OLLI Scholars Program offers stipends and mentoring

The University of Delaware’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) has partnered with the UD Graduate College to launch the OLLI Scholars Program. This initiative connects the passion and expertise of UD graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with many of the over 3,000 OLLI members across Delaware and the mid-Atlantic region. It is only the third program of its kind in the national OLLI landscape.

The OLLI Scholars Program provides participants with a stipend of $1,100 and individual mentoring to design and teach a five-week course in their area of expertise. Each session will last 75 minutes and occur once a week at one of the UD OLLI locations: Dover, Lewes, Newark, Ocean View, Wilmington or online. Courses can be conducted in person, online or in a hybrid format, with a preference for in-person classes.

UD OLLI Director Karen Asenavage Loptes views this program as a way for UD to further enhance the connection between UD and OLLI while sharing cutting-edge research with diverse audiences. She explained: “This intergenerational learning initiative allows us to engage our vibrant community of lifelong learners aged 50 and up in new ways while showcasing UD’s innovative work and latest research trends. Both groups can learn from each other's experiences and insights.”

Graduate students participating in this initiative will develop their teaching and communication skills with support and mentorship from Becky Worley, a retired UD faculty member from the Department of English who established UD's internship program in professional writing, and Robert Hampel, a professor emeritus in the School of Education at UD and an award-winning historian of education. Worley and Hampel are active OLLI volunteers who have played vital roles in developing this program.

The Osher National Resource Center at Northwestern University recognizes UD’s OLLI as a “benchmark program” among the 125 OLLI programs across the U.S., and Worley anticipates that this program will further solidify that recognition. “Our members are enthusiastic, experienced and engaged learners — an ideal audience — so we believe this will be a ‘win’ for everyone involved. Instructors will gain experience teaching subjects they are passionate about, and our members will have the opportunity to learn about topics we might not otherwise offer.”

The Graduate College supports many programs and events that help graduate students and postdocs refine their communication skills, including the OLLI Scholars Program. LaRuth McAfee, a senior assistant dean in the Graduate College, explained, "OLLI Scholars is a great addition to our programming. It offers a unique and invaluable opportunity for UD graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to gain teaching experience and practice communicating their specialized knowledge to individuals outside their field. I hope many of our students and postdocs will apply.”

Lou Rossi, dean of the Graduate College, applauds this innovative initiative. “The OLLI Scholars Program is another inventive effort at UD that strengthens our ties to the community by connecting two dynamic groups,” he said. “Our graduate and postdoc community possesses specialized knowledge and youthful energy that they are eager to share. Our OLLI community brings a wealth of experience and a natural curiosity about the increasingly complex world around us. We hope the OLLI Scholars Program will leverage these strengths, creating a synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Interested graduate students and postdocs should apply to the program by May 15. To learn more about the OLLI Scholars Program and to apply, visit the Graduate College website.