Curiosity, Connection, Contribution |
Curiosity, Connection, Contribution…that is what we offer here at Osher! Our spring term classes and special events provide abundant opportunities for all three. Bernard Osher designed his namesake Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes to be member driven and peer led. Our mandate from Mr. Osher is to create a community where adult learners can continue to learn and teach, connect on intellectual and social levels, and give back to the program at the same time as we receive so much from his gift. Please read below for four meaningful opportunities to volunteer and contribute. Spring term is shaping up to be our highest enrollment yet, but space is still available in many outstanding spring classes. We could not create this magic without our volunteers, instructors, and members. We learn from each other, and WE are what make this program so special for ages 50 and better!
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What do Oreo's, Yellowstone, Nike and Levi's all have in common? They are all iconic brands. This course will examine what makes a brand iconic and what can be learned from iconic brands. We will examine why iconic brands are so important to us, why we value them and why we continue to buy them. The focus of this course explores why having an iconic brand is critical for companies and us as consumers.
Monday March 23 at 9:30 am
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This course will provide an overview of the Clean Water Act, one of the United States's foundational federal environmental laws. Beginning with background on the science of water pollution and history of water quality regulation, the course will introduce the factors that shaped the current contours of the law. We will introduce and examine the major provisions of the Clean Water Act, including the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Section 404 dredge-and-fill permitting, and establishment of water quality standards and the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program. In addition, we will discuss ongoing legal developments, assess the impacts of the law, and engage with critiques of the Clean Water Act's shortcomings.
Monday March 23 at 11:30 am
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Journaling is more than just recording daily events--it's a unique tool for unlocking creativity and enhancing your writing skills. In this class, you will explore how journaling can spark fresh ideas, overcome creative blocks, and develop a more authentic writing voice. Through guided prompts, reflective exercises, and creative techniques, you will learn how to transform thoughts and experiences into compelling narratives, poetry, or personal essays. Whether you are a seasoned writer or just beginning your creative journey, this class will help you tap into your imagination and bring your words to life with confidence.
Monday March 23 at 3:30 pm
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Flapper fashion wasn't just popular in the United States, instead it represented a larger phenomenon of women stepping out of and redefining traditional roles to live and thrive in a rapidly modernizing world. In Asia the "Modern Girl" stepped out into a complex society, trying to find a place between tradition, nationalism, colonialism, and consumerism. In this single-session class we will discuss how colonization and modernization created a unique opportunity for women to seek out higher education, involve themselves in work, and adapt traditional fashions to become the iconic figures we remember today.
Wednesday April 8 at 3:30 pm
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The Muslim population in Russia, while a relatively small percentage (10-15%) of the overall populace, still represents a significant number (15-20 million people). Furthermore, this population is concentrated in two key regions where Muslims are the majority (North Caucasus and Tatarstan/Bashkortostan), making them important players in Russian politics, both domestically and internationally. This course will delve into these Muslim-majority areas, exploring their historical conversion to Islam, the demographic, social, and cultural distinctions between Muslim and non-Muslim Russians, and the internal differences between the two Muslim-majority regions themselves.
Monday March 23 at 11:30 am
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Learn techniques for mastering the music: performing techniques, dynamics, and how to study more advanced pieces with advanced right-hand left-hand techniques. We will also discuss how to manage our nerves when performing in class and in public.
Please note: This class will now combine levels 1 and 2.
Tuesday March 24 at 9:30 am
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This is the story of the Theater of the Mind. Radio was the central medium of news and entertainment in America until television nearly killed it. But rock 'n' roll came along and the medium was reborn, first as Top 40 radio. Later, as the audience migrated from the AM to the FM dial, underground or freeform radio dominated the airwaves and captured the imagination of popular culture. It changed the music business permanently and birthed the Classic Era of Rock. We listen to the music and look at where it came from, how it happened, and what became of it.
Wednesday March 25 at 1:30 pm
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This course delves into a transformative period from the 8th to 14th century when Islamic civilization flourished in areas such as science, philosophy, medicine, mathematics, and art. Explore the intellectual achievements of scholars like Avicenna, Al-Razi, and Ibn Khaldun, who made groundbreaking contributions to various fields. Investigate the flourishing of Islamic culture, knowledge transmission, and the synthesis of diverse traditions in centers like Baghdad, Cordoba, and Cairo. Gain insights into the preservation and translation of classical Greek and Roman texts, fostering an environment that laid the foundation for the Renaissance. Uncover the rich legacy that shaped the course of history.
