March 2026 OLLI Newsletter

Letter from OLLI Council Chair

Greetings fellow OLLI members,

I’m delighted to share that OLLI at Iowa State has a new logo. This updated design is the result of coordinated efforts by Director Heather Bristow, our graphic designer Lindsay Gustafson, the ISU Trademark Office, and the Osher National Resource Center. We will roll out the new logo over the next few months as we update our documents and notices.

They say March comes in like and lion and goes out like a lamb. While we wait for the coming April showers and May flowers, OLLI has many wonderful ways to pass the time.

Join us for the 2026 Spring Course Preview on March 4th at 1:30 p.m. CT on Zoom. Registration will open on Friday, March 6th.

First Friday Coffee also meets on Zoom on March 6th with lively conversations on what courses people are choosing.

In addition to our spring course line-up, we are fortunate to offer three Pop-up courses this month. Two of which will partner with OLLI at University of Texas Medical Branch, and the third will be a visiting instructor from OLLI at Aquinas.

And finally, we will end the month with a Speed-Friending Social event at Green Hills from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on March 31. Come meet new friends and reconnect with old acquaintances.

Also in March, OLLI at Iowa State members may use their BOGO voucher for one of two CY Stephens performances, and they can use their complementary tickets to the Central Iowa Symphony concert.

Details for all these events are listed in this newsletter so be sure to read it thoroughly. Have a busy and fulfilling March and remember that Spring courses start April 6th.

Beth Larabee, OLLI Advisory Council Chair

To become a Friend of OLLI at Iowa State by a show of financial support, please go to https://isu.foundation/olli and select the Friends of OLLI at Iowa State fund.

March Pop-Up Courses

OLLI at University of Texas Medical Branch has invited OLLI at Iowa State members to join them for two online courses in March, and an instructor from OLLI at Aquinas will be traveling through Ames and has offered to provide a course in-person. We hope you will consider joining us for these special presentations.

The March 2026 Pop-up Courses Registration Form is available on the events page of our website. If you have issues with the online form, please contact the ISU Extension Registration Services Team at registrations@iastate.edu or 515-294-6222.

An Introduction to Palliative Care: Living Well with Serious Illness  
Wednesday, March 4, 2026   |   11 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT   |   Cost: $25.00
Online with Zoom

This presentation will provide an overview of palliative care and how it supports people living with serious or chronic illnesses. We will discuss the goals of palliative care, how it differs from hospice, and how it can improve quality of life for patients and families. We will also discuss a brief introduction regarding the importance of early advanced care planning.

Instructor: Dr. Moustafa El Sayed, Assistant Professor, Clinical Practice, UTMB Department of Internal Medicine-Palliative Care

Economy of Space Exploration
Monday, March 16, 2026   |   10 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT   |   Cost: $25.00
Online with Zoom

According to the World Economic Forum and in partnership with McKinsey & Company April 2024 Report, “We estimate that the global space economy will be worth $1.8 trillion by 2035, up from $630 billion in 2023.” Let’s discuss what makes up that economy and what you can see today.

Instructor: Yolanda Marshall, Strategic Partnership Manager, Johnson Space Center (Retired 2020)

How to Hear What is Not Being Said
Thursday, March 26, 2026   |   11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT   |   Cost $25.00
In-person: Boys & Girls Club, 210 S 5th St, Ames

Through group interaction and role-play, participants learn the subtle, lifelong skills needed to be an empathetic listener. Skills discussed include reading nonverbal cues, identifying emotions in conversations, characteristics of a good listener, clarifying what is said, handling silent moments in conversations, expressing feelings more effectively, giving and receiving feedback, and seeking to understand versus arguing.

Dave Kampfschulte is a longtime OLLI instructor at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI, director of Amazing Circles Workshops, and author of I’m Dying to Talk to You. Named Teacher of the Year by East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation, he’s also a dedicated hospice volunteer with 38 years of compassionate service.

Speed Friending Invitation

Thursday, March 31, 2026   |   10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT
In-person: Green Hills, Community Room, 2205 Green Hills Dr, Ames, IA

The OLLI at Iowa State Community Engagement Project Team invites you to join us in person at Green Hills in Ames on March 31 for a lively, interactive event designed to bring together members of both the Green Hills and OLLI at Iowa State communities.

Take part in quick, engaging rounds of conversation that spark genuine connections—far beyond the usual small talk. It’s a relaxed, high‑energy way to meet interesting people and strengthen community ties.

