Her love of knowledge and being able to discuss current events is what keeps Sharon Schornstein coming back to the classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University the last 42 years, since the program first began at the Boca Raton campus.
The institute offers adult learners noncredit, academic classes presented by FAU faculty and subject matter experts at the Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Jupiter campuses.
“The courses are academic in rigor, but there is no stress, there’s no homework. Our group comes for the pure enjoyment of learning. It really is an inspiring thing,” said Jane Morgan, director of operations of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale.
The course offerings represent a variety of subjects such as history, political science, art, music, medicine and current events.
“Our motto — come for the courses, stay for the friends — is right on target,” Morgan said.
Schornstein, who enjoys the political science, geography, theater, art and current events lectures the most, has met many friends along the way, she said.
She takes about four to five lectures a week and has even taken up to three in one day, she said.
“I need them as much as they need me because it’s so important in my life at this stage that I’d be very unhappy if I didn’t have them. It’s a crucial part. In fact, in the summertime, I try to travel as much as I can because they don’t have this in the summertime,” Schornstein said.
Karen Pomerantz, of Hollywood, is another member who also serves on the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Fort Lauderdale Board of Advisors. She not only enjoys the classes, but the friends she and her husband, who’s also on the board, have made, she said.
Pomerantz first started taking classes in Boca in 2012, then in Fort Lauderdale in 2019, when the program opened there, she said.
She and her husband try to attend every class in Fort Lauderdale as long as they are in town, she said.
“My husband was quoted as saying our favorite class is the last one we took. We like doing a variety of things…I like the smorgasbord of tastes that I get,” she said.
Typically, the institute at the Boca campus offers over 100 presentations for the fall season and about 11 per semester at the Fort Lauderdale campus, as well as pop ups, Morgan said.
They also offer synchronous Zoom and in-person classes, and offer video catch up in Boca, which allows people to watch the recording if they missed a lecture, Morgan said.
There are about 1,435 annual members in Boca currently, and Morgan said they are ahead of last year, and are expecting to have between 2,500 and 3,000 members at the end of the season. They had 2,500 members at the end of the season last year.
Annual membership is $60 for the year, and members receive discounts on programs and can take classes at any of the locations. There are also nonmember prices.
Morgan encourages anyone interested in learning more about lifelong learning to give FAU a try.
“We have a phenomenal opportunity for our community to learn and access materials. Maybe there’s a subject they enjoyed but majored in something for practical reasons for a career and they want to learn more about it or stay current. We offer a no-stress environment and learning just for pure enjoyment. It’s a time to come back and taste what we have to offer and understand some of the current activities and learn new things.”
Check out the OLLI Winter/Spring 2023 catalog at bit.ly/3vQrCwY.
January events include:
10-11:30 a.m. Jan. 10 – Former U.S. Ambassador John Rakolta, Jr. (to the United Arab Emirates) will be discussing the challenges, progress and prospects of the Abraham Accords, the Iran-Israel shadowy war and U.S. foreign policy.
12:30-2 p.m. Jan. 18 – Former U.S. Ambassador William Taylor (to Kyiv) will be discussing Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and the challenges facing the security of Europe and the United States.
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