Temple University has received a $1 million endowment from The Bernard Osher Foundation to support the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), the university’s non-credit educational program for adults aged 50 and older — the fastest-growing segment of the American population.

Based at Temple University Center City (TUCC) in the heart of Philadelphia, OLLI offers lively, no-pressure courses, clubs, field trips and lectures on a wide range of subjects to its members, many of whom also serve as the institute’s instructors.

“The foundation’s financial support has enabled Temple University to keep lifelong learning affordable to a wide range of people,” said William Parshall, executive director of Temple’s Ambler and Center City campuses. “We are delighted that the Bernard Osher Foundation has selected Temple to be part of their national network of lifelong learning institutes. Their endowment gift will provide a significant boost to the long-term health of the program.”

The grant is the largest Temple has received from the Osher Foundation, OLLI’s primary source of income other than membership dues and donations. The foundation’s support of Temple, which now totals $1.275 million, has enabled the institute to enhance its programs and expand its staffing and advertising. As a result, OLLI membership reached 870 in 2009-10, an increase of more than 30 percent since 2007.

“The Osher Foundation grant has enabled us to reach individuals and groups that we had never been able to recruit before,” said OLLI Director Adam Brunner. “Once people attend a few classes, the program sells itself.”

OLLI’s offerings this spring include courses on American music from Ragtime to Broadway musicals, financial planning for older adults, Americans who have broken racial barriers, yoga, bridge, foreign languages and women in the Bible.

Brunner noted the advantages of OLLI’s central location, which provides a demographically diverse group of members with easy mass-transit access and opens up opportunities for classes to explore the city’s rich menu of arts and culture. OLLI at Temple, Brunner said, is the only one of the national network of 118 foundation-supported institutes located in Philadelphia.

“Baby boomers are aging, and they’re looking for meaningful things to do with their time,” said Brunner. “With a weak economy and travel often prohibitively expensive, OLLI offers such a good value to active, engaged older adults in the Philadelphia region.”

Adults aged 50 and up may register by mail or in-person at TUCC (1515 Market St., across the street from City Hall). Annual membership dues are $240, although a shorter spring-and-summer membership is available for $155 (deadline for registration for the latter is Jan. 24, although most of the institute’s courses don’t require pre-registration). Members may attend as many OLLI classes as they choose, borrow books from the OLLI library and receive discounted parking and other benefits. In addition, annual members may sit in on one regular Temple undergraduate for-credit course per semester at any Temple location. Partial scholarships are available and membership fees are reduced for members who teach classes.

The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, was established in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a respected businessman and community leader. The foundation seeks to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts.

“We know that Temple University has a long history of providing enriching and meaningful educational opportunities for older learners. We are delighted with the ways that the program has continued to flourish over the past two years with Osher support,” said David Blazevich, program officer for the foundation.

For more information on OLLI at Temple, including the Spring 2011 catalog, visit the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute website.