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K-State Today

September 5, 2012

Because learning never stops: UFM, Osher Institute again partner to bring noncredit enrichment short courses to Manhattan

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

Learning is for a lifetime -- that's a belief held by two institutions long focused on learning: the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kansas and the Kansas State University Division of Continuing Education.

The two entities are again partnering with Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community in Manhattan to bring Osher Institute classes to the area. The institute provides noncredit enrichment short courses for adults 50 and older. It's the sixth semester for the partnership.

"The Osher classes, coordinated by UFM Community Learning Center, have seen great success over the last five semesters -- a success due to the enthusiasm for continued learning throughout a lifetime held by Midwest residents," said Linda Teener, UFM director.

The Osher program in Manhattan will kick off with American Movies and the Movie-Going Experience. This course concentrates on the social aspects of the popular film genres through the decades and demonstrates how movies reveal the character of the society in which they were produced. The course will meet from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 18 and 25, at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on the Kansas State University campus.

The second Osher course being offered this fall will be Prisoners of War in Kansas during WWII. Lowell May, author of "Camp Concordia German POWs in the Midwest" and co-author of "Prisoners of War in Kansas 1943-1946," will cover such topics as the different types of POW camps in Kansas, how prisoners were treated, prisoner jobs, going home and more. The course will be offered from 2-4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 18 and 25, in the Community Room at Meadowlark Hills Retirement Community, 2121 Meadowlark Road.

The third fall course will be Introduction to the Tasting of Wines. It will be taught by Evan Grier, managing partner of Harry's Restaurant in Manhattan, and Betsy Barrett, associate professor of hospitality management and dietetics at Kansas State University and the developer of a wine program at the university which regularly enrolls around 100 students. The course will focus on using sensory analysis to taste and enjoy wine using the Court of Master Sommeliers' specific wine-tasting process. It will be offered from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23 and 30, at Harry's Restaurant, 418 Poyntz Ave.

Two special events, organized by Kansas State University and UFM Community Learning Center, are being offered with the classes. The first event is a Flint Hills Discovery Center tour and lunch from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21. The event is in conjunction with Osher members from the Lawrence area. The second event will be a one-night only presentation by Larry Welch, author of the newly released book, "Beyond Cold Blood: The KBI from Ma Barker to BTK." Welch will inform, entertain and inspire with his stories of bringing infamous criminals to justice, as well as exonerating the wrongly convicted. His presentation will be from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in the Meadowlark Hills Community Room.

Those interested in participating in these classes and events can go to the UFM Community Learning Center website at http://www.tryufm.org and click on the "Osher Institute Classes" link for more information, costs and registration information. More information also is available by calling, toll free, 877-404-5823 or 785-864-5823.