We ask that you complete an online RSVP form on the events page of our website so we can set up the room just right and have plenty of refreshments for everyone!

We hope to see you there!

Iowa State Forever True Day

OLLI at Iowa State will actively participate in the 2026 Forever True Day with Iowa State University. By participating, we will offer social media posts and other forms of promotion for the event, and we will have a listing on the giving form to receive donations as well.

We hope you will consider joining the Cyclone community on April 1 and 2 for 24 Hours of Cyclone Power during our fifth Forever True Day, Iowa State University’s 24-hour online giving celebration!

Beginning at noon CDT on Wednesday, April 1, celebrate State and show the collective power of Cyclones everywhere when you make a gift to the areas that matter most to you through the ISU Foundation online giving form.

The Legacy of Diana Shonrock

We would like to take a moment to celebrate the life and work of Diana Shonrock, a lifelong learner who was frequently an instructor as well as a student of OLLI at Iowa State. She also served as a member of the evaluation project team and as a liaison to the ISU Retirees Association Board of Directors. Diana was the first in her family to attend college and after graduation worked in Iowa State’s library for more than 40 years. She taught Library 160 while completing graduate degrees and served in roles ranging from Head of General Reference to subject librarian for the College of Human Sciences. An early user of technology, she created videotapes for Lib 160 in 1978, led workshops on how to use the internet, collaborated with Cornell on digitizing home economics materials, and became active in the American Library Association.

A 1992 gift of some 12,000 cooking‑related items from retired Army cook Robert Smith set the course for Diana’s curatorial work with the Iowa Cookbook Collection. She built a statewide database of cookbooks and co‑created the Iowa Cookbook Collection website, later expanded by Special Collections and Archives. Recent digitization efforts led by digital scholarship librarian Erin Ridnour produced a new searchable Cookbook Collection of about 200 volumes and the Computers Reading Cookbooks project blog. Erin credits Diana’s stewardship and vision for the work she continues today: “She planted the seed. We could not do this without her.”

We extend our deepest condolences to Diana’s family.

Photo courtesy of the Shonrock family

Benefits of OLLI Membership

We may be halfway through the year, but the months ahead are packed with lifelong learning opportunities and social experiences! New members will have full access to all upcoming courses and the complete collection of OLLI Talk recordings from this year (see the list of titles below). To request a link to these recordings or for more information about the OLLI Talks, email Heather at hbristow@iastate.edu.

OLLI at Iowa State membership benefits for 2025-2026 include:

• Connection to a community of enthusiastic learners
• Access to quality non-credit educational opportunities (priced separately)
• Nine OLLI Talk programs with no cost or registration ($225 value)
• Monthly newsletter
• Weekly Friday emails during class sessions about the next week’s activities
• Ames Chamber Artists complimentary pair of concert tickets ($30 value)
• Central Iowa Symphony complimentary pair of concert tickets ($40 value)
• ISU Library card for use at Parks Library for $5 (non-ISU retiree, Iowa residents only) ($15 value)
• Octagon Center for the Arts 10% discount on a purchase of $25 or more
• Stephens Auditorium Buy One Get One ticket offers to select shows

Your $35 membership pays for itself quickly – watching just two OLLI Talks covers the cost. Everything after that is a bonus!

This year’s OLLI Talks

• A Life After ISU with George Strawn
• All Things Iowa State Athletics with Jamie Pollard
• Evolving from Edisonian: The Imperative of Modeling with Rick Arthur
• From Avian Influenza to Innovation: Updates from the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab with Rodger Main, Drew Magstadt, and Yuko Sato
• McFarland Park Lake Restoration Project with Pat Shehan
• Prairie Valley Wetlands – The In’s and Out’s with Sara Carmichael

To become an OLLI at Iowa State member or to renew your membership, visit our website at https://olli.iastate.edu/ to complete the online membership form. Or you may contact Heather Bristow (see her contact information at the bottom of this newsletter).

Spring 2026 Course Preview and Registration

Your OLLI at Iowa State curriculum team has put together an impressive list of spring 2026 courses. If you see any of the team members in classes, be sure to express your gratitude for all their work.

We hope you can join us on Wednesday, March 4 at 1:30 p.m. CT on Zoom for the Spring 2026 Course Preview event. Instructors will be with us to share a bit about what they will be teaching. The link to attend the event can be found on the events page of our website. You do not have to be an OLLI member to attend the Course Preview, so be sure to invite everyone you know.

Please note: at the time this article was written, there have been changes to a couple courses.

