happy holiday season and a very Happy New Year!
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Lifelong Learning: The Gift That Keeps on Giving | |
As you plan your year-end giving, consider all the ways you can support the Osher Institute:
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Our goal is to have at least 50% member participation at the level of giving that is comfortable to each. If you are a household of two members, you can split your donations and give in both names; this will increase our percentage of giving! Your gift is tax deductible, and your support of our Institute sustains us now and into the future.
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Would you like to sponsor an Osher speaker? For a gift of $250, you can select the speaker whom you'd like to support. We'll give you a shout out at the beginning of the speaker's program, let the speaker know you are personally supporting their engagement, and introduce you to the speaker. In April 2025, we'll be hosting Dr. Asya Pereltsvaig to present in Boise. A sponsorship of this speaker includes lunch with Dr. Pereltsvaig and Osher Advisory Council members.
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New giving opportunity: You can sponsor our new Tech Team Training program! The committee composed of Osher volunteers and staff provide training to members who need assistance utilizing their Osher account and accessing recorded links. Your support helps the office with the time dedicated to this new effort. This fall, we've trained or supported more than 40 members. A gift of $50 will list you as a sponsor of the training sessions, and you'll receive a mention in our monthly newsletter and in the classroom.
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Give the gift of lifelong learning! A membership to Osher for spring 2025 is only $60 and makes a great holiday, birthday, anniversary, or "just because" gift. Friends and loved ones near and far can use the membership to experience great programs right along with you.
Thank you for your continued support of our Osher Institute!
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Spring 2025 Registration Info | |
The Osher Spring 2025 catalog will arrive in mailboxes around December 9.
You may register for the programs of your choice
as soon as you receive your catalog.
The Osher Spring semester begins on
Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
- Many Spring 2025 programs are offered as a hybrid of in-person seats and livestream via Zoom. Most Osher presentations also are recorded so that members may view them anytime during the membership year, which ends June 30, 2025.
- Online is the preferred method of registration. Visit the Log In/Register Online page. If you need assistance with registering, contact Customer Services at (208) 426-1709. The Yanke building will be closed to the public from December 13 through January 20, so please call for assistance.
We encourage you to return to the classroom to enjoy in-person Osher presentations. While registrations are robust, a larger number of in-person audience members would be encouraging to our presenters. Please help us demonstrate appreciation for their time, talent, and expertise.
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Holiday Blood, Platelets, and Plasma Drive | |
During and after the holidays, there is an increased need for blood, platelets, and plasma donations. Everyone has their own holiday traditions. Whether they’re passed down through family, adopted from friends, or ones you’ve created all on your own, there’s comfort and joy found in these seasonal customs.
This year, the American Red Cross is encouraging you to shake up those holiday traditions by donating blood, platelets, or plasma. Your lifesaving gift could have a very big impact.
To find your nearest donation center, visit the American Red Cross.
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NEW! Osher Online Winter Session | |
The Osher Institute, in conjunction with the
Osher National Resource Center (NRC), is
pleased to offer NRC's Osher Online, a new
slate of programs starting in January!
Choose from an exciting array of topics:
Buddhist Philosophy, Meditation and Ritual: In India and Beyond
First Class: A History of the Post Office in the United States
Huck Finn’s America
Modern War: What is it Good For?
My Native Land in Memory: Stories of a Cuban Childhood
Osher Centers for Integrative Health
Reclaiming Native Ground: Native America Since 1900
Science Everyone Needs to Know
The Next Generation’s Legacy of the Holocaust
The Secret Lives of Familiar Birds
The World of Musical Satire
Transparent Eyeballs: The Transcendentalists and Their Worlds, 1803-Present
Wisdom
- After you register, the NRC will email you a sign-in credential (which will be your email address and password) and a link to the Osher Online website through which you will access all of your Osher Online programs.
- You also will receive a link for a "new participant" orientation meeting via Zoom; it is recommended all registrants attend this meeting.
- All programs are held as Livestream Only; they are not shown in the Osher classroom and are not recorded.
- Please note: NRC's Osher Online programs are NOT refundable.
If you have questions about the NRC's Osher Online programs, (dates and times, deadlines, login process, orientation meeting, etc.), please contact the Osher NRC directly at osheronline@northwestern.edu.
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The Personal Writing SIG welcomes the opportunity to share selected works of its members. This month's featured writing is from Stacia Yoon.