Thursday March 26 at 5:00 pm
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Krav Maga is the official self-defense and fighting system of the Israeli defense forces and numerous US law enforcement and military agencies. Krav Maga emphasizes easy to learn techniques that have been proven effective in real-world situations to provide the adults and children practitioners in our community the strength and confidence to protect themselves and those closest to them. A team of certified experts who are internationally recognized for their civilian, military, law enforcement, and third-party protection training will teach us the same techniques they have extensively taught the police, military, and other high-risk operatives...so one may walk in peace. Join us for a demonstration with one of their experts and one of our very own Osher members! This demonstration will show us what self-defense techniques people our age can learn.
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Saturday March 28 at 11:00 am
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Join us as we tour the campus of The Other Side Village, a community of healing and purposeful living for adults coming out of chronic homelessness. The 39-acre lot on Indiana Avenue in Salt Lake City is situated near downtown Salt Lake City, and has room for the 456 permanent homes, enterprises, and community amenity buildings that will serve as integral parts of The Other Side Village's emphasis on dignity, love, respect, abundance, and acceptance. We will begin with a talk by CEO Preston Cochrane followed by a tour of The Village.
Thursday April 16 at 10:00 am
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Join us at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts for a guided tour of this special exhibition, Storywork: The Prints of Marie Watt. This print retrospective is accompanied by Marie Watt's monumental blanket stacks, hanging textiles, and sculptures that also bring these stories to life. After the one-hour tour, Osher members are invited to stay and enjoy lunch together. Lunch or refreshments can be purchased at the UMFA's cafe.
Friday April 17 at 11:00 am
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Join us for a free, guided highlights tour of the Salt Lake County visual arts collection, featuring some of the key works in the collection by artists connected to Utah. The collection reflects the region's history, landscapes, and diverse communities, and is displayed in public buildings throughout the county, making it free and accessible to all. Each tour will explore artwork across all four floors of the government center--four floors in the North Building and four floors in the South Building--offering a broad look at the collection in each space. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a sack lunch.
Friday April 24 at 12:00 pm
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| Osher Special Events in 2026 are brought to you in part from funding from ZAP
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative team, themes, and creative choices behind the production KING JAMES before seeing a Preview Performance of it that night! Pioneer Theatre Company's exclusive class is only offered to Osher members.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Mar 18 – Wednesday!
Thursday March 19 at 6:30 pm
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In celebration of the traveling exhibit Bug World at the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU), go behind the scenes with Invertebrate Collections Manager Christy Bills to discover the connections between the exhibit and NHMU's incredible collections of insect specimens. Participants are encouraged to arrive early or stay after the tour to explore the Bug World exhibit (on the 3rd floor) on their own.
Wednesday March 25 at 4:00 pm
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative team, themes, and creative choices behind the production COME FROM AWAY before seeing a Preview Performance of it that night! Pioneer Theatre Company's exclusive class is only offered to Osher members.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: April 22
Thursday April 23 at 6:30 pm
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Self-Care in Trying Times
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March 25, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm
By Amanda McNab, DSW, LCSW, Manager at Huntsman Mental Health
The news should keep us informed of world events; not be the source of nightmares. Yet these days, exposure to the news frequently creates intense, negative reactions in those that consume it. This presentation will explore ways to address the emotional toll exposure to the world news may cause and how to prevent further distress
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How an Oil Refinery Works
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April 1, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm
By Alan Eastman, Osher Instructor, Retired Research Chemist, and Co-founder, GreenFire Energy
Every day, thousands of Utahns drive past "refinery row," north of Salt Lake. They usually see the refineries as a more or less incomprehensible tangle of pipes that emit an unpleasant odor, and they often see a big pipe with a huge tongue of flame above it - but have no idea why it's there or what it does. This Lunch and Learn is designed to give Osher members an understandable explanation of what those pipes are, what they do, how they do it, and where their gasoline and diesel fuel come from. We will also discuss what all those trucks are doing as they drive from Duchesne to the refineries. We will be digging around in the Northeast Western South Dakota refinery of the Slippery Oil Company - see you there!
