Inside OSU's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Media Contact: Kirsi McDowell | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-8320 | kirsi@okstate.edu
At Oklahoma State University, education doesn’t stop at graduation.
For members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), learning is a lifelong pursuit with no deadlines or limits.
OLLI at OSU offers adults 50 and better opportunities to explore new ideas through non-credit courses. The program’s workshops and discussions spark curiosity while providing a welcoming space for members to exchange ideas, build friendships and find community.
Dr. Robin Fuxa, the newly appointed OLLI director, is leading the program’s next chapter. With a passion for lifelong learning and a commitment to the community, she is working to expand the program’s impact and strengthen the connections that make OLLI thrive.
Fuxa met with longtime OLLI member and instructor Pam Brown to discuss the program’s significance and impact on members. Brown, a retired OSU faculty member and experienced educator, remains deeply engaged with OLLI as both a participant and an instructor.
After receiving a gifted OLLI membership for her retirement in 2018, Brown slowly became a regular program member over the years and even took up instructing courses such as Ukulele for Beginners and Intermediates, and Great Decisions — a discussion program overviewing world affairs.
Fuxa: What would be your “over a cup of coffee” pitch to somebody who’s thinking about going to an OLLI event?
Brown: My pitch is simply try it. It’s so inexpensive to try a course and see what you think. Do some different things. I’m trying to talk myself into taking some of the visual arts classes, because I always feel hesitant as any kind of an artist other than music. It would be good for me to expand my thinking and try things out.
OLLI provides a wide variety of learning experiences across its course catalog. Members can attend Town Hall speaker sessions, dissect literature and participate in scholarly discussions; courses include hands-on crafting, writing and culinary demonstrations, and interactive well-being workshops.
Fuxa: What’s something you’re glad you learned at an OLLI event?
Brown: Oh my. The first thing that pops into my mind is artificial intelligence. But also hearing about some of the new facilities on campus, like the nursing school. Dean Pedersen came the year before last to tell us about a lot of the new things going on within the college. But the one I focused on, that I remember most, was about the nursing school and the nursing degree program, and how that was working. I thought that was brilliant. It was on the horizon when I retired, but it wasn’t very far along yet, so it was so cool to find out about how it’s progressed.
Fuxa: Well, what keeps you coming back?
Brown: The people. The people and the quality. The coursework is high quality, and the people who come in to lead this are just remarkable in what they know. I just learn a lot, and one of my favorite things about coming to OLLI classes is how smart the members are … These people are sharp folks, and the questions are extremely discerning, and sometimes they do it tactfully. I think that comes with age — you sort of learn how to [ask questions] a little bit better.
Beyond the courses themselves, OLLI’s impact is often best seen through the experiences of its members. For Brown, the program has created countless memorable moments, both as a student discovering new perspectives and as an instructor guiding others on their own learning journeys.
Fuxa: Tell me about a favorite time as an OLLI student.
Brown: Well, I love Vickie Sturgeon’s movie classes. She always has a theme every semester for her movies — and they are obscure movies. I see things with Vickie that I would never even think about watching otherwise. We had “Humor from the British Isles” recently, and Vickie’s idea of humor is probably not our idea of British humor. It is usually incredibly dramatic, with a few funny lines thrown in that are for irony. But she’s so fun, and she brings to the table incredible knowledge. She does a ton of research. She watches every film multiple times before she comes and shows it to us.
Fuxa: Fantastic. Do you want to share a favorite moment for you as an OLLI teacher?
Brown: Last semester in our ukulele class, a local children’s songwriter asked us to film a sing-along … So, the class sang, and they also chose a song as a class that they wanted to learn together and film and have that video. So we did that. They chose “You are my Sunshine,” which is a three-chord song. We made a flip chart with the chords on it and set it up so we could film them. It was like they had their little teleprompter going on and did the song, and that was just a moment. I mean, they came to a consensus about what they wanted to do, and we facilitated them doing that, which is what OLLI teaching should be about.
Brown’s experiences highlight how OLLI blends learning with community building, creating moments that stay with members long after class ends.
OLLI at OSU continues to demonstrate that education is not confined to classrooms or limited by age. Guided by Fuxa’s leadership and strengthened by the dedication of members like Brown, the program remains a vibrant community where curiosity is encouraged, knowledge is shared and the love of learning lasts a lifetime.
Story by Brittney Purcell | Photos by Kelly Kerr