U n i v e r s i t y o f N o r t h C a r o l i n a W i l m i n g to n
OLLI LINK
summer 2011
Director’s Farewell Learn mo r e, L iv e b etter Y O U RS h ir N Al M N eEw H
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AROLIN A WILM
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Why does your membership matter?
It is difficult to put in words what I feel in my heart for all the wonderful members and memories of OLLI at UNCW. My journey here at the university began in May 1999, and it has been the best 12 years of my work life. What has been accomplished here through OLLI would not be possible without the amazing support of our members, the OLLI Advisory Board, the committee volunteers and a wonderful dedicated staff. It has been such a pleasure knowing so many of you over the years and making lasting friendships. Wilmington is a jewel of a place to live, work and play! The talent of the UNCW faculty and community professionals is awesome!! That has made my life so interesting, so I would not trade my life for all the tea in China…And speaking of that, I am thrilled to be leading a trip to China in mid-June with 29 individuals who love traveling like myself. It is a great way to exit my job, however, my heart will always be here. I look forward to seeing you at forthcoming OLLI events.
There are many ways to be involved in OLLI, you can attend courses, come to an opera, serve on a committee, or volunteer as course ambassador. However, it all begins with your OLLI membership. This is the basic “building block” of our organization and we encourage everyone to join and become an OLLI member each year.
university resources, we are recognized as a significant program. These membership numbers also show our eligibility to apply for further external funding, including a desired future increase to our Osher Endowment. In short, your investment in an OLLI membership is a measure of our success.
There are several ways that your OLLI membership supports OLLI. Membership dollars are a significant portion of our revenue, allowing us to operate a program with hundreds of courses and events each year, providing intellectual engagement and enrichment to thousands of adult learners. Due to severe state budget cuts, we are under increasing pressure to sustain this program in fiscally independent ways. Our budget includes the Osher Endowment, academic course fees, and membership revenue to keep OLLI afloat. A second way that your membership makes a difference is that with a large and growing number of members, we are able to quantify the success of this community of learners and validate our role in the larger outreach of the university. With a membership of more than 1,000 adults gaining access to
Each year we attempt to improve the OLLI membership model, and we are happy to say that, next year, member prices and course prices will remain the same. We will continue to look for ways to provide service and benefits to members, while providing sound support for the high quality academic courses you count on at OLLI. OLLI membership is valuable in that members receive substantial discounts on OLLI events and programs, invitations to special events, and OLLI member “perks” offered throughout the year. We encourage everyone to become an OLLI member and a part of this community of lifelong learners--- your membership matters a great deal to us.
Aug. 30.... Pathways Preview
Sincerely,
Oct. 22..... Super Saturday
Amy W. Keith, Membership Coordinator
Nov. 7...... James Megivern Lecture Series
UNC Wilmington is committed to and will provide equality of educational and employment opportunity. Questions regarding program access may be directed to the Compliance Officer, UNCW Chancellor’s Office, 910.962.3000, Fax 910.962.3483. Produced by UNCW Marketing and Communications.
Many thanks to all, Karel Dutton
Save These Dates! Sept. 1...... Pathways Released Sept. 30.... Registration Deadline, First Deposit Due for France Trip Oct. 16..... First Opera of the Season: Anna Bolena
Nov. 12.... College Day Nov. 14.... Elliot Engel on Robert E. Lee
Karel Dutton, director of continuing studies, greets guests as UNC Wilmington hosted a ribbon cutting and building dedication for the new Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. - UNCW/Jamie Moncrief
Director Karel Dutton Retires In 1999, UNCW had a small continuing studies department holding a small number of education classes with less than 100 students. Then, in stepped Karel Dutton. Having spent five years in continuing education at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, Dutton knew just what it took to make this fledgling program blossom. No stranger to community service, in her early professional life Dutton was a press assistant for a U.S. Congressman, an executive director for a nonprofit association in Manassas, Va., and then a marketing director in Fredericksburg, Va. She served as a volunteer in multiple organizations, including Soroptimist International. She was the secretary for the Greater Fredericksburg Unit of the American Heart Association and received an award from the Make-a-Wish Foundation in 1992 for her work on the Dream House Committee.
As director of continuing studies here at UNCW, Dutton worked to build the department, and in 2005, she sought out and received a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation to turn the program into the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. OLLI board chair Mary Walker comments, “OLLI is here because of Karel and her dedication over the last 12 years in creating the wonderful programs, lunches and dinners that we all love.” Now, the only director OLLI has ever known will be retiring. Not retiring … “repurposing” as Dutton would say. She plans to spend her first bit of free time traveling, visiting friends and family. Always the educator, Dutton hopes to return to UNCW to teach and do research. As an honorary lifetime member of OLLI, there’s no doubt that the director will become the student, and we will be seeing her in a whole new capacity. From all the staff, board and members –Thank you Karel, we love you! We will miss your smile and energetic presence!
What to expect Fall 2011
Instructor Spotlight
Pathways comes out Sept. 1, so be sure to get your copy! In the meantime, here are a few new things OLLI has in store. Last semester OLLI unveiled the Wine Society, lead by members Jim Strouse with support from Vince Lupoi, Chas Pierce, Nancy Carpitella, John Tufano and Mary and Elwood Walker. This program sold out at the Pathways preview party. This semester, OLLI hopes to have equal success with its new Arts Society.
Roger
Shew
Led by Owen Wexler, OLLI Art Society in Session • (OASIS) will feature local artists engaged in their craft.
