Osher Lifelong Learning Institute receives a 'special gift' from The Bernard Osher Foundation

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Richmond School of Continuing Studies has received a special, one-time gift of $25,000 from The Bernard Osher Foundation.

Mary Bitterman, president of The Bernard Osher Foundation, announced the gift during the recent Osher Lifelong Learning Institute conference in Park City, Utah. Each institute funded by the Foundation received the gift award.

In a written communication, Bitterman indicated the aim of the gift was to “recognize the execptional contributions of each institute to the community it serves as well as the many challenges that institutes are facing in the wake of the nation's economic downturn.” The gift stipulates that the funds be used “in a constructive manner to strengthen... programs during these difficult times.”

At the University of Richmond, the Osher Institute will use these gift funds to “supplement the operating expenses of the Institute, making additional services and programs more accessible to our members,” according to Dr. Ned Swartz, Associate Dean of the School.

The Bernard Osher Foundation terms the gift “lagniappe,” a Louisiana French term that combines suggests both “a little something extra” and “an unexpected gift.”

Posted October 19, 2009