Writing has become Stacia’s primary creative outlet since retiring. Over the last five years, the support of Osher’s Personal Writing SIG has helped her become more confident, not only in the craft of writing, but also in sharing her work.
You can read Stacia's piece, The Shoe Pile, in Osher on Demand.
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The Craft Beer Buds SIG held a successful outing in November at Sockeye Grill and Brewery in Boise. Participants enjoyed a lecture in the beermaking area of the facility, followed by a beers-and-small-bites food pairing menu.
Other excursions this semester have included Barbarian Brewing, Jackson Hop Farm, Mill 95, White Dog Brewing, Clairvoyant Brewing, Das Alpenhaus Delikatessen, Bert's Brewing, and Bittercreek Alehouse.
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Join Osher Staff on the Danube! | |
There's still time to register for this Osher travel opportunity with Collette Travel for 2025!
Christmas on the Danube (December 3-11, 2025) Travel with Osher Director Dana Thorp-Patterson and Assistant Director Laura Mehlhaff! Seats are guaranteed to Osher members only until December 4, 2024, so be sure to book yours now!
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Participants Needed for SAP Lab Study | |
The Boise State Skill Acquisition Psychophysiology (SAP) Lab is currently recruiting for a study looking at the neural mechanisms of depression among older adults and the influence of physical activity on this relationship.
Here is the eligibility criteria for the study:
- Age 65-80.
- Fluently speak English.
- No self-reported major neurocognitive disorder (e.g., Alzheimer's, dementia).
- No evidence of significant cognitive impairment as determined by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test.
- No history of head injuries resulting in a loss of consciousness within the past three months.
- No skin sensitivities to lotions or cosmetics.
- No uncorrected vision or hearing.
The SAP Lab will be collecting data until they reach 30 participants. For more information and to sign up, download the flier with the QR code or email Jet Taylor at jettaylor@u.boisestate.edu.
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Thank You From the Campus Food Pantry | |
A big thanks goes to all our Osher members who have donated to the Boise State Campus Food Pantry this semester! We are grateful for your generosity towards helping students fight food insecurity.
We will resume collecting pantry donations after the Yanke building reopens and the spring semester resumes on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
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Upcoming Partnership and Community Events | |
City Club of Boise Hidden History Series
Human Rights in Idaho
Tuesday, December 3, 11:45 a.m.
Idaho State Museum, 610 Julia Davis Dr., Boise
For more information and to register, visit City Club of Boise.
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Boise State Center for Teaching and Learning
2024 SL/VIP Fall Expo
Learn how Boise State students are making an impact tackling complex challenges in the community and beyond.
Wednesday, December 4, 4:00 p.m.
Boise State Student Union Simplot Ballroom
For more information and to register, visit Center for Teaching and Learning.
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December First Thursday: A Night of Art and Song
Join JUMP for a collaboration between Boise Open Studios Collective and Idaho Songwriters Association.
Thursday, December 5, 5:00 p.m.
JUMP, 1000 W. Myrtle St., Boise
For more information, visit JUMP.
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First Friday Astronomy Lecture
"Rocks to Rocket Fuel: Orbital Spectroscopic Investigations of the Lunar Surface from the Visible to Thermal Infrared"
Dr. Lori Pigue, Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Astrogeology Science
Friday, December 6, 7:30 p.m.
Boise State Liberal Arts Building, Room 106 and via livestream
To view the livestream, visit Astronomy at Boise State Physics.
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Our thanks for the continued support from our Community Sponsors and Partners: | |
The Osher Institute is a proud underwriter of
Boise State Public Radio.
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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University
Phone: (208) 426-OLLI (6554)
Email: osher@boisestate.edu
Website: boisestate.edu/osher
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University operates within the Division of Extended Studies. It is a membership-based, lifelong learning program offering non-credit, college-level programs designed for intellectually curious adults age 50 and over.
Support the Osher Institute here.
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Osher Institute Advisory Council
Chair: Bae Emilson | Tom Baerwald | Linda Butler
Bob Fontaine | Ron Kaz | Sharon Moses | Rick Ogle
Rainey Pieters | Diane Ronayne | Debra Silva | Steve Villachica
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Osher Institute Staff
Director: Dana Thorp-Patterson | Assistant Director: Laura Mehlhaff
Senior Communications Specialist: Jill Chmelko
Administrative Assistant II: Cherie Ellingson
Administrative Assistant I: Jamie Frederick
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