Though most students cannot wait to be done with school, one subset of UCLA Extension’s scholars are choosing to go back to class and learn simply for the fun of it. Perhaps it is because these students have the option to take classes such as Gentle Yoga, Swing and a film panel ahead of The Academy Awards ceremony. These unique learning opportunities are offered at UCLA Extension’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).

Founded in 2001 by Bernard Osher as a philanthropic project, OLLI has now expanded to more than 120 universities across the country, including most of the University of California system. The program was created for adults over 50 who wish to spend their time learning in a low-stress environment.

“It's an opportunity for lifelong learning, and it's a wonderful program because it's education the way education always should have been,” said Marlene Zweig, who serves as the chair of OLLI’s curriculum committee. “This program is definitely for the pure joy of learning. There are no tests, there are no grades – sometimes there's homework, but only if you want to do it. It's a very stimulating and superb program.”

The classes are offered in a variety of formats, including in-person, online and hybrid, which allows anyone interested in OLLI the opportunity to join. There is a large selection of classes including canasta, art history, film and a course all about Josephine Baker, ensuring there is something for everyone. As a whole, the OLLI program hopes to serve its community the best way it can, even offering scholarships for the higher-priced membership option.

Myrna Hant, an instructor at OLLI, believes the program also serves as an opportunity for socializing. For her course on current events, she encourages students to connect with others.

“I always tell people, ‘This isn't about current events, this is about you getting together and getting connected to each other, socializing.’ A lot of them go out to lunch afterward, maybe they talk about current events, maybe they don't. It's so important for older people to have a place to go and to get to know each other,” she said. “At Osher, you create a new family, and you can be as much involved as you want or not, but most people absolutely enjoy the social part.”

The program also involves certain activities outside of classes that allow students to connect in settings away from the classroom. Every 18 months, an Osher Institutes National Conference is held that spotlights all of the different OLLI programs. Sharon Boorstin, a student, instructor and chair of OLLI’s advisory team, explained that the conference allows members from each unique OLLI program to come together.

“They have a saying about the OLLIs in the United States: ‘You see one OLLI, you've seen one OLLI,’ because they're all pretty different in terms of how they run and what the members do,” she said.

As for UCLA-specific events, Boorstin shared details about the “And the Winner is…. OLLI Picks the Oscars” course held in February. She said that a week before the award show, they had a panel of well-known film critics who gave their thoughts on the 10 movies nominated for Best Picture, and also had a poll for the audience to predict which films they thought would win. Boorstin shared her hopes that this could become an annual course.

“Because this is L.A., many people who are our members have either been involved in the film business or T.V. and they care about the Oscars,” Boorstin said. “Everybody got dressed up. We had popcorn and there were about 100 people there, so it was great fun.”

Zweig, Hant and Boorstin, who have all taken classes at OLLI, shared similar sentiments on the importance of the program. Zweig and Hant have both been a part of the program for over two decades, and they have marveled at its growth. Membership has grown from an initial 350 members to well over 1,200.

“We're still growing and we're still contributing to society,” Zweig said. “It's a great group of people. I love the program, so does Myrna.”

For more information, visit the UCLA Extension OLLI website.