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Exercise and the Aging Brain
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April 8, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm
By Owen Benzley, Graduate Teaching Assistant and PhD Student, The University of Utah, Department of Health & Kinesiology
As we age, many of us notice changes in memory and thinking, but aging does not automatically lead to significant decline. Research shows that exercise is one factor that may help support a healthy brain throughout life. In this seminar, we will examine how physical activity impacts the brain regions responsible for learning and memory, particularly the hippocampus. We will examine how various types of exercise, such as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), can help maintain brain health and support memory. We will also discuss what researchers are still working to understand, and how science continues to explore the connection between movement, aging, and brain health.
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Rare Earth Elements: From Fundamental Chemistry to Global Markets and National Security
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April 15, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm
By Ryan Stolley, Associate Director of SRI, The University of Utah Chemistry Department
In this talk, we will cover basic the basic chemistry of elements with a focus on the rare earths and then explore why they are "rare", the applications of these elements, how they are isolated, and what it means for the global and national economy, and what this means for national security.
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Zane Grey and the Mormons
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April 22, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm
By Fred Esplin, Osher Instructor and Former Vice President of Advancement at The University of Utah
Zane Grey was a Sigma Nu frat boy who studied dentistry and played baseball at the University of Pennsylvania before going out West and making his name as America’s most famous Western writer. Grey suffered bouts of depression and mood swings that he described as “a hyena lying in ambush.” To keep his “black spells” at bay, he went on a mountain lion hunting trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 1908 where he met Jim Emmett, a Mormon who lived on the banks of the Colorado River where he operated Lee’s Ferry. Years later, at the height of his fame, Grey called Emmett “the man who influenced me most,” seeing in Emmett a model of how to tame his “black spells.” His 1912 novel, Riders of the Purple Sage, cast Mormons among its central characters and became the most popular western novel of all time, selling over two million copies and being adapted for five different movies.
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Ethics Explored at the Intersection of Arts and Health
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April 29, 2026, 12:00-1:00 pm
By Gretchen Case, Director of the Center for Health Ethics, Arts & Humanities at the University of Utah and Dan Froot, Producer, Writer, Director, Actor, Composer, Saxophonist and the Founder of Dan Froot & Company
Facilitated by Gretchen Case from the Center for Health Ethics, Arts, and Humanities and Dan Froot of Dan Froot & Company, this discussion will focus on the ethical questions that arise when telling stories publicly that involve emotionally difficult or traumatic experiences. Medical providers often share stories from their clinical work to explore or illustrate critical issues, and the ethical conundrums associated with talking about medical encounters are well-known. How do you tell a story, on the stage or the page, that respects privacy and avoids re-traumatization, but still has the desired impact on your audience?
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Osher members attending this Lunch and Learn session are encouraged to attend Dan Froot & Company’s Arms Around America on April 9-10 at UtahPresents. For those unable to do so, a summary of the performance and the creative process behind it will be provided at the beginning of the discussion.
For more information about the show and tickets: https://www.utahpresents.org/events/arms/
Use UtahPresents 20% discount code for Osher members: OSHER
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Four Volunteer Opportunities to Contribute to Osher!
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New! Osher Special Events Club — Join the Conversation
Osher members are invited to a new monthly gathering designed to spark ideas, build connections, and help shape future Osher special events.
Our first Special Events Club meeting will take place:
Monday, March 16 – Today!
2:00 p.m.
Red Butte Gardens
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This informal gathering is an opportunity for members to come together, share ideas, and collaborate on creative possibilities for future Osher events. Bring a mug of tea, enjoy the beauty of the gardens, and take part in a lively conversation with fellow members.
Following our discussion, we’ll take a leisurely stroll through Red Butte Garden together and begin planning our next monthly gathering. Future meetings may rotate to other Osher partner locations such as the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and the Natural History Museum of Utah—wonderful places that Osher members can enjoy through their membership benefits.
Whether you love brainstorming, planning, or simply connecting with fellow lifelong learners, we’d love to have you join us. No registration needed, please just show up and have fun!