Each semester, there is an instructor that goes above and beyond his teaching duties here at OLLI. This semester, Roger Shew didn’t turn down a request to teach for OLLI. In fact, he taught four programs including a class on water quality, a session of SEA and Coffee on coastal dynamics, a Wednesdays in Nature session on offshore energy and a walking tour of UNCW’s Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve. Rich Peruggi who leads S.E.A. and Coffee said, “Roger offers us a broad spectrum of insights from his unique background that blends together geology, environmental science and science education. His enthusiasm for our coastal environment is infectious and makes the learning experience a true delight. Taking a field trip with Roger introduces you to an entirely new level of observation and knowledge, the likes of which I have never experienced before. Our OLLI program is greatly indebted to Roger for the outstanding contributions he has given us, and we offer him our deepest thanks and appreciation.” Shew graduated from UNCW in 1976 with a B.A. in earth science and then went to UNC Chapel Hill where he obtained a M.S. in geology. He worked for Shell Oil in both the onshore and offshore areas of the U.S. In 1999, Shew, who grew up in Brunswick County, came back home to be with his family, teach part-time and volunteer. The parttime teaching evolved into full time with a three-quarter appointment in geography and geology and one-quarter appointment in environmental sciences where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. Shew conducts numerous outreach programs with schools, scouts, teachers and the community. He gives talks and field seminars on energy issues, natural history of the coastal plain, coastal issues and more. He also devotes his time to sustainability and energy issues on the UNCW campus, particularly the campus natural areas and as a member of the Sustainability Committee. He continues his volunteerism with Cape Fear River Watch, The Nature Conservancy and others. We truly appreciate that Shew saves time to be one of most popular and respected teachers at OLLI. Be sure to look out for more upcoming classes from Roger Shew this fall!
Many sessions will be held in the artists’ workshops, and participants will learn firsthand about pottery, music, writing, sculpting and more.
This semester sees the return of the Castle Street series, • this time featuring “Antiques on Castle,” visiting four
area antique shops and a lunch at Jester’s Café.
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Bon Voyage!
OLLI departs to France OLLI’s educational opportunities are global; just ask member Janice Kingoff who recently returned from an OLLI trip to Northern Italy.
The 2011-12 Metropolitan Opera Live in HD season will include Anna Bolena, Don Giovanni, Faust and La Traviata to name a few.
National Theatre Live also returns, and OLLI has a full • plate of academic courses, lunches and dinners. To
get a jump on registration come by our Pathways preview party Aug. 30, especially if you want to join the Wine Society!
Barry Salwen kicks off autumn with a new course, • “Opera Masterpieces” on Sept. 7.
Next Spring OLLI will embark on two new trips one to London & Southern England and the other: Colors of Provence: A Cultural and Epicurean Journey through the South of France. Led by Michelle Scatton-Tessier, UNCW professor of French, travelers will visit Avignon, Nice and several provinces in the south of France. Scatton-Tessier will guide the small group to sample wines and cheeses, olive oils and other epicurean delights synonymous with France. To find out more about the OLLI trip to France visit www.uncw.edu/olli. Deadline for France trip is Sept. 30 and England deadline is Oct. 30
Be on the lookout for OLLI’s new and improved website. UNCW has spent over a year revamping the university’s website. This summer the OLLI page will share in the sleek new look and be more user-friendly. We will use the website to keep members up to date so check with us often and give us your feedback, johnsonag@uncw.edu.
Creative Writing Course Inspires Storytelling When StoryCorps came to town, people from all over the community came out to share their stories. This traveling recording studio captured short interviews on anything and everything. OLLI member Maryann Nunnally was completing a creative writing class with Jason Frye when she recorded her personal story about picking beans when she was 12 and trading lunches with an African American boy who had befriended her. Recording her memories in the StoryCorp studio took courage. “I don’t think I would have had the courage to do it if I had not been in the creative writing class … Jason is a great motivator.” In fact, she was motivated to start typing up all her “when I was a little girl” stories for her children and grandchildren. “To hear MaryAnn’s story and other local voices visit www.whqr.org/storycorps. Frye will be back in the fall to teach a creative writing class based on another NPR program called “This I Believe.” And if you’re thinking of tackling a bigger project, creative writing department chair Phillip Gerard will be here with his students to do a memoir class. OLLI members have a lifetime of stories to share; hopefully classes like these will bring them out.
Kingoff commented that the itinerary was well planned, the format was good, it was affordable and, if you behaved yourself, you were able to do even more than what was on the itinerary! Her favorite part of the trip was the gondola ride and visiting La Scala Opera House. In June, OLLI departs again, this time to China with an entourage of 29 seasoned learners. According to director Karel Dutton, “Visiting other countries to learn about their cultures just enhances our educational experience that much more and we become global citizens in a way a classroom setting just can’t accomplish.”
• OLLI to Re-launch Website
Summer programs not to be missed Don’t miss out on summer with OLLI! As the spring semester winds down we would like to remind you of the OLLI programs we have remaining this summer that you won’t want to miss. Our final lunch, Green is God’s Favorite Color: The Visionary Art of Minnie Evans will be on Wednesday, June 8. It will address the very intriguing topic of Minnie Evans’ career and showcase some of her work. We have two final performances this summer. June 2 is our very first high definition broadcast of the Broadway hit, The Importance of Being Earnest, a comedy about class, courtship
and mistaken identity, which ridicules codes of propriety and etiquette. Tony Award-winner Brian Bedford directs and stars as Lady Bracknell in this trivial comedy for serious people. On June 30 our final National Theatre Live performance will be Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Our final academic course this summer will be May 31. OLLI TEDTalks will be a discussion on the rise of collaboration and technology’s affect on collaboration. Don’t forget or miss out on these great events. We hope to see you spending some of your hot summer days in these cool OLLI programs!