Mental Exercise

Who says retirement has to be boring? Just because you no longer “work” for a living, there are so many exciting things to do now that you have extra time. Actually, some people feel busier in retirement than they were when they worked!

We all understand how important physical exercise is, but not to be overlooked is the importance of mental exercise. One very interesting program that we are fortunate to have in Ashland, Oregon is called OLLI. http://www.sou.edu/olli/ Now that’s a funny name, but it stands for:

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Here’s a quote from their web site:

“Eager to continue learning? Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Southern Oregon University offers intellectually stimulating classes and social functions for adults who want to know more about the world and the people who inhabit it. Volunteer instructors, most often OLLI members, share their expertise and passions in areas such as literature, art, history, science, natural history, politics, games, health, music, writing, film, theatre, dance, technology and travel. All this at a very modest cost of only $100 per academic year to members. Classes are noncredit - that means no tests and no grades!”

There are also OLLI’s at the following colleges and universities, so I hope you’re lucky enough to live near one:

Aquinas College
Auburn University
American University (D.C.)*
Arizona State University*
Berkshire Community College (MA)
Boise State University (ID)
Bradley University
Brandeis University (MA)*
Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (CA)*
Carnegie Mellon (PA)*
Casper College (WY)
Clemson University (SC)*
Coastal Carolina University
Colorado State University
CSU Bakersfield
CSU Channel Islands*
CSU Chico*
CSU Dominguez Hills
CSU East Bay*
CSU Fresno
CSU Fullerton*
CSU Long Beach*
CSU Los Angeles
CSU Monterey Bay
CSU San Bernardino*
CSU San Marcos*
Dominican University (CA)*
Duke University (NC) *
Eckerd College (FL)*
Emory University (GA)*
Florida International University
Florida State University
Furman University*
George Mason University (VA)*
Granite State College (NH)*
Hampton University (VA)
Humboldt State University
Indiana State University
Iowa State University
Johns Hopkins University
Kennesaw State University (GA)*
Louisiana State University
New York University
Northwestern University (IL)*
Oklahoma State University
Pennsylvania State University
Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)*
Rutgers University (NJ)*
Saginaw Valley State University (MI)*
San Francisco State University (CA)*
San Diego State University (CA)
San Jose State University (CA)
Santa Clara University (CA)*
Sierra College (CA)*
Sonoma State University (CA)*
Southern Oregon University*
Stony Brook State Univ. of New York
Temple University
Texas Tech University*
Towson University (MD)
Tufts University (MA)*
UC Berkeley
UC Davis*
UC Irvine*
UC Los Angeles*
UC Riverside*
UC San Diego*
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
University of Alabama in Huntsville*
University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa
University of Alaska at Fairbanks*
University of Arizona
University of Arkansas
University of Cincinnati
University of Connecticut
University of Dayton (OH)*
University of Denver (CO)*
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii at Hilo
University of Hawaii at Manoa*
University of Illinois
University of Iowa
University of Kansas*
University of Kentucky*
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts – Boston*
University of Miami
University of Michigan*
University of Minnesota*
University of Missouri – Columbia*
University of Montana
University of Nebraska*
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Reno
University of New Mexico
University of North Carolina Wilmington*
University of North Dakota
University of North Florida
University of Oklahoma
University of Oregon*
University of Pittsburgh (PA)*
University of Rhode Island
University of Richmond (VA)*
University of South Carolina Beaufort*
University of South Dakota
University of South Florida*
University of Southern Maine*
University of Southern Mississippi*
University of Texas at Austin*
University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
University of the Pacific (CA)
University of Utah*
University of Vermont*
University of Virginia*
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Vanderbilt University (TN)
West Virginia University
Widener University (PA)
Yavapai College (AZ)