FAU gets $4M donation for lifelong learning

A California philanthropist has donated $4 million to Florida Atlantic University’s Lifelong Learning Society, which offers classes, concertsand entertainment to South Florida’s senior citizens.

Bernard Osher, through his foundation, supports arts and education projects throughout the country, including 120 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, which will be the new name of FAU’s Lifelong Learning Society.

FAU President John Kelly said the gift “ensures that the lifelong learning program will be here forever, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Associate provost Herbert Shapiro said themoney will be used to enhance the school’s diverse programming of non-credit courses.

FAU’s program has distinguished itself not only with the quality of its courses but its quantity of members, which far surpass any of Osher’s other institutes, said David Blazevich, the foundation’s senior program director.

FAU’s institute has 14,000 members, while the University of Delaware’s institute, the next largest in the Osher network, has 3,700, Blazevich said.

“They obviously provide the kind of education the community is looking for, because people are so responsive,” Blazevich said. “That’s howwe know they are listening to the local community.”

The Lifelong Learning Society opened on the Boca Raton campus in 1980 and expanded to Jupiter in 1997. Classes, from October to June, explore history, music, art, philosophy and current events.

The Osher Foundation originally connected with FAU through a $150,000 grant in 2014.

Osher, a native of Maine, started his foundation in1977, with a focus on higher education and fine arts.

lsolomon@sunsentinel .com