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Do you love attending Osher Special Events each term? Are you curious about how we select and organize our many varied fun events and who is responsible for planning them? This single-session free class will give you a behind-the-scenes tour of how Osher staff and volunteers run this very special and unique aspect of our program. Volunteerism is the foundation of Osher and especially of Special Events. We've slowly been gearing up after Covid changed the way events were done in 2020. We're getting back to more in-person meetings at familiar venues and exploring new places too. Come learn how it's done and maybe even plan a new special event yourself for your fellow Osher members or share your ideas for fun places for Osher to visit.
Thursday March 26 at 9:30 am
Wednesday April 15 at 10:00 am
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Did you ever wonder about how the Osher program operates behind the scenes? This single-session free class will introduce you to the magic of how Osher staff and volunteers recruit instructors, organize classes, and create four fascinating six-week terms each year. We will outline duties performed by the esteemed Osher Curriculum Committee. Our founder, Bernard Osher, intended his Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes to be member-driven and volunteer-led within a community of peers, ages 50 and better. Every single member, instructor, and volunteer brings their wealth of life experiences and knowledge to the classroom, building a very special community of curious adults who value education and class discussions highly. Come learn how it's done, share your ideas, and maybe even think about teaching a course yourself for your fellow Osher members.
Tuesday April 7 at 10:00 am
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Angie Matinkhah is a tireless advocate for the organizations and causes she loves. Lucky for us, that includes the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute! Angie volunteers for Osher Special Events, working behind the scenes to bring people together, to shine a light on artists, athletes, and changemakers, and to strengthen the city she has called home for over four decades. “There are so many little ways we can help,” she said. “Even if it’s just supporting a local business or buying a ticket to a performance - it all matters.” Read more about Angie on the Salt Lake Sideways blog. And learn more about volunteering at Osher in one of our upcoming Osher Behind the Scenes classes this spring. We need volunteers like you to help us build our vibrant and supportive community!
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Call for Submissions – Osher Reflections
Attention Osher Members! We are excited to announce that the 2nd Edition of Osher Reflections, our new literary and art publication, is now in the planning stage, to be available by December 2026. We are soliciting 22 stories and poetry for this edition. The selection of these stories/poetry will be done by a juried panel of five Osher members including Holly Webster, the editor. Guidelines for writing these submissions can be obtained by email: hollyfw@gmail.com .
We know there are many people in our Osher community with intriguing stories, and we look forward to reading them! We are hopeful for very modest donations to help publish this project, but it is not obligatory for submission of your writing. Donations can be made through the Osher website.
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Artwork: Song Bird by Marjorie Ann McClure
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The Utah Red Rocks gymnastics team has done it again! They recently cinched their second Big 12 Regular Season title!! The Big 12 Gymnastics Championships will be held at the Maverik Center on Saturday March 21. The Red Rocks will be competing at 5:00 pm. Who Rocks the House (WRTH) is again offering Osher members discounted tickets to watch the team compete. Championship Energy Guaranteed. Thank you to Angie Matinkhah for setting this opportunity up for Osher. Don’t miss out!
🔥 2‑for‑$22 Tickets! Bring a friend, save some cash, and double the hype. Includes all fees!
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You have to buy tickets to Session 1 and Session 2 separately. The Red Rocks compete in Session 2, 5:00 pm
- Enter “WRTH” when FEVO asks for a club affiliation
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The NOVA Chamber Music Series celebrates the vast chamber music repertoire and Utah’s resident artists through concerts, commissions of new works, educational programs, and recordings. Upcoming concerts include Romani Rock, music of Enescu, Ravel, Janáček, and a world premiere by Igor Iachimciuc on April 19. Performances are held at Libby Gardener Concert Hall in Presidents’ Circle.
Sunday April 19 at 3:00 pm
15% Discount for two tickets with Code: Osher
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Our previous newsletters and podcasts are saved in an archive on our main website, so you never have to worry about missing a thing.
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Stay Connected by Joining Us on Social Media
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The Osher Instagram and Facebook pages are a great way to stay connected. We highlight the accomplishments of Osher instructors and members. Special Events are updated, posted, and featured here too. Please like us to stay up to date and share with your friends who would enjoy all that Osher has to offer!
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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
801-581-6461 | osher@utah.edu
osher.utah.edu
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Continuing Education at the University of Utah | 540 Arapeen Dr Rm 210 | Salt Lake City, UT 84108 US
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540 Arapeen Drive | Salt Lake City, UT 84108 US
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