By 2025, Montana expected to have one of the oldest populations in the nation. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute celebrates first year of extended learning. UM to offer gerontology classes.

Courses spotlight ‘boomer’ generation

By the year 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau believes Montana will have one of the oldest populations in the nation.

The forecast is driven by the fact that last year 76 million baby boomers turned 60, and the proportion of the U.S. population that is elderly is expected to increase well into the foreseeable future, said Larry Swanson, director of the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West at the University of Montana http://www.crmw.org .

Those 60-year-olds are the leading wave of aging boomers, and the beginning of a 16-year cycle in which millions of Americans will hit retirement age.

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2007/09/16/news/local/news06.txt

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Center celebrates first year of extended learning

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

No one said book learning and classroom discussions are the domain of the young – and only the young.

American philanthropist Bernard Osher strongly believed that learning should, in fact, be a lifelong pursuit, and to that end created a foundation to support the idea.

What is called the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is actually a series of unique grant-funded programs that provides short courses at 115 universities for people who are age 55 and older.

Full Story: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2007/09/15/news/mtregional/news08.txt