About Us

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC San Diego is a membership program for adults over the age of 50 who want to be part of a learning community with peers. We are committed to providing our members with intellectually stimulating learning opportunities throughout the year. Each quarter, Osher features lectures and seminars by the outstanding faculty and researchers of the UC San Diego community, as well as local leaders, artists and musicians. Class topics include medicine, science, law and society, history, art and humanities, international relations, literature, politics and social sciences. Informed, member-led discussions of current events, live drama, music, periodic field trips and social gatherings enhance the Osher experience at UC San Diego.

Osher at UC San Diego is a volunteer-run organization under the administrative auspices of UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies. Our 800+ members elect executive officers and council members to establish organizational policy and to oversee a variety of volunteer committees, including: curriculum, fundraising, membership relations, hospitality marketing and communications, events and field trips, and theater world.
 

Program History

Under the guidance of Dean Mary Walshok, UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies established this lifelong learning institute, then known as the Institute for Continued learning (ICL), in 1974. In 2007 The Bernard Osher Foundation awarded ICL an initial grant followed by a $1,000,000 endowment to establish the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UC San Diego. What started out as a small group of 30 peers has grown into a community of over 800 lifelong learners.

Program Expansion

UC San Diego is developing a program in downtown San Diego that will provide exclusive access to a central hub of community and education for adults over the age of 50.