• Taking Better Pictures with your iPhone

• The iPhone is an amazing device that can do much more than make a call or send a text—the device’s camera is quite amazing and is consistently being upgraded. In this class, we will explore the many ways you can use the iPhone camera along with some simple composition rules to take beautiful, professional-looking pictures. Let’s explore together!

   

• Instructor: Lynne Hall

  Capacity Remaining: 6

• Dates: 7/9/2025 - 7/23/2025

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 3

  Days: W

• Building: College of Health and Human Services

  Room: 1035

• Member Rate: $30, Non-Member Rate: $60

• Eating for a Healthy Life!

• Are you confused by all the conflicting advice about diets and eating strategies? Or which foods are the best for creating and sustaining good health, especially as we age? Furthermore, is it possible to avoid chronic diseases, or even reverse them once we’re diagnosed? And what about recipes, menus, and food preparation? It can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! Come learn everything you need to know about Healthy Eating with simple, practical tips for choosing the healthiest foods and easy ways to create meals that nourish your body, mind, and spirit. You’ll walk away with comprehensive resource lists of the best books, recipes, and nutrition-oriented online physicians and health professionals that can help guide you on your journey to optimal health and wellness.

   

• Instructor: Patrice Kaufman

  Capacity Remaining: 15

• Dates: 7/10/2025 - 7/31/2025

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 4

  Days: Th

• Building: College of Health and Human Services

  Room: 1035

• Member Rate: $40, Non-Member Rate: $80

• Birds of the World

• There are about 11,000 species of birds on Earth, of which only an estimated 10% live in North America. This class will focus on the 90% that live elsewhere— Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and the islands and oceans in between. The beauty of our foreign feathered friends will be on full display with hundreds of photos of these fascinating birds, including lorikeets, bustards, beeeaters, and tanagers of the rainforest, as we learn about their migration patterns, food gathering strategies, mating habits, peculiar behaviors, and more!

   

• Instructor: Randall Schau

  Capacity Remaining: 11

• Dates: 7/14/2025 - 7/14/2025

  Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: M

• Building: College of Health and Human Services

  Room: 1035

• Member Rate: $10, Non-Member Rate: $20

• Lessons on Longevity

• “How to live longer” is a question that crosses everyone’s mind from time to time. We want to make our lives as purposeful, enriching, and independent for as long as we can, striving to both have the highest quality of life possible while avoiding becoming a burden to our loved ones. Longevity has been the subject of many research studies that have helped determine several factors that better guarantee an active life full of quality, friends, family, and well-being. We’ll examine what lifestyles and locations have the best chance of extending our length and quality of life, one of the most notable being the “Blue Zones” on our planet where the highest number of centenarians live. It is never too late to adopt these habits into your own daily life—join us as we learn from others who have found some “fountain of youth” extenders!

   

• Instructor: Niki Nimmo

  Capacity Remaining: 2

• Dates: 7/15/2025 - 7/15/2025

  Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: Tu

• Building: College of Health and Human Services

  Room: 1035

• Member Rate: $10, Non-Member Rate: $20

• Art Adorns the Paths of Life

• For eighty years, Detroit’s William Wright Company decorated and furnished the interiors of buildings and boats, from the Michigan State Capitol to the Bob-lo Island ferry S.S. Columbia. From basic painting to decorative artwork, custom furniture and carpentry, draperies and upholstery, and high-end carpeting, their client list was extensive—including the U.S. and state government, wealthy industrialists, opulent theatres, fashionable hotels, churches, businesses, banks, private clubs, and the occasional charity-funded hospital or special event. During the latter portion of the company’s tenure, they also imported European art and antiques, and managed a Detroit based gallery. In 2018, descendants of Christian Weidemann, a longtime Wright employee, designer, and foreman, donated over 200 pieces of art to the Michigan State Capitol Collection, including dozens of Wright Company decorative ceiling and wall designs. Join Capitol staff to learn more about what this collection can tell us about Michigan’s unique history and how it is being used by historic preservationists today!

