Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Osher Courses

Courses & Events

Donation to the Osher Institute

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at KU was established in 2004 by a grant for the Bernard Osher Foundation as an outreach program of the University of Kansas. Its mission is to offer noncredit enrichment courses and events to folks over 50 years of age, although we welcome learners of all ages. We rely on financial support from our members and the community to create a sustainable program. If you would like to support the Osher Institute, please click the link below. If you have questions, please contact Osher at osher@ku.edu. Thank you.

January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025

Finding the Forgotten: Lost Stories of Four American Soldiers

This class will examine three relatives of the instructor who served in the U.S. Army in World War I and II-and a fourth soldier (unrelated) who fought for the Confederacy. Each had a remarkable wartime story that had been largely forgotten. We'll see how in each case a single clue led to an understanding of their experiences and the sacrifices they endured, and a surprising discovery at the end of each search. 

Learn about the search for the forgotten story behind the photos, the letters, and the envelope to discover the "rest of the story" aspect. This class is not a full genealogical study, biographical work or military history but has aspects of each. Primarily, it is a glimpse into the process of discovering information with limited resources (online, archives, publications) when there's very little to start with or go on. Many records are lost or never existed, but enough remain that these four common "lost" soldiers are no longer entirely forgotten.

Instructor Bio: Kevin Boatwright is emeritus director of external affairs in the KU Office of Research. He has a bachelor's degree in English and master's degrees in journalism, history and higher education administration. He studied Canadian history at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Manitoba, and is a past president of the Midwest Association for Canadian Studies.

June 12-26, 2025, Osher Institute, St. Andrews Office Facility In Person

Frederick Douglass: From Slave to Statesman

Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping enslavement in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. We'll explore his life in enslavement, look at his autobiographies and other writings; and conclude with his life in Washington, D.C. as an elder statesman.

Instructor Bio: Paul Post, a native Kansan, received a B.A. in History from KSU and a law degree from the KU Law School in 1974. Now retired from the practice of law, he is a member of the Topeka Landmarks Commission and was Commission Vice Chair in2018. He has authored essays on the history of SBA Hill/ former Menninger Campus in Topeka; Topeka's Bates Family; The Fred Harvey Company; and on Duke Ellington

This course contains no sessions
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Frederick Douglass: From Slave to Statesman Clay County Residents

Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping enslavement in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. We'll explore his life in enslavement, look at his autobiographies and other writings; and conclude with his life in Washington, D.C. as an elder statesman.

Instructor Bio: Paul Post, a native Kansan, received a B.A. in History from KSU and a law degree from the KU Law School in 1974. Now retired from the practice of law, he is a member of the Topeka Landmarks Commission and was Commission Vice Chair in2018. He has authored essays on the history of SBA Hill/ former Menninger Campus in Topeka; Topeka's Bates Family; The Fred Harvey Company; and on Duke Ellington

June 2-16, 2025, Northland Innovation Center In-Person

Gift Certificate

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Kansas offers noncredit short courses and special events developed especially for folks over 50. Give the gift of learning through an Osher Gift Certificate which enables the recipient to attend one Osher course for free! Our courses are taught two hours each week for three weeks. To give someone an Osher Gift Certificate, please click the link below. If you have questions, please contact Osher at osher@ku.edu.

This course contains no sessions

One Hit Wonders

There are many classical music composers who have written just one work that is considered "great." This course features a number of composers who have written just one lasting classical composition that is still worth listening to today. We'll talk a bit about the composer and then listen to excerpts from the piece

Instructor Bio: Don Dagenais has been a preview speaker for the Lyric Opera for more than 20 years, and he teaches classical music and opera courses for local organizations. He enjoys studying American political history and has compiled an extensive collection of memorabilia from presidential political campaigns from 1840 to the present. He recently retired as a real estate attorney.

May 14-28, 2025, McCrite Plaza at Briarcliff

Osher Membership Fee

A required individual Osher membership fee of just $25 will be collected during the fall semester each year to grant participation in the Osher offerings for the next 12 months. Your paid membership allows you to attend Osher courses and special events. Membership in Osher helps to keep the cost of classes affordable for all. We're excited to nurture your ongoing quest to learn as you engage with and contribute greatly to the world around you.

August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025

The JFK Assassination: 60 Years Later

This course will examine the political and social climate of the early 1960's and the circumstances involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. This course will discuss the major theories as to who was likely behind the assassination. Numerous photographs which were not available to the public in 1963 will be utilized during the course. The course will conclude with an in-depth examination of an eyewitness, who was ignored by the federal government, who observed a man shoot at the President from behind a picket fence.


Instructor Bio: Brian Edwards has been researching the Kennedy assassination for five decades. During that time, he has personally interviewed hundreds of individuals connected with the case. He has given numerous presentations on the assassination throughout the United States. He is co-author of three books on the assassination; Beyond the Fence Line: The Eyewitness Account of Ed Hoffman and the Murder of President John Kennedy (2008); Blueprint for Murder (2020) and Admitted Assassin (2024). In 2019, he collaborated with and appeared in Oliver Stone's 4-hour documentary on the assassination, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass.

June 3-17, 2025, Brewster Place In Person

The JFK Assassination: 60 Years Later Brewster Place Residents

This course will examine the political and social climate of the early 1960's and the circumstances involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. This course will discuss the major theories as to who was likely behind the assassination. Numerous photographs which were not available to the public in 1963 will be utilized during the course. The course will conclude with an in-depth examination of an eyewitness, who was ignored by the federal government, who observed a man shoot at the President from behind a picket fence.


Instructor Bio: Brian Edwards has been researching the Kennedy assassination for five decades. During that time, he has personally interviewed hundreds of individuals connected with the case. He has given numerous presentations on the assassination throughout the United States. He is co-author of three books on the assassination; Beyond the Fence Line: The Eyewitness Account of Ed Hoffman and the Murder of President John Kennedy (2008); Blueprint for Murder (2020) and Admitted Assassin (2024). In 2019, he collaborated with and appeared in Oliver Stone's 4-hour documentary on the assassination, JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass.

June 3-17, 2025, Brewster Place In Person