Raritan Valley Community College and Rutgers Partner to Bring Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to Bridgewater

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. –  The growing popularity of lifelong learning programs for adults over 50 has led to a new partnership between Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC), and the launch of a third site for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University (OLLI-RU) in Bridgewater next month.

The collaboration will enhance the lifelong learning program begun by RVCC last fall and provide easier access to OLLI-RU’s courses for residents in Somerset and Hunterdon counties.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University to offer wonderful educational opportunities for adults,” said RVCC President Casey Crabill. “OLLI-RU’s long history of providing stimulating and engaging programs for adults over 50 will assist us in offering a comprehensive program of lifelong learning for the diverse populations of Somerset and Hunterdon counties.”

Twenty-nine courses will be offered at the RVCC@Bridgewater satellite site at 14 Vogt Drive, adjacent to the Somerset County Library, in 10-week and five-week sessions, Feb. 22 through May 4. Course topics include art, computers, current affairs, film, history, language, science, writing and such personal interest areas as bridge and meditation. Tuition ranges from $35 to $90 per course.

The noncredit courses are taught by current and retired instructors from area colleges, including RVCC and Rutgers, as well as high schools. There are no grades or tests, and a college degree is not required to enroll. To register online, go to raritanval.edu/lifelonglearning. To obtain a print catalog, contact Sheila Cancella or call 908-526-1200, ext. 8299.

“The vibrant over-50 community in New Jersey has embraced the notion that learning is a lifelong activity,” said Marvin Schlaffer, director of OLLI-RU. “Our partnership with Raritan Valley Community College will make it possible for more people to have access to the enriching courses that thousands of adult learners have enjoyed for the past 19 years.”

OLLI-RU is a unit of Rutgers’ Division of Continuing Studies. The program was established by Rutgers in 1993 in The Reformed Church of Highland Park, where it still operates. The location at Brookdale Community College’s Eastern Monmouth Higher Education Center in Freehold was added in 2006. Spring session programs at those sites will begin in early March.

In its 19 years, OLLI-RU has grown from 75 students and eight courses to 1,772 students enrolled in 96 classes in Fall 2011.

OLLI-RU receives funding from the Bernard Osher Foundation, which was established in 1977 to benefit a wide range of educational and cultural activities. Osher, a Maine native and San Francisco resident, is a successful businessman, community leader and a patron of the arts and education. His wife, the Honorable Barbro (cq) Osher, consul general of Sweden in San Francisco, serves as chair of the foundation.

RVCC’s main campus is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg. Serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for over 40 years, the College offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates. RVCC @ Bridgewater offers technical, trade, credit and non-credit courses.

For more information about OLLI-RU, click here, or call 732-932-7233, ext. 4200.