Osher Foundation Awards $100,000 Grant to CSUEB's Concord Campus for Education Program

A $100,000 grant has been awarded to California State University, East Bay by the Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco to support the continuing growth of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSU East Bay/SCHOLAR-OLLI program offered to the community by the university's Concord campus.

The latest grant completes a three-year agreement, during which the foundation contributed $100,000 annually to the program starting in 2003. That enabled the university to develop the program designed for mature learners 50 and older.

It will be eligible for a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation by meeting certain stipulations, including its reaching a membership of at least 300 and having a plan in place for maintaining its sustainability.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute includes daytime and evening lectures, courses, discussion groups, film nights, special events and field trips. Instructors include emeriti and current Cal State East Bay faculty, as well as experts from other universities and organizations. Programs are offered at CSUEB's Concord and Hayward campuses as well as at the Concord Senior Center, San Ramon Senior Center, and Lindsay Wildlife Museum.

The Bernard Osher Foundation, established by Osher in 1977, seeks to improve the quality of life for residents of the San Francisco Bay Area through programs in the arts and humanities and in K-12, post-secondary, and environmental education. Bernard Osher is a businessman and community leader whose philanthropy has benefited Bay Area organizations and the people they serve for more than two decades.

More information on Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSU East Bay/SCHOLAR-OLLI programs and membership is available online at www.concord.csueastbay.edu/scholarhome.htm or by contacting Joyce Podevyn, program coordinator at joyce.podevyn@csueastbay.edu or at (925) 602-6776.

Media Contact: Barbara Cella, Dir. of Community Affairs, Concord Campus, (925) 602-6772