The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Oregon (OLLI-UO) is part of a national network of over 120 programs designed to engage adults 50 and above in the continued pursuit of knowledge. OLLI-UO is an educational and social community for mature adults who enjoy diverse and stimulating learning opportunities led by current and retired faculty, professionals in the community, and current OLLI members. OLLI-UO is comprised of three geographic locations: Central Oregon, Eugene/Springfield, and Northwest Oregon.

OLLI-UO is a non-credit program of UO Continuing and Professional Education. When you join OLLI-UO, you are enrolling as a non-credit student at the University of Oregon, but you become a member of the OLLI-UO learning community. We refer to OLLI-UO participants as "members" for this reason.

Bernard Osher is a philanthropist whose foundation made funds available to universities to start–or to sustain existing– lifelong learning programs. There are over 120 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes in the United States. The programming and organizational structure of the institutes is locally determined.

The program committees, along with OLLI-UO staff, approve and schedule classes over the course of the entire year. Any OLLI-UO member can submit a proposal for consideration.

The Program Committee, along with OLLI-UO staff, approves and schedules classes over the course of the entire year. Any OLLI-UO member can propose a program to the Program Committee for its consideration.

Use the Course Proposal Form to propose programming you would like to teach or see offered at OLLI-UO. Once the form is received, it gets submitted to program committees to review. The program committees discuss the proposal and contact the presenter to determine if/when it can fit into the program calendar.

Sessions may be facilitated/taught by OLLI-UO members, experts from the community, current or retired university faculty members, etc. Class length, content, and format vary. Some programs have multiple facilitators; there may be a different facilitator for each session.

Offerings are listed in the Program Catalog, with the delivery modality (physical location and/or Zoom) noted in the description. When there is an in-person component, the location will be listed.

There is also a calendar format that shows what is available.

In most cases, no problem! Just attend the class sessions as you are able. Some classes and events may require registration.

Courses are limited in size based on the instructor's preference and/or physical classroom capacity.

Registrations are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Yes, that is typically not a problem. The only exception would be classes or excursions where attendee space is limited and registration is required. Call or email the OLLI-UO office to register and find out if seats are open, or if you have to be put on the waiting list.

Guests are welcome to attend a single session of most classes (including virtual sessions). The only exception is a highly-attended course with registration that is at capacity. Guests should email OLLI-UO staff at osher@uoregon.edu before attending in-person or virtual classes/discussion groups to see if there is space.

Special events like open houses are held throughout the year to provide members of the community with an introduction to the OLLI-UO program.

The Continuing and Professional Education office (under which OLLI-UO is housed) can be reached Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Please email us at osher@uoregon.edu or leave a message at 800-824-2714, and we will return your call or email within 1-2 business days. The Contact page on the OLLI-UO website lists both staff contacts and member-leaders.

The OLLI-UO member portal offers resources specific to members, including:

• Membership information, including an individual’s membership dates and communication preferences
• Current and past registrations
• Member directories, with contact info of fellow members who have opted to share their information
• Instructor handouts available for download

Members may log in to their OLLI-UO Member Portal by choosing the “Sign In” button on the OLLI-UO webpage.

Membership fees are due annually (for year-long members), or every six or three months (for other members) on the first day of the month that you joined OLLI-UO. We send renewal notices a month before the membership lapses to help you stay active. However, memberships do not automatically renew. Membership dates are displayed in the OLLI-UO Member Portal.

Membership fees go toward paying for program costs such as facilities and infrastructure, administrative support, technical and broadcast equipment, website and database operation and maintenance, marketing efforts, and membership events.

Although OLLI is a national network of sibling programs, fees paid at one OLLI organization are not transferable to other OLLIs. The fees for OLLI-UO provide access to programming at all of our OLLI at the University of Oregon locations. Other OLLIs may choose to "honor" the membership on an individual basis, but that is not standard practice within the network.

We're glad you asked! We have specific Zoom help pages with instructions and resources. Contact the OLLI-UO office for additional resources, or to request one-on-one help.