CSUMB program proves learning is its own reward.

According to a January article in the New York Times, about 150,000 people are enrolled nationally in more than 119 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at colleges and universities.

They join for the brain stimulation, the camaraderie, for the pursuit of knowledge. CSUMB hosts the program, the classes – scheduled from one-day offerings to several days and “geared” to people 50 and older – coming across like a tasty buffet of intellectual inquiry.

“Behind the Scenes of KAZU,” taught by GM Mik Benedek and former station chief Doug McKnight, looks at the history, the behind-the-scenes and the current state of affairs of the “NPR for the Monterey Bay Area.” That happens in one free session on Feb. 25.

On Feb. 24, Todd Samra, who serves as the Monterey Symphony musicologist, teaches “Blurring the Lines – Pluralism in Music” for just for $10.

Classes like “Climate Change – Facts and Concerns,” “Do You See What I See? Films of Errol Morris” and “Understanding ISIS” (which moved to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies) tempt curiosity.

So did subjects like the four-day “Neuroscience of Mindfulness and Healing,” two “Writers’ Collaborative” sessions, and 20 others – they sold out.

Classes can be taken individually or in a package of three classes for a $105 membership.

OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE spring semester classes begin Jan. 27 at the OLLI Building 201, CSU Monterey Bay, Inter-Garrison and 6th Avenue, Seaside. 582-5500, www.olli.csumb.edu