OLLI at Texas Tech Branching Out in Jefferson

By Daniel Johnson, Section Manager

Texas Tech University's educational program for individuals aged 50+ will expand to Jefferson in 2021.

To fulfill the goal of providing a high-quality degree to all students, wherever one may be, Texas Tech University announced recently they will be establishing a professional development site in Jefferson.

Located on the Big Cypress Bayou in the Cypress Valley of Northeast Texas, Texas Tech at Jefferson will offer two on-site coding options, Full-Stack Web Development, and Cyber Security certifications from the Texas Tech Coding Academy. Classes will be held two nights a week for nine months. The site will also offer the Full-Stack Web Development course online for any individuals who are not able to take the in-person course. Texas Tech at Jefferson is located inside the Jeffersonian Institute and brings non-academic, professional education opportunities and a Tier-One university presence to historic Jefferson. Jefferson is located about 140 miles from Dallas and 40 miles from Shreveport, La. and has a population of 1,961.

With the new Texas Tech presence in Jefferson, this has posed for the perfect situation for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Texas Tech University to expand its offerings and engage with the community and citizens over 50 looking for lifelong learning opportunities.

"The new TTU presence in Jefferson, their engaged community and our ability to offer classes virtually made Jefferson an ideal location for the next Osher Lifelong Learning Institute site," said OLLI at TTU Director Shelby Crews. "We are starting slow for now, offering individuals in the area the opportunity to attend classes virtually through Zoom, but we hope to get in-person classes in that area going as soon as we safely can sometime in 2021."

The OLLI leadership team is currently meeting with volunteers online to find prospective board members or instructors willing to present new courses.

"We are excited about the possibilities of presentations that we can bring to Jefferson along with those presentations Jefferson instructors can provide for all of our locations. We could probably fill an entire semester of classes just focusing on the history of the area and the ecology of the bayou," said Crews.

For the rest of the Fall 2020 semester, those interested in the OLLI at TTU, Jefferson program can register and attend an OLLI course of their choice free of charge, as an introductory program trial, complements of OLLI at TTU.

OLLI is a membership-based cooperative organization where adults 50 and over can enjoy classes, teach, and exchange ideas. Instructors teach subjects they have a passion for to students who are there for the sake of learning. No tests, no grades, no research papers ... Just the opportunity to explore exciting topics and pursue new interests.

Membership is $35 per person, valid for a year from date of purchase, and does not include cost of individual courses. OLLI at TTU has programs in four other locations: Abilene, Fredericksburg, Highland Lakes and Lubbock.

For more details, or for those interested in volunteering, teaching or becoming a member, you are invited to join the mailing list, or contact the OLLI program at (806) 742-6554 or visit olli.ttu.edu. Don't forget to ask about your free Fall 2020 course.