64 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL RETIREMENT SUPPLEMENT for those who want to keep their minds engaged as we prepare for a world of rapidly changing norms and technologies. One such example, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), offers programs at 124 higher education institutions across the United States, with 125,000 students enrolled. You can find three OLLI programs in the D.C. metropolitan area: at American University in Washington, D.C., George Mason University across the river in Virginia, and Johns Hopkins University in Montgomery and Howard counties in Maryland. In 2025 the American University program alone—where I am a member—had about 1,700 active members taking 300 noncredit courses a year. Unlike regular college courses, there are no papers to write and no tests to take— just a remarkable classroom learning experience with other retirees. Imagine the sheer range of subjects you can study: from the music of Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart to the history of rock and roll; from Plato’s academic works to contemporary issues in medical ethics; from Thackeray’s Vanity Fair to the novels of Toni Morrison; from American colonial and federal furniture to contemporary Asian architecture; from how to develop a photographer’s eye to how to take better travel photos. Imagine, too, the luxury of being guided by suggested readings offered by course leaders to stretch your mind, to introduce you to ideas and new areas you had never considered before. Your classmates may include a retired Air Force colonel, a federal judge, a published poet, a nuclear scientist, an oceanographer, or, like you, a specialist in foreign affairs, all with knowledge to share. One other benefit of remaining intellectually active in a community of curious fellow students and teachers is that it can be good for both your physical and mental health. According to the journal Innovation in Aging, “engaging in any later-life learning was associated with significantly better cognitive function.” Their study found “the benefits of education in later life were equivalent to a nearly six-year delay in cognitive decline among older adults.” For a community such as the Foreign Service that values sharp thinking, adaptability, and curiosity, these findings are worth considering. We all want to keep our marbles! My Experience, for Example Coming from a family that valued education as a lifelong adventure, I thought that after nearly 30 years as a Foreign Service officer, I might enjoy teaching as a second career—but first, I wanted to go back to school. At age 65, I was fortunate to find a program at Georgetown University that allowed me a great deal of freedom in constructing a doctoral program based on my interest in the Ottoman Empire, and I earned an interdisciplinary doctorate in liberal studies at age 70. Shortly afterward, I learned about OLLI’s continuing education program at American University and joined as an instructor. I first taught a course on the history of the Ottoman Empire and its relations with Europe in “the Eastern Question.” Later I expanded that into a new course, “Five Empires, Five Centuries: The Eastern Question Redefined.” Lecturing to 100 students at a time is daunting but exhilarating. As mature thinkers, my students bring so many different perspectives to the issues under discussion. Their interest and questions led me into new research and a broadening Liz Shelton gives a lecture at American University in 2019. OLLI AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
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