The Bernard Osher Foundation

The Bernard Osher Foundation was founded in 1977 by Bernard and Barbro Osher with the mission to improve quality of life through support of higher education and the arts. Known as “the quiet philanthropist,” Bernard, a respected businessman and community leader, was noted by Business Week in November 2007 as the 11th most generous philanthropist in the world. Through the foundation, he and his wife invested in two highly successful academic assets at UNLV—the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Osher Reentry Scholarship Endowment.

In 2008, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNLV was one of 122 such programs in universities and colleges in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Thanks to the Bernard Osher Foundation’s support, UNLV faculty and staff could offer educational programming crafted to meet the unique needs of mature learners.

In 2005, The Bernard Osher Foundation established the Osher Reentry Scholarship Endowment at UNLV’s Jean Nidetch Women’s Center. Unexpected personal circumstances force many college students to interrupt their academic dreams, often for five or more years. By 2008, UNLV had awarded 49 Osher Reentry Scholarships to students who may have otherwise not been able to afford the cost of tuition as they return to school.