   

• Instructor: Valerie Marvin, Brian Page

  Capacity Remaining: 18

• Dates: 7/21/2025 - 7/21/2025

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: M

• Building: College of Health and Human Services

  Room: 1035

• Member Rate: $10, Non-Member Rate: $20

• Art Adorns the Paths of Life Walking Tour of the Michigan State Capitol Building in Lansing

• For eighty years, Detroit’s William Wright Company decorated and furnished the interiors of buildings and boats, from the Michigan State Capitol to the Bob-lo Island ferry S.S. Columbia. From basic painting to decorative artwork, custom furniture and carpentry, draperies and upholstery, and high-end carpeting, their client list was extensive—including the U.S. and state government, wealthy industrialists, opulent theatres, fashionable hotels, churches, businesses, banks, private clubs, and the occasional charity-funded hospital or special event. During the latter portion of the company’s tenure, they also imported European art and antiques, and managed a Detroit based gallery. In 2018, descendants of Christian Weidemann, a longtime Wright employee, designer, and foreman, donated over 200 pieces of art to the Michigan State Capitol Collection, including dozens of Wright Company decorative ceiling and wall designs. Join Capitol staff to learn more about what this collection can tell us about Michigan’s unique history and how it is being used by historic preservationists today!

   

• Instructor: Valerie Marvin

  Capacity Remaining: 21

• Dates: 7/23/2025 - 7/23/2025

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: W

• Building: Michigan State Capitol

  Room: 100 N Capitol Ave, Lansing MI 48933

• Take an in-depth look at the State Capitol building in Lansing! From the marvels of the building itself to the art that adorns its walls, we’ll spend a delightful 2 1/2 hours on a guided indoor tour that elaborates on the history of the State Capitol’s interior design and takes a sneak peek at some of the behind-the-scenes spaces not available to the public.

  This walking tour of the State Capitol is an additional option for the class “Art Adorns the Paths of Life,” however, you need not attend the class to participate in the tour. Please dress and be ready for extensive walking. Transportation and parking are the responsibility of the participants; street parking is available using the Passport Parking app. There is also a parking ramp across the street with paid options available. The State Capitol is handicap accessible and elevators are available for navigating various floors. Please let the office know if you need accommodations.

• The History and the Literature: JAMES

• Before historical novelists can bring the stories of the past back to life, they must do extensive research so that their writing accurately reflects the lived experiences of a certain time and its people. Using “JAMES” by Percival Everett as our launching point, this class will first look at the history and culture of the Mississippi River in the 1800s, including the river’s role in the American slave trade and the Civil War. In the second hour, we will continue with a discussion of the novel as seen through the lens of contemporary literature. Readers and history buffs welcome! Participants should read “JAMES” by Percival Everett before class.

   

• Instructor: Diane Henderson, Stanley Henderson

• Dates: 7/22/2025 - 7/22/2025

  Times: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: Tu

• Building: Portage Zhang Senior Center

  Room: Meeting Rooms1A/1B

• Member Rate: $10, Non-Member Rate: $20

  Participants should read "JAMES" by Percival Everett before class.

This class is full. Please use the button below to be added to the waitlist.

• Can You Dig it? Tour of the WMU Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Dig Site

• An OLLI-exclusive tour of the Fort St. Joseph Archeological Dig Site will take place in Niles, MI, during their Annual Open House. Every summer, the staff of the Project and archeological students continue to expand the site and now are constructing buildings whose locations were on the "dig" site. The tour will be organized by Dr. John Geisler and conducted by the Principal Director of the WMU/Niles Archeological Project, Dr. Michael Nassaney, Professor Emeritus, WMU. The project’s beginnings took place in the late 1990s, and the Project began in earnest in 2002. Maps will be sent to participants; other Niles sites will also be identified. The tour will be outdoors, so please dress appropriately. The date will be August 2, 2025 with a rain date of August 3.

   

• Instructor: John Geisler

  Capacity Remaining: 41

• Dates: 8/2/2025 - 8/2/2025

  Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Sessions: 1

  Days: Sa

• Building: Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Project Field

  Room: 1415 Bond St, Niles, 49120

• Free: Registration is Required