The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UAF is a membership organization providing learning opportunities for seasoned adults (age 50+) in the Fairbanks area.  Led by its membership, OLLI offers stimulating courses, lectures, educational travel, and special interest groups.  

Members explore academic and general interest classes in an atmosphere that is intellectually stimulating, but without the stress of tests and grades.  Members are invited from all backgrounds.  They share the common bonds of intellectual curiosity and the experience of their generation.  They are self-motivated learners, eager to share opinions, knowledge, and expertise with humor and mutual respect.

OLLI is a program of UAF Summer Sessions and Lifelong Learning.  It has received generous financial support from the Bernard Osher Foundation and recognizes the generosity of benefactor Bernard Osher by using the Osher name. 

The flipbook player uses Adobe Flash (a free program), so you might get prompted to update your Flash player.

There are two other ways to view the catalog from this website:

1) Click on "Classes and Lectures" in the menu at the left side of this page, and then click on "Course Descriptions" in the sub-menu that will open under it.  This will give you a list of topic areas.  Click on a topic to see course descriptions for that topic area.  (This will show the course descriptions as text directly on your screen; you don't need Flash player or Acrobat reader, and you don't have to download any files.)

2) Click on "Recent Publications" in the menu at the left side of this page.  Then click on the picture of the catalog cover.  This will download a pdf version of the catalog to your computer.  You'll need Acrobat Reader (a free program) to open and view the file.

Click on "Classes and Lectures" at the left, then "Course Descriptions" to see descriptions of this fall's courses online in text form.

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Our random draw deadline was 5:00 pm Wed. August 14.  Fall 2013 will be the last term that we'll use the random-draw system to fill classes.  It works this way:

ALL registrations received before 5:00 pm on August 14 are considered, so everyone whose registration form reaches us by that time has equal priority for registration.  For classes in which demand exceeds capacity, we randomly select enough students to fill the class. The others who registered for the class are placed on a wait list, to be contacted if a space opens.

Registrations received after the random draw deadline are processed in the order we receive them to fill remaining spaces in classes.

Click on "Classes and Lectures" in the menu at the left.

Then click on "Reference Materials"

The list is ordered chronologically with the most recently posted material at the top.

Click below to download the pdf of illustrated remarks Dave Norton made praising OLLI, using his experience in Prof. Bill Schneider's inspiring fall 2012 OLLI class on Signature Stories, and commemorating Ted Fathauer, all at the same time, to the local AARP group on Jan.24.  

Classes are provided for the joy of learning - with no test or grades.   Most classes meet once a week for four weeks during spring and fall sessions.  They are taught by UAF faculty and retired faculty, Fairbanks professionals, and OLLI members eager to share their expertise.    Over 100 courses are offered each year on a variety of topics.  Some recent topics have included:

•        Musicals by Andrew Lloyd Weber
•        Epigenetics and the Aging Brain
•        Digital Photography
•        Alaska's 1964 Earthquake
•        Conversational French
•        Zumba Gold
•        Edible Wild Plants
•        Great Decisions (a world affairs discussion program of the Foreign Policy Association)
•        Eureka! Insights Which Changed Our Minds and Our World

Travel programs in various locations in Alaska have become part of the OLLI learning experience.  Members enjoy 4 - 7 days of learning and adventure with friends.   

2013 Excursions:

* Petersburg Little Norway Festival and LeConte Gacier Cruise
* Beaver Creek Float Trip
* Rock Skipping Contest at Lake Minchumina
* Kennicott and Iceberg Lake in the Chugach Mountains

*Thorne Bay McFarland's Floatel and Raffia Basket Class *CANCELED*

*Denali