BILL. OLLI. OLLI at BCC. Alphabet soup? Not so — Friday marked the first day of a significant new force for adult learning in this area. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College began operations this week, an outgrowth of the Berkshire Institute for Lifetime Learning.

BILL came to life, modestly at first, in 1994 when a group of volunteers led by Tom and Judy Easton began presenting courses, seminars, forums, trips to cultural hot spots and even wine-tastings for "mature" adults — mostly seniors and retirees. Under a succession of leaders, most recently the indefatigable Mona and Arthur Sherman of Housatonic, the group expanded

But along came the Bernard Osher Foundation of San Francisco, bearing a renewable $100,000 grant and the likelihood of a $1 million endowment to fund adult learning in this county for the long haul. The foundation was created in 1977 by Osher, a business executive and community leader, to improve the quality of life by supporting higher education and the arts.

The first $100,000 grant is in place, with another $100,000 due in a year. At any time, possibly as soon as a year or two from now, Osher is expected to fund the seven-figure endowment, once it's assured that OLLI is "a going concern and sustainable," as the institute's new president, Stephen Radin, explains it. There's even the possibility of a $2 million endowment if OLLI's growth meets the foundation's criteria.

There are 112 OLLIs around the nation, and BCC is only the fourth community college selected for the affiliation. At BCC, OLLI will become part of the college's existing Office of Lifelong Learning under Dean William Mulholland, but will maintain a distinct identity, with volunteers now gaining professional help. The goal is to offer non-credit college courses, not only at BCC, Williams College and Simon's Rock but also at MCLA as of next spring. Group trips to theaters, museums and historical sites, along with special events such as the Distinguished Speakers Series, will continue. Presumably, so will the wine-tastings.

During a Colonial Theatre event June 6 to herald the transition, Radin emphasized that "while OLLI will not be BILL, in some ways it will be indistinguishable from its parent. The most important word to help us understand the organizations future is the word 'more.'" Radin pointed out that the infusion of six-figure funding from the Osher Foundation will lead to "more classes, covering more subjects, taught in more buildings throughout the region, during more hours of the day and evening and to a more diverse group of mature adults. There will be more styles of instruction and a greater use of technology which will help more people take courses that are offered in distant places without leaving their hometown." Courses will be offered via DVD at assisted-living facilities in the area, Radin said.

Distance learning, as it's called in the education field, involves the use of two-way telecommunications and cable hookups so people can participate in the comfort of their homes or offices. Agreements already are in place with Pittsfield Community Television and Community Television of the Southern Berkshires to televise courses on cable; meetings are planned with Willinet in Williamstown and Northern Berkshire Community TV to serve viewers in those areas.

To assuage any concerns among current BILL members, Radin asks the rhetorical question: "Will we be reducing any of the things you have come to love about BILL? An emphatic no." He also acknowledged that the new organization faces "great challenges" in order to accomplish its ambitious goals. The new OLLI part-time executive director Barbara Hochberg will be a key point person.

Offering a glimpse into the future for OLLI, Radin told the BILL members that "we will be creating new cultural partners throughout the county to increase our cultural offerings. We will be developing new courses, trips and activities which will allow us to add another dimension to our offerings so that we can reach a much more diverse group of mature adults. All this while we improve our handling of administrative matters."

The $50 annual membership charge and current course fees will remain in place, he says; new courses to be added could include practical skill-developing sessions on how to operate digital cameras or how to play bridge. Networking among members will be emphasized. Members will be consulted through outreach and focus groups on what kind of new course offerings they would prefer.

Spirits were high at the Colonial Theatre event. State Sen. Benjamin Downing, D- Pittsfield, spoke eloquently of the need to eliminate age bias, whether directed toward the elderly or to college students and to "marshal all of our resources. Only by working together, especially across generational lines, will we able to succeed in a global economy. . . and make certain that generations aren't pitted against each other in a battle over scarce resources."

A typically ebullient Mayor James Ruberto praised the organization's work as infusing energy and enthusiasm into the county. Referring to the new alliance with BCC, Ruberto called it "a great marriage, and a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of foundation money and to build your organization bigger, better and stronger." BCC President Paul Raverta, who stresses the importance of building partnerships between the college and other organizations, called the hookup with BILL "maybe the most important announcement of the past year" involving the campus. "This will cement lifelong learning as an important component of the institution and it's going to allow us to go in so many different directions and places we haven't thought of before," he said.

OLLI at BCC's top priority should be to diversify the membership, with particular attention to North Berkshire, and attract a much broader cross-section of the county's population. To do this, course and event offerings will have to appeal to the widest possible variety of tastes and interests. Radin acknowledges that more course offerings at night and on weekends will attract a broader cross-section of the population — "we do not have any requirement that a member be a senior" — and college-age students are encouraged to take courses offered at BCC, Simon's Rock and Williams.

Beer-tastings in addition to wine tastings? Visits to the Connecticut casinos? No, but a trip or two to Fenway Park, for example, might be just what's needed to fuel the fire of this very promising new chapter in adult education.

OLLI at BCC's top priority should be to diversify the membership and attract a much broader cross-section of the county's population.