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Contact: Tracie Stone
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GRANITE STATE COLLEGE RECIEVES $1 MILLION GIFT TO SUPPORT LIFELONG LEARNING OVER 50.

July 24, 2008 - CONCORD- Granite State College was recently awarded a $1 million gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation to establish an endowment in support of its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. A member-based organization, OLLI provides adults age 50 and over with the opportunity to pursue new knowledge simply for the love of learning. The Bernard Osher Foundation is headquartered in San Francisco.

“It is an honor to accept this award from the Osher Foundation,” said Granite State College president, Karol LaCroix.  “This level of support for the program demonstrates the importance of encouraging lifelong learning and allows us to remain true to our mission of providing programs throughout the state for adults of all ages.”

OLLI at Granite State College began in 2004 with an initial $100,000 grant from the Osher Foundation and has continued with subsequent $100,000 grants in each year since.   

Through this ongoing support OLLI has continued to be a source of intellectually stimulating lifelong learning opportunities for New Hampshire residents age 50 and over.

OLLI now has more than 500 members across New Hampshire and offers more than 60 different classes during two eight-week sessions each year.  Classes are held at sites in Concord, Manchester, Exeter and Conway.   Class subjects are developed in direct response to the expressed interests of OLLI members.
“The focus of OLLI is on the joy of learning with programs rich in content, shared interests and life experiences,” said Virginia Martin, Director of OLLI at Granite State College. “OLLI members choose the topics they wish to explore – so the curriculum is diverse.  Popular topics include current events, the arts, world cultures and religions, film, politics, history, literature, social sciences, technology and the environment.” 

OLLI at Granite State College is one of 119 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes located across the country.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the Bernard Osher Foundation has demonstrated a commitment to advancing lifelong learning opportunities throughout the United States since 1977.  It granted its first endowment gift in support of lifelong learning programs for mature students in 2001.  To learn more about OLLI at Granite State College visit www.granite.edu/olli.

Granite State College is one of four University System of New Hampshire institutions and a leader in online education.  It offers associate and bachelor degrees, post-baccalaureate programs for teacher education and transfer opportunities. With nine academic centers located throughout New Hampshire, Granite State College is committed to delivering affordable and convenient access to higher education via innovative programming.  Learn more about Granite State College by visiting www.granite.edu.