[Town Hall] Things Fall Apart? An In-Depth Look at the Campaign to Dismantle the Civil Service
Speaker Series
[Town Hall] Things Fall Apart? An In-Depth Look at the Campaign to Dismantle the Civil Service
Friday, April 25, 2025
Friday, April 25, 2025
The Trump administration promised it would spare no effort to eliminate what it called “government waste” and lost no time once in office launching a campaign to dismantle and eliminate large parts of the civil service. But what exactly is the civil service and what is its role in the process of American democratic governance? What will be the short- and long-term impact of the deep cuts in the civil service, and what can the other branches of government do to slow or stop the actions of the Executive Branch?
This online OLLI @Berkeley Town Hall will offer an in-depth look at the ongoing campaign to dismantle the civil service, with a panel of experts offering their critical perspectives followed by generous time for Q&A from participants. Moderated by Berkeley professor Darren Zook.
[For members only • livestreamed + recorded]
[Town Hall] Things Fall Apart? An In-Depth Look at the Campaign to Dismantle the Civil Service
Faculty Q&A: Marjorie and Mitchell Schwarzer on Why Museums Do What They Do
Mitchell Schwarzer is Professor Emeritus of Art and Architectural History at California College of the Arts. He has written extensively on modern European and American architecture, memorialization, and urban history. Marjorie Schwarzer is the author of Riches, Rivals, and Radicals: A History of Museums in the United States.
Faculty Q&A: Tom Gold on the Revolutionaries of China's Reform-Era Cinema
Thomas Gold is professor emeritus of sociology at UC Berkeley, where he also served as Associate Dean of International and Area Studies, Founding Director of the Berkeley China Initiative, and Chair of the Center for Chinese Studies.
The Return of the Groucho Marx Book List
To me, the combination of literature and laughter seems like an antidote for our fraught times. In a November 2024 OLLI Blog post, I recommended three humorous books and named the list in honor of Groucho Marx.
Happy Hour: A Community Mixer
Special Event
Happy Hour: A Community Mixer
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Join members, faculty and staff at an OLLI Happy Hour mixer on Wed., March 5, 3:30–5:30 PM, at Zino (2086 Allston Way, Berkeley) in the Hotel Shattuck. All are welcome with a special shout-out to new and longtime members who've never been to a Happy Hour! New members will get a red dot on their name tag and new-to-Happy-Hour members a blue dot so we know who's who and how best to welcome you. This is a no-host (but yes-fun!) gathering. Organized by OLLI's Member Services Committee. No RSVP required. Hope to see you there!
Happy Hour: A Community Mixer
[Intergenerational Dialogue] It's the Economy, Stupid
Special Event
[Intergenerational Dialogue] It's the Economy, Stupid
Friday, April 4, 2025
Friday, April 4, 2025
The economy. Consistently named as the most important issue in the 2024 US elections, perhaps no other issue has such a differential impact and experience by generation. Whether it is the perception that the world is ruled by billionaire oligarchs, or the despair of younger Americans who feel that no matter how hard they work they will never get ahead, the fairness of global capitalism is in doubt.
This Words Over Time intergenerational dialogue between OLLI members and Cal undergraduates is intended to forge a civil discussion of the media that is engaging, innovative, transformative, and empowering. Facilitated by Berkeley's Darren Zook.
The Details
- The dialogue will be held in person at OLLI HQ (1995 University Ave., Suite 365, Berkeley.)
- It will not be livestreamed nor recorded.
- Limited to 24 members.
- Members will be invited to continue the conversation with professor Zook and his students on campus in the weeks following the meeting.
[Free for members • $15 for Best of OLLI subscribers]
[Intergenerational Dialogue] It's the Economy, Stupid
[Vital Aging] A Guide to Hospice: When is the Right Time?, with Hanne Jensen-Male
Special Event
[Vital Aging] A Guide to Hospice: When is the Right Time?, with Hanne Jensen-Male
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Hospice care is supportive care with the primary goals of comfort and quality of life for individuals with a terminal illness. In this month's Vital Aging Forum, Hanne Jensen-Male will provide an overview of hospice benefits and the emotional impact of end-of-life care for both patients and their loved ones.
About the Speaker
Hanne Jensen-Male has been a hospice nurse for more than three decades, providing direct patient care and training other nurses in the end-of-life journey.
[For members only • Online]
[Vital Aging] A Guide to Hospice: When is the Right Time?, with Hanne Jensen-Male
My Brother's Keeper: How America Abandoned Those with Mental Illness, with Nicholas Rosenlicht
Speaker Series
My Brother's Keeper: How America Abandoned Those with Mental Illness, with Nicholas Rosenlicht
Friday, April 11, 2025
Friday, April 11, 2025
Mental illness is something that touches all of us in some way, if not directly through those we know and love, then through what we may see and experience in our day-to-day lives. Dr. Nicholas Rosenlicht will provide an overview of how mental illness and its treatment has been excluded from American healthcare — and from society as a whole — and propose an effective and compassionate new framework for healing.
About the Speaker
Dr. Nicholas Rosenlicht has over 40 years experience in the treatment of psychiatric disorders and the teaching of psychiatry. He is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF and the author of My Brother's Keeper, published in 2024.
[Free and open to all • Livestreamed + recorded]
My Brother's Keeper: How America Abandoned Those with Mental Illness, with Nicholas Rosenlicht
Opera: The Ultimate Cultural Experience
For those of us OLLI students interested in cultural subjects, we should feel privileged to have as an OLLI faculty member this spring one of the most knowledgeable opera instructors anywhere: Kip Cranna, the Dramaturg Emeritus of the San Francisco Opera.