OLLI 2020 Annual Meeting

OLLI held its Annual Meeting Friday, April 3. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the meeting was held remotely via Zoom. Members were emailed a Zoom invitation.

Martha Cutts, Board Chair, opened the meeting and greeted everyone. Martha noted that despite the physical separation the bonds of our community have been strengthened as all our constituencies have pulled together to make it possible for us to continue providing classes. She acknowledged the superb teamwork of staff, the work of Board members, and the extra work that so many Study Group Leaders have put in to offer classes online. She reassured members that they would, indeed, have a way to thank their SGLs. Toward the end of the semester, class members will receive instructions on how to make a donation and send a few words of thanks to SGLs via the website.  Martha asked Mary Fran Miklitsch, Deputy Executive Director, to address the issues for which Zoom has been receiving negative publicity. Mary Fran explained that OLLI has taken multiple precautions to keep our study group meetings private and secure. Our meetings are by invitation only. They are not publicized or shared on social media. Only the “host” (the SGL) can share her/his screen or write on (“annotate”) on the screen. OLLI study groups are not recorded.

Martha introduced Denise Liebowitz, chair of the Nominating Committee. Denise noted that voting for the Board would open immediately following the Annual Meeting. She introduced the first of four candidates, John Bargeron. John and the other three candidates, Judy Havemann, David Hensler, and John Thorner each provided a brief bio as well as their thoughts on OLLI’s future. On olliatau.simplyvoting.com, you can view the candidates’ bios and vote. Usernames and passwords were emailed to all OLLI members the morning of Friday, April 3. Voting ends at 5:00 PM on Friday, April 17.

Next, Executive Director Tony Long spoke. Tony thanked the entire OLLI community for their support of OLLI and our move to online classes via Zoom. He then summarized the 2019-2020 academic programming.

 

Tony compared enrollment for this spring from the first week of study groups to last week.


He also reviewed OLLI’s membership trends over the past few years.


Please note that while membership for the academic year is currently down from last year, June Minis have not yet taken place, so 1429 is not the final count.

 Jo Anne Friedenthal, Board Treasurer, reviewed the major points of OLLI’s current financial position as outline below. 


Tony and Martha gave a brief look ahead and assured members that programming for June, July, and next Fall is proceeding as normal. Flexibility is key, so that we will be prepared to offer study groups online as needed.

Before using Chat for the Q & A portion of the meeting, Martha noted that while we don’t have answers to these questions now, the Board will be addressing the following in their April meeting.

1.     Will those enrolled in a class that was cancelled this Spring get preference in the lottery if the class is offered in the fall?

2.     Should we be requesting some relief on rent for this period when we are not using the space?

3.     Is there stimulus money that we should be applying for?

4.     Will there be any change in pricing for classes that are offered online?

5.     Does Zoom offer any summer opportunities for revenue enhancement?

Finally, using Chat, Martha, Tony, and Jo Anne took questions from the audience.

  • How much are monthly salaries?
    Jo Anne Friedenthal responded that the total for salaries and benefits as of March 31 is $$349,643.

  • How much sick leave does staff have?
    Each staff has sick leave per their tenure at OLLI. All staff are currently working.

  • What are the dates for the summer and fall sessions?
    June Minis are scheduled June 1-26.
    July Shorts are scheduled July 13-17.
    The fall semester is scheduled Sept. 21-Dec. 4.
 

NOTE: The Annual Meeting was recorded. Participants were notified in advance. Due to technical issues, the recording was unusable. It has been deleted.