Cal State Monterey Bay’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, aka OLLI@CSUMB, is a program that brings together campus faculty and distinguished experts, learners aged 50 and older, and community partners in a 16-week semester of non-credit courses in history, science, literature, music and more. 

Michele Crompton is the program manager for OLLI@CSUMB, and has been involved since 2008 — one year after it launched. 

“It’s the best of an academic experience in a living room setting,” Crompton said. “It’s a warm, welcoming community. We gather in a setting that’s the right size to get to know one another.” 

To that end, it also serves as a forum for connections and friendships. Some members have been with the program from the beginning.  

There are more than 120 courses to choose from, including “Bruce Springsteen: America’s Poet Laureate,” “History of the Civil Rights Movement,” “Ethics of Human Medical Research” and more. 

The Spring 2024 term is underway, but there are still many courses available and that have yet to begin. Each course runs one to six sessions each, and options may include attending in person, live streaming on Zoom, or recorded Zoom sessions for asynchronous playback. 

The course “How do Composers Compose?” for instance, is a single day, March 8, at CSUMB’s Music Hall, and is taught by professor Lanier Sammons. 

“Media depictions and biographical legends often further the mystery by portraying composition as a spontaneous, magical burst of inspiration,” reads the course description. “The truth is quite different, and musicians create in all kinds of different ways with myriad motivations, tools and processes.”

Participants can register under a membership structure for an all-inclusive fee (which includes three courses) or pay a smaller fee for an individual course. 

Established in 2007, OLLI@CSUMB is one of 125 Osher Institutes nationwide. Support comes from The Bernard Osher Foundation, membership fees and donations.

Get more information and register on the OLLI@CSUMB webpage.