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Barbara White

Barbara White has had an extraordinary tenure at California State University, Long Beach, culminating as the director of ɫ��ɫ’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). She is retired as of August 16. Patti LaPlace, Recreation and Leisure Studies (RLS) faculty, started director duties upon White’s retirement.

Barbara White has been on the California State University, Long Beach campus since 1982, first as a faculty member tenured in the School of Nursing, and then the director of the Gerontology Program in Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS). In January, 2009, White brought her health and aging skills to become the director of OLLI. This Center in CHHS offers non-credit classes to adults 50 and older, both on-campus and at a variety of off-site venues. OLLI celebrated 25 years on the ɫ��ɫ campus in 2021. Its sustainability is supported, in part, with two endowments from the Bernard Osher Foundation, as one of 125 such institutes at universities and colleges throughout the country. Olli’s membership rose to 2,000 people, pre-pandemic, and is recovering with a current membership of over 1,000. OLLI offers four 8-week sessions per year for an annual membership of $40 and a choice of over 70-90 classes for only $15 each.

“Many of our members will say that OLLI saved them,” White says. “Many have lost spouses, and it’s easy to isolate yourself after a big loss. People come to OLLI to find a place to learn, to socialize and to stay active.” White recalls several instances throughout her career at OLLI where members have made friendships and have found like-minded people who enjoy the same past times.

“One of our strategic priorities is to become more integrated into the university community and we are managing to do that more and more. As I like to say here at OLLI, ‘We bring the town to the gown, but we also want to bring the gown to the town.’”

According to White, OLLI is a win-win for everyone on campus. “I think we give university students the opportunity to see lifelong learning in action, to see vital, active older adults and not the stereotypical viewpoint that society often has of aging.”

Adds White, “We contribute a lot to campus. We are role models. We have members who are guest lecturers in university classes, as well as members who help students with assignments. ɫ��ɫ students who never knew their grandparents ask to interview our older adults, because we have many dynamic people here at OLLI who are willing to lend their experience and expertise to students."

OLLI members are active participants in faculty and student research in the field of aging. In 2019, a member endowed an annual competitive scholarship for graduate students engaged in research in the field of aging. OLLI also offers University faculty and students the opportunities for internship projects and to teach their expertise in the classrooms.

"Among our many lecture and activity classes, we have two that have continued since our beginning:  Memoir Writing and Current Events," White adds. "Memoir writing preserves personal and historical memories, while current events presents a variety of perspectives on today and the future. Both classes would welcome university students to drop-in."

From the ‘Play-it-Again’ music jam group, to the arts and crafts classes that will showcase their art pieces this fall in the Duncab Anderson Gallery on campus, there is something for everyone to enjoy and partake in at OLLI, White says. 

Among White’s proudest moments of serving as OLLI Director was the way the program adapted during the pandemic.

“We felt our way into the Zoom world,” White says of learning to adapt to an online campus. “I mean, the idea of OLLI is to get older adults involved with campus life – to be on campus in person, but I’m really proud of the fact that we have just completed installation of hybrid equipment in our HS&D classroom that is state-of-the art. I think this is really important for this age group because sometimes you’re not feeling well, and you can’t get to class, or you are babysitting grandchildren, or you’re traveling but you still want to participate.”

Though OLLI is forging ahead with Zoom and online equipment, White remarks that OLLI today is still a bustling on-campus community. As far as what White says she will miss about the job, she smiles and says, “the people, including our small but amazing staff” and writing her weekly emails.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when classes moved to Zoom, White wrote OLLI members each day to address the latest about COVID-19 and provide resources and connection to members. At the end of each email, she provided an ‘And finally…’ section, which included humor to brighten people’s day. It is still the most popular section of the weekly news.

“People really enjoyed those emails and I enjoyed writing them,” White says. “I’m going to miss doing that; I’ve been ɫ��ɫ faculty for many years now; I’ll just have to find that same satisfaction in the third half of my life,” she says with a chuckle.

Adds White, “Patti [LaPlace] should be perfect for the [OLLI director] job – she’s enthusiastic, she’s creative, and she is coming to us from Recreation and Leisure Studies, which will be a good match,” White says. “She knows the university and she knows Long Beach. She will help guide OLLI into the future.”