The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNLV Steering Council has named Martha Carrell as 2018's Lifetime Member. OLLI at UNLV’s Lifetime Membership is an honor bestowed on members who demonstrate a longtime commitment to the ideals of maintaining and growing a vibrant community of lifelong learners.
Martha Carrell joined OLLI at UNLV in 2011. She is a current member of the OLLI Steering Council, has been an active member of the Fundraising, Curriculum, By-Laws, and Long-Range Planning Committees, and has been a frequent contributor of poetry to the annual OLLI Journal.
Carrell is the founding instructor and an active presenter of the very popular TED Talks class series. Her classes use TED Talks videos and other source material to generate lively discussion on current and often complex topics. Carrell's classes always generate enthusiastic and intelligent class participation, and evaluations show she is beloved by her students. As nominated by an honored past Lifetime Member, Martha was recruited as a guest speaker for OLLI’s popular Soap Box classes. Carrell never turned down a request to fill in, and she never received anything less than enthusiastic approval and praise for her presentations. She spends a great deal of time in preparation for every class she gives, and her presentation and teaching skills are extraordinary. The Lifetime Member nomination form glows that as an instructor, Martha Carrell is among the best of the best, which is important to the continued energy of OLLI at UNLV.
On behalf of the Steering Council as well as the entirety of the Division of Educational Outreach, we thank Martha Carrell for all of her contributions OLLI at UNLV and congratulate her on this honor.