Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning
The Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning at the University of San Francisco (USF) offers noncredit courses with no assignments or grades for adults age 50 and over with no other objective than the love of learning. Organized in 1976 with support from Hanna and Alfred Fromm, the Institute’s program served as a model for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes that have been established at over 120 universities and colleges in the United States.[1]
Origins
The Fromm Institute was founded by Hanna Fromm (1914 – 2003) and her husband Alfred Fromm (1905 – 1998), who had arrived in the United States as refugees from Germany in 1936. Born Hanna Gruenbaum to a prominent Jewish family in Nuremberg, she studied choreography and worked in the Paris fashion industry.[2] Alfred Fromm, born in
Program
The Fromm Institute offers some 75 courses annually, spread over fall, winter, and spring terms. The program is strong on courses in the
After Hanna Fromm’s death in 2003, former program director Robert Fordham was named executive director. The Institute publishes a monthly newsletter, From the Rooftop, during the academic year.The Fromm program caught the attention of another San Francisco philanthropist, Bernard Osher, who was inspired to spread the model to over 120 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes that his foundation has funded at universities and colleges across the United States since 2001.[6]
Fromm Hall
Fromm Hall, formerly a
Notes
- ^ "Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes". The Bernard Osher Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ "Hanna Fromm, 89, Creator of Schools for Retirees". The New York Times. 2003-01-18. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ Lawrence M. Fisher (1998-07-08). "Alfred Fromm, 93, Early Leader in the California Wine Industry". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ Abby Cohn (2003-01-10). "A pioneer of lifelong learning, Hanna Fromm dies at 89". Jweekly.com. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ Leslie Katz (1998-07-10). "Wine pioneer Alfred Fromm, S.F. philanthropist, dies at 93". Jweekly.com. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ "Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes". The Bernard Osher Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- Residence halls at the University of San Francisco.
Video documentary
"Old Enough to Know Better" is a documentary film directed by Ron Levaco on the Fromm Institute and its students. It was released in 2001 by Icarus Films.