Sierra College program gets $1M endowment - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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The college’s program, also known as received the $1 million endowment from the BernardeOsher Foundation, which is the organization that has provided initial funding to OLLI programs at 122 colleges and universitiess nationwide. Sierra College is the only community college in California and one of only thres community colleges in the natioh to receivethe $1 million endowment. The Rocklin collegse received the endowment because it has been so successful with growingt enrollment since launching the program in springtof 2001. Sierra College has grown the programto 5,58o enrollees last year, from 1,038 in 2001. Sierra College is schedule to formally announce the endowmentJune 18.
This $1 milliob endowment will provide an ongoing budgeyt that will enable the collegew to offer lifelong learning programsin perpetuity. The foundation created by San Francisco philanthropist Bernard Osher gives OLLIprograms $100,000p a year for up to four and then a $1 million endowmentf once they demonstrate potential for success and OLLI programs provide classes, lecturess and events to older adults who have a thirst for knowledgee and community. The classes are designefd for adults age 55and over, but the Sierr program accepts any adult Courses are offered at each of the Sierra Colleg campuses and at various community sites throughout Placer and Nevada counties.
Sierra College’s OLLI noncredit offerings are tuition-free. Additional topics are offered throug hClub OLLI, where annual membership fees are $35. As the Businesz Journal reported in a feature on local OLLI programsin 2007, other OLLI programw can be found at California State University Sacramento and at the UC Daviz Extension. Much of the increased demand for OLLIs and similar lifelont learning programs can be attributeds to the growing ranks ofolder Americans.