TU Osher News & Notes

Happy New Year!

I always feel compelled to stay up to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, just to make sure we make it successfully across the dividing line between the old year and the new one. I feel like I’m standing on the edge of a diving board, at the ready. The countdown begins—10, 9, 8...getting up the courage, 7, 6, 5, 4...I mean it this time, I’m sticking to my guns, starting, 3, 2, 1...now. Just like that, we plunge into the new year. When I was younger, I’d cannonball in, but now, I try to make as little splash as possible. Nothing has significantly changed from the last seconds of 2025 to the first seconds of 2026. From my back window, miles away from the Inner Harbor, I could see the fireworks from the city-sponsored celebration. Closer to home, some of my neighbors decided to supplement the festivities with fireworks of their own. Whether you were banging pots and pans together, sipping champagne, or sleeping, I wish you and yours a new year full of happiness, good health, and prosperity.

Stay safe and healthy,

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Tracy Jacobs

Spring is on the way...

Important dates

  • Preview of courses: Available to view online starting February 2
  • Registration opens: February 3
  • Session I: March 2–27
  • Break week (no classes): March 30–April 3
  • Session II: April 6–May 1
VIEW THE SPRING 2026 SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE (PDF)

...but winter is still here!

Winter 2026 Zoom Lectures

$10 per lecture or $50 for all six

In January and February, we bring you our winter lectures on Zoom. Grab a hot beverage and get cozy for these exciting lectures! Lectures are 90-minutes and begin at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursdays. Lectures are recorded and made available to those who register.

Membership is not required to attend, so encourage your friends to participate.

  • Cosmic Update 2026 with Shelley Bonus, Thursday, January 15
  • Madmen and Murderers with Mikita Brottman, Wednesday, January 21
  • The Theology of Die-hard Christian Trump Support with Matthew D. Taylor, Thursday, January 29
  • Understanding the Middle East Conflict Through Maps with Mitchell Bard, Wednesday, February 4
  • The Science of Ha! with David Misch, Thursday, February 12
  • Rose Tint My World: 50 Years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Arnold Blumberg, Wednesday, February 18

Travel with Osher

Osher Day Trip

Museum of Modern Art, New York

Monday, March 30, 2026
All Day
$152 per person

Enjoy the day viewing incredible works of art from the MoMA collection. Participants will have a guided “Masterworks of the Collection” tour. Lunch is on your own at one of the museum’s dining options. This trip is open to Osher members and guests. Bus departs at 7:00 a.m. from the Timonium Park and Ride located at 2299 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, MD 21093. The bus will return to the parking area at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Travel with Osher friends through Road Scholar

New England Maritime Sampler

Sunday, July 19–Friday, July 24, 2026
An exclusive learning adventure for Osher at Towson University & JHU Osher members and guests

View program overview (PDF)

On an adventure by land and sea on Boston’s North Shore, discover the stunning beauty of Cape Ann as you explore its quaint harbors, artistic charm and picturesque villages. Aboard a lobster boat, see a lobsterman hoist his catch from chilly seawaters. Learn about the famous Gloucester fishing fleet. Experience the Rocky Neck art colony and view seascapes created by Winslow Homer and Fitz Henry Lane, who called Cape Ann home. At the Essex Shipbuilding Museum craftsmen will lead you through the history of master shipbuilding. Bite into a mouthwatering fried clam. Experience a whale watch, learn about the witch trials in historic Salem and pass by gilded mansions on the shores of Marblehead and Manchester-by-the-Sea. To reserve your spot, please contact Tracy Jacobs at tjacobs@towson.edu.

In Case You Missed It 

View Road Scholar Trip Info Session

Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University Invites You

Modern Hebrew Adult Education

Spring 2026 Classes: January 13–March 24
Tuesday evenings, 7–8:15 p.m.
Beth El Congregation, Pikesville, MD

Baltimore Hebrew Institute in partnership with Baltimore Hebrew, Beth El, Chizuk Amuno, and Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregations and the Baltimore Zionist District offer Hebrew Ulpan adult education classes. Questions? Contact Michele Mulligan at mmulligan@towson.edu, 410-704-7118.

Science Fiction Book Club Meeting

NEW DATE: Tuesday, January 13, 7:30 p.m., Zoom
Free to Osher members

The Science Fiction Book Club will hold its first meeting online Tuesday, January 13 at 7:30 p.m. The first book to be discussed will be Isaac Asimov's "Foundation," and the second and third meetings will talk about the next two books in the series, "Foundation and Empire" and "Second Foundation." If you've only seen the television adaptation of the series, please read the books! They're very different from the TV version. For more information, please contact Dori at SF_OsherTU@yahoo.com. Dori can provide information on how to get the books for low or no cost. You don't need to be a previous science fiction reader, just have an open and curious mind, which you already have since you're an Osher student!

In Memoriam

While we work hard to provide accurate updates, please let us know if you are aware of an Osher friend’s passing by contacting osher@towson.edu.

Give to Osher at Towson University

If you would like to honor a friend or loved one with a donation in their memory, please consider supporting Osher at Towson University with a gift to the Osher Excellence Fund.

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Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson MD 21252

osher@towson.edu | 410-704-3535

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