OLLI@ Furman Instructors are the heart of our Institute!
The Curriculum Committee and Faculty Support Committee always welcome the presentation of new courses by new and returning instructors. We do not expect you to be certified by any body in the area you expect to teach. We do expect an enthusiastic approach and a depth of knowledge of that particular subject.
We want you to understand that the OLLI@Furman members are passionate about learning and do not look kindly at poorly organized or prepared courses. Whether it is hiking in the woods or learning about astronomy they expect the best. And the Curriculum Committee is moving in the direction of being more critical of which course gets on the schedule and taught by which instructor.
That is not to say that we are averse to giving a new instructor a shot. But be aware that there is a high bar to remain on the faculty.
OLLI@Furman offers three terms each academic year: a Fall Term of ten weeks and Winter and Spring Terms of eight weeks each. A 4-week Summer Term was added in 2011. Generally, Course Proposal Forms have to be in the office by early June for Fall Term, late September for Winter Term and early December for Spring Term. Courses commonly meet for 90 minutes once a week for the entire term. In additional there is an opportunity to run shorter courses for one to four sessions on Fridays. In unusual cases there can be other times arranged.
Course Proposal Forms should be submitted to the Committee Liaison or placed in the Curriculum folder in the OLLI Office work room in the appropriate folder as soon as you can. The subcommittee will review all courses in their specific discipline and recommend courses for each term. You will be notified within two weeks of the deadline for each term if your course has been approved for a particular term. Electronic submission is much preferred as it saves a great deal of office time in retyping your material. Do expect that your course description or biography may be edited for space requirements.
We do not pay our instructors; however, there are some perks! OLLI@Furman membership is a perk for being an instructor. Among other things it offers you complete access to the Furman Library, a great resource for course research. You receive a parking pass and access to the faculty dining room on campus. You may also use the OLLI@Furman Computer Lab as long as no class is scheduled there. You will find Word, Excel, PowerPoint and internet access on any machine. You will receive a $100 honorarium as a small token of our appreciation for each term taught, or you may choose to defer the honorarium as a contribution to the OLLI Support Fund which helps pay for scholarships, special materials and equipment needed by the program throughout the year.