Let's Make Osher Sound Better

This campaign has concluded, but if you would like to still make a gift to support the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, please click here.

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UPDATE: Thanks to the generosity of our Osher community—and the larger Lawrence and Topeka communities—we have achieved our original goal. With additional donations, we plan to make two additional improvements to create a near state-of-the-art classroom that will greatly enhance the learning experiences for our students and instructors:

• Upgrade our sluggish computer with one with greater speed and capabilities
• Replace our aging projector with a more advanced unit that produces sharper images and clearer text, and move our screen to the center of the room for better viewing for everyone

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The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at KU provides noncredit enrichment courses and events specially developed for folks 50 and older—although learners of all ages are welcome. Highly qualified instructors present a wide range of courses, including history, literature, art, music, religion and more. There’s no homework. No tests. No pressure. It’s just learning for the joy of it.

And while we offer courses in nearly 20 sites across Kansas and Greater Kansas City, almost one-third of them are offered at the Osher Institute at 1515 St. Andrews Drive in Lawrence. Located in the former Maupintour building, our classroom is not equipped with a public address system, making learning difficult for folks with any hearing loss. With 1,200 adult learners attending courses there each year, there are too many who cannot adequately hear all that’s being taught. We want to do better.

When we asked our participants how we could improve their learning experiences, two remedies quickly became apparent:

• First, install a public address system to provide uniform sound across the classroom.

• And second, embed a hearing loop in the classroom floor for those folks with hearing aids or cochlear implants who could simply flip a t-switch to activate the sound system.

Working with KU IT, KU Design and Construction Management, and MSM Systems, Inc., we have developed a comprehensive plan to install these systems yet this spring! But to do so, we need your help. The cost for the entire project is $9,776.

No surprise, funding is an issue. But, we feel that if we seek the support of our Osher colleagues who stand to benefit from these improvements and seek the support of people in our community interested in helping these older adult learners, we can spread the financial load among dozens, perhaps hundreds of donors.

So, would you please help us? Let’s make Osher sound better.