• Course 06 – Life on the “Home Front” in the 1940s will now be three weeks instead of two, on Mondays, April 6 20 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. CT, and will cost $50.
• Course 07 – Gardening for Pollinators will now be offered as a hybrid course. To attend in person please register for course 07-P, to attend online 07-Z.

Online registration will open on Friday, March 6 at 8:30 a.m. CT. A link to the registration form can be found on the Course Information page of our website.

Spring 2026 Course List

The OLLI Journey: Voices from Our Community

Each story in The OLLI Journey offers a glimpse of the people and experiences that remind us why lifelong learning matters.

This marks the first of what we hope will be many stories in The OLLI Journey. “I want our members to hear each other’s stories and see how lifelong learning connects us all,” said Heather Bristow, director of OLLI at Iowa State.

My Experience with OLLI

My name is Jaci Peeler. My parents instilled in me the importance of education and hard work. As a result, I became an elementary teacher and taught reading in Ames, IA for 22 years. I tried to instill these important concepts on my own children and the children I came into contact with. The students I worked with struggled with reading and continuing education was also a struggle. My own children have become lifelong learners within their fields as well as their hobbies. I have seen many of my students graduate high school and continue to higher education. I have had students find me to let me know they would have never graduated without my encouragement.

My mother was very busy. She never sat down for very long and was always available to help others. She also loved to learn. In Lincoln, she participated in the OLLI program through the University of Nebraska. I saw the benefits of her learning new skills and information from participating in OLLI. When I retired, I was looking for activities to be involved with and sought out the OLLI program at Iowa State. I enjoy learning about new subjects and becoming more knowledgeable on different topics.

Lifelong Learning through OLLI is so important for my life. It keeps my mind sharp. I am challenged to learn new topics, vocabulary, and concepts (teacher background). My family has noticed I am discussing topics I now have increased knowledge about. The best part of being a part of OLLI is the people. I have met so many kind and interesting people. Everyone has a different background personally and knowledge base. They are willing to help when needed, like helping me when I accidentally locked myself out of my iPhone. They also challenge me with my thinking. OLLI has been a wonderful experience with my knowledge base as well as my social interactions.

2025 Tax Preparation Assistance

Need help filling out your tax returns? Iowa State University students are offering free tax preparation services for taxpayers with a household income less than $68,675. They do this work annually as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offered through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

This service is open to the public through April 10, 2026 (except during spring break). There are several locations available: Gerdin Business Building at Iowa State, Ames Public Library, Story City Library, Nevada Public Library, and the Boone DMACC campus.

The program seeks to assist those with limited means, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and taxpayers who are new to the United States and need assistance. The student volunteers are IRS-certified volunteers who provide free basic income tax return preparation, including electronic filing.

“This is a wonderful opportunity and a valuable community resource. We were all able to easily schedule appointments online around work commitments. The Iowa State students providing the service were welcoming, confident, and competent,” said Charlotte Sears, a previous client of the program from Elkhart, Iowa.

Some limitations apply. Visit the program webpage to learn more about the program, view the Scope of Service, and schedule an appointment.

New Digital Accessibility Requirements: What You Should Know

A Q&A guide for how digital accessibility changes will improve the OLLI at Iowa State experience for members.

Why is OLLI at Iowa State making changes to digital materials and recordings?

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new ruling under the Americans with Disabilities Act. It requires all public institutions—like Iowa State University—to ensure their digital content is accessible to people with disabilities. This includes websites, documents, videos, and recordings.

What does “accessible” mean in this context?

Accessible content is designed so everyone can use it, including individuals who rely on assistive technologies including:

These updates help create a more complete learning environment for all OLLI members.

Does this ruling affect OLLI at Iowa State?

Yes. Because OLLI operates within Iowa State University, we are included in the April 24, 2026 deadline for meeting these accessibility requirements. Staff have already been updating documents and website pages to meet the new standards.

What is the next step for OLLI?

The next major phase is ensuring that all course recordings include captions. Captioning not only meets the required standard—it also helps many people who prefer or benefit from reading along while listening.

How will course recordings change?

After testing several options and gathering feedback from volunteer leaders, OLLI has chosen to use Zoom’s cloud recording feature to generate captions.

Here’s what you can expect:

Why is there a 60day limit?

Zoom’s cloud storage—where captioned recordings are created—automatically limits public access to 60 days. This allows us to meet captioning requirements efficiently while keeping the process manageable for staff and instructors.

Will I need to learn new technology?

We are working to make this transition as easy as possible. As spring classes approach, OLLI will share clear, step‑by‑step instructions for accessing cloud recordings. The process will feel familiar—it will simply be offered through a different platform with a new look.

Where can I ask questions or get help?

Heather Bristow, Director of OLLI at Iowa State, will be available at the First Friday Coffee in March and April to answer questions and demonstrate the new process. A detailed email guide will also be sent out in the coming weeks.

What’s the bottom line?

These changes help OLLI continue to nurture a welcoming learning environment for all. While some processes will look a little different, the heart of our program—lifelong learning in a supportive community—remains the same.

Mark Your Calendars!

First Friday Coffee

Friday, March 6, 2026  |  9 a.m. CT  |  Online with Zoom
See events page of website for more information.

Stephens Auditorium

The last two chances for OLLI at Iowa State members to use their Buy One Get One Free Voucher from CY Stephens happen in March. To take advantage of this member benefit, follow the directions at the bottom of the voucher or contact the box office at 515-294-2479.

Great American Crooners
Sunday, March 1, 2026  |  7 p.m. CT

Great American Crooners focuses on quintessential crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Bobby Darin, whose velvety voices and sentimental serenades made them superstars on stage and on screen. Featuring Robbie Lee and Shenel Johns, who have both graced Jazz at Lincoln Center’s stages and Downbeat Magazine’s #1 Rising Star Male Vocalist, Benny Benack III.

Relive classics like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Misty,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” and “Moon River,” and enjoy incredible true stories about these legends. It’s going to be a stylish evening of timeless tunes, and world-class talent.

For over three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education globally. Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center has brought the art form of jazz from the heart of New York City to over 446 cities in more than 40 countries.

The Peking Acrobats®
Tuesday, March 3, 2026  |  7 p.m. CT

For over three decades, THE PEKING ACROBATS® have amazed audiences with their daring maneuvers and jaw-dropping artistry. From balancing atop towering pagodas of chairs to executing precision tumbling, trick-cycling, and gravity-defying contortions, they redefine the limits of human ability.

THE PEKING ACROBATS® are part of a time-honored Chinese tradition, rooted in centuries of Chinese history and folk art. Tradition demands that each generation of acrobats add its own improvements and embellishments; because of this, high honor is conferred upon those skilled enough to become acrobats. THE PEKING ACROBATS® seek to uphold this rich and ancient folk art tradition, bringing it to new technical heights while integrating twenty-first century technology.

Central Iowa Symphony

Young Artists Concert – Featuring Young Artists Competition Winners
Sunday, March 1, 2026   |   3 p.m. CT
(Concert Conversations with Eric McIntyre at 2:15 p.m.)
**OLLI at Iowa State members may use their two complimentary concert tickets for this event**

This season’s Young Artists concert is an unforgettable display of budding young talent. Not only will we celebrate the remarkable skills of our Young Artists competition winners, but we will also join forces with the Gilbert High School Choir for a collaborative performance of Mozart’s powerful Coronation Mass. The celebratory program launches in jubilant fashion with Shostakovich’s Festive Overture.

OLLI Takes a Hike

Discover McFarland Park on Foot
Friday, May 8, 2026  |  2 p.m. CT |  56461 180^th St., Ames, IA

Spend the morning hiking the trails of McFarland Park with Nancy Franz past Story County Conservation Board member. This gem of a county park has 5.5 miles of concrete and dirt trails through prairies and woods and along waterbodies. Participants should come prepared to hike three miles on a variety of terrain including hills. The hike will include observing wild flowers and spring bird migration, at their peak during this time. Come dressed for the weather and trail conditions. Participants are invited to explore the Conservation Center (open 8:30-4:30) exhibits before or after the hike. The hike will be postponed if weather makes the hike unsafe. (No registration/RSVP needed, simply show up to participate.)

OLLI at ISU Advisory Council & Teams 2025-2026

The OLLI at Iowa State Advisory Council includes the executive team and coordinators of the Advisory Teams. OLLI staff and Project Team Coordinators serve in an ex-officio capacity. Feel free to visit with any of these individuals about course ideas, volunteer opportunities, and any additional programming comments.

MISSION

OLLI at Iowa State nurtures a joyful community of lifelong learning for adults of all ages. We offer non-credit educational courses and social experiences that spark curiosity, connection, and personal growth, specially designed for mature learners.

VAULES

Adaptability, Curiosity, Integrity, Knowledge, Passion