OLLI holds classes for those over 55

He planned on stopping at 52, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Since he graduated from the… He planned on stopping at 52, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Since he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a mathematics degree in 1950, John Rose has taken 59 additional courses at Pitt over the past 23 years.

And when asked, Rose, 83, will declare that he has two-and-a-half college educations.

“When I discovered the College for Over-60, I called it the best kept secret of the Industrial World,” he said. “It’s too good to pass up.”

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which eventually replaced the College for Over-60 at Pitt, held an open house yesterday for intellectually curious adults over 55 at the College of General Studies.

“We offer classes for non-traditional students,” said the director of OLLI at Pitt, Judi Bobenage.

This fall, 610 students enrolled in courses-from astronomy to zoology-through OLLI.

Participants in the program have two options for choosing courses. Some classes are for OLLI members only and meet once a week for five and ten weeks. Others are undergraduate classes that participants may audit-or attend without receiving credit.

“At our age, who needs credits or degrees?” Rose said.

Rose has audited 53 of the 59 courses he has completed so far.

“I was the smartest person in the classroom, maybe even smarter than the professor,” he said. “It’s called wisdom.”

OLLI was established by a grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation.

Those interested in participating in the program should contact the College of General Studies.