About Us
Welcome to OLLI at UC Irvine – Fall 2008
Just over 40 years ago a carload of early Orange County immigrants took a drive through that wide spot in the road known as Irvine, past a few early stages of what we skeptically viewed as “cookie cutter” housing tracts, to a rather desolate area where earthmoving equipment was reshaping the landscape into what was to become the newest branch of the University of California. It was impossible to imagine what we enjoy today—a beautiful campus, lush with trees, greenbelts, buildings, staff, and students, recognized throughout the world as a premier university. Then, we just shook our heads, mumbling things like “What are they thinking?” Now we marvel at the vision of those planners, thinkers, and optimists and as members of OLLI at UC Irvine, we feel fortunate to be a significant part of it.
This is OLLI’s twelfth year and we are ready to assume more responsibilities in the life of the University and the community at-large. Beginning in January 2009 the Wednesday Luncheon Forums at the University Club will be co-sponsored by OLLI. This means that we will schedule Forum speakers from the University and community, which fits nicely with our primary mission of providing opportunities for lifelong learning. Incidentally, members of OLLI at UC Irvine are entitled to a free membership at the UClub, which allows you to receive a discount for the Forum lunches as well as other meals at the Club. Our efforts in this project will be directed by a new advisory committee, including UC Irvine emeriti and OLLI members, and a coordinating group of OLLI moderators. If you would like to be involved, please let me know.
Plans are also underway for our OLLI to collaborate with senior centers in South County by providing several short courses each term at those sites, beginning early in 2009. This is a new effort of outreach into the wider community under the guidance of Jnana Anderson, Vice President for Membership, as we strive to expand our mission of lifelong learning. This is another area that needs volunteer energy.
Enjoy reading this Fall 2008 catalog of courses and events. It is the fruit of many hours and months of thinking, creating, contacting, planning, typing, editing, and polishing, generously donated by your fellow OLLI members. More than 150 volunteers are involved every term to assure that we have these wonderful choices to make in scheduling our individual efforts to keep learning. Special thanks to Peggy Maradudin, Vice President for Programs; Cindy Eddleman, Editor and Calendar Manager; all of the chairs, co-chairs and members of the curriculum committees; and the OLLI office staff, Karen McKenzie and Barb Barone. It’s a beautiful book, giving us a glimpse of another year in OLLI not to be missed. Again—welcome!
Julie Hume, President
OLLI at UC Irvine
