Page 19 - Access Magazine 2023

“OLLI expands our horizons and keeps us learning” ~Nancy Busch
Stan Busch got the education bug early in life. His mother – who didn’t finish grammar school – saw higher education as the key to the better life she wanted for him. “When I was 10, my mother told me I was going to college.” He earned a bache- lor’s of science degree in Biology at Fresno State, later earning a master’s degree. Busch spent his career as a high school counselor and coach. At OLLI, he appreciates that Fresno State professors teach some courses, and one of his favorites is Dr. Andrew Fiala, Professor of Philosophy, who recently presented “Philosophical Explorations of Hope.”
Fresno State’s OLLI courses went from in-person to Zoom, and they remained virtual through the pandemic. Now, some courses – but not all – are returning to in-person. “I think there will always be a Zoom component because members are telling me that’s what they want,” Johnson says. “So it’s a matter of finding a balance between the two.” Each offers advantages. Virtual courses accommodate people who have health issues or who face transportation obstacles in reaching the campus. In-person courses offer greater personal interaction and an op- portunity to experience the dynamism of Fresno State. “We’re right here in the heart of the campus, and being part of that energy is exciting,” Johnson says. “We still want the identity of ‘OLLI at Fresno State’ because we’re not just an online entity that offers classes.”
Building back membership lost during Covid is another pri- ority. OLLI markets itself by word-of-mouth testimonies, and Johnson wants to encourage more of that.
“We have so many wonderful
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Johnson also plans to promote the program by providing infor- mation at public events. “I’m very excited about going out and increasing our membership because OLLI is a very easy sell.”
On a personal note, she says, it’s poignant that her office is in the Education Building because her late father, Professor Emeritus Dr. Gordon F. Johnson, taught in the Kremen School of Education for 26 years. “I grew up coming to the campus.” Johnson worked as a corporate attorney before a career in local government, most of it with Fresno County where she focused on infrastructure for low-income communities, agri-tourism and the county Film Commission.
Of her new work at Fresno State, Johnson says: “I love the idea of lifelong learning. It’s really important, and what a tremendous asset we have in this program. We’re going to show people the path to the opportunities at OLLI.”
U Nancy and Stan Busch
mbassadors for OLLI. Now it’s a matter of getting them engaged in telling their friends and inviting them to join.”
ACCESS - The Division of Continuing and Global Education 19