Member-leaders reflect on Avi Bernstein’s 12 years at BOLLI
February 15, 2024
by Joyce Lazarus
Avi Bernstein recently announced that he would be leaving BOLLI this month, after twelve years as BOLLI’s Executive Director. Under Avi Bernstein’s leadership, BOLLI has expanded greatly in scope and participation. BOLLI has become a truly vibrant community, where in addition to our courses, we can participate in special interest groups, attend concerts and weekly lectures given by notable speakers, visit museums and other interesting architectural attractions, and of course socialize with friends.
The Banner asked some member-leaders to share their thoughts on Avi Bernstein’s twelve-year tenure and answer the question, "How did you benefit from Avi Bernstein’s leadership?"
Some commented on the warm and welcoming atmosphere at BOLLI and on their enjoyment of the many fascinating courses offered:
"I came to BOLLI as a refugee of sorts, after having explored several adult education programs and another OLLI. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love as I experienced a warm and welcoming community in which I could choose from a huge range of intriguing courses and special interest groups."
—Marsha Semuels
"I thank you for all you’ve done to make it the unique and treasured organization it has become. You’ve afforded me and other members an outstanding opportunity to participate in many interesting and informative classes and programs while forming friendships along the way. It’s been a great pleasure to have been your friend and colleague, and I wish you all the best."
—Jack Curley
A member commented on Avi Bernstein’s dedication to improving the space where BOLLI meets and to finding, if possible, an alternative attractive space:
"Avi has very methodically been exploring alternatives for either rehabilitating our space or moving BOLLI elsewhere to improve our comfort, social interactions, and technological capacity. He understands the desire among many to include more in-person activities, and we are thankful for the ability to reconnect with old friends and make new ones."
—Margie Arons-Barron
Some members commented on Avi Bernstein’s vision for BOLLI and on his skill in ultimately achieving this vision:
"My nine years at BOLLI have solely been under Avi’s leadership, and I have seen him (along with the curriculum committee) grow the choice and variety of courses and of SGL leaders, enriching the academic experience and heightening BOLLI’s reputation among the several lifelong learning options available throughout the greater community."
—Margie Arons-Barron
"Avi had a vision of making the program grow while strengthening its connection to Brandeis. Avi spent many hours in meetings with community members and program chairs to listen, get input, and assure them that members would continue to oversee BOLLI classes and activities, and that strengthening the relationship with Brandeis would strengthen the program.
"Over the years that vision began to emerge. Members continued to design and run courses, and Avi found Brandeis graduate students to teach them when there were no BOLLI members for a particular topic. Those courses were successful, enriching the program and giving graduate students valuable teaching experience. As concerns about maintaining “peer teaching” diminished, Avi reached out to recruit faculty from Brandeis and other institutions, expanding the range of courses available.
"Avi has accomplished much of what he started. He is leaving a program that is strong, a community that remains vibrant, that will continue to offer its members educational and social activities that enhance their lives. I will miss his ongoing encouragement and support and wish him well as he moves on."
—Joyce Hollman
Several members commented on the remarkably rapid and smooth transition to online courses during the COVID pandemic under Avi Bernstein’s skilled leadership:
"I think the most impressive feat that Avi pulled off was the expansion of BOLLI’s stable of SGLs during COVID. Avi was quick to realize that moving to zoom allowed us to bring in expertise on a variety of new topics from faculty in remote locations. This led to an unprecedented expansion in the scope of content we could offer for our curriculum."
—David Rattner
"When the pandemic started, Avi led BOLLI through an amazingly rapid and successful transition to online classes. When it became more feasible to have in-person classes he initiated a variety of ways to encourage members to return to 60 Turner Street. He helped us fill up our program by recruiting Brandeis graduate students and “Digital Fellows,” academics from around the world who could teach us on Zoom."
—Carl Lazarus
"With Avi’s vision, leadership and connections, BOLLI was able to expand its membership [during the COVID pandemic], provide a lifeboat for our newly home-bound community, and bring in a talented group of SGLS from all over the world. The quality continued to grow. A robust and healthy organization thrives when it can adapt to change. Avi’s vision and partnership with volunteer leaders has let us ride high through a very difficult time. Thank you, Avi, for making these last few years so fulfilling and for positioning us so well for the future."
—Marsha Semuels
Several made comments about how Avi Bernstein successfully built a support network for SGLs and implemented the coordination of the Curriculum Committee and Study Group Support Committee:
"Avi encouraged support for the SGLs who present these courses, participating in Study Group Support activities to strengthen teaching skills, to help SGLs be more effective."
—Joyce Hollman
"Avi improved our course process by encouraging a closer collaboration between the Curriculum Committee and the Study Group Support Committee. We all benefitted from his energy, insight, and drive towards high standards."
—Carl Lazarus
A member of the Distinguished Speakers Committee commented on Avi Bernstein’s enhancement of the speaker program:
"As a member of the Distinguished Speaker Series, I have appreciated Avi’s encouragement of our reaching out to highly recognized thought leaders in their fields, a wider pool that has (thanks to the reach of Zoom) broadened and improved our BOLLI experience. Fortunately, we are also now allowed to reintegrate in-person speakers for the upcoming spring semester, providing a dynamic mix that includes key people in the performing arts."
—Margie Arons-Barron
"Avi, all of us at BOLLI have benefited from your energy, enthusiasm, dedication to high standards and your success in creating a warm community and an enriching intellectual experience. We wish you much fulfillment in all your future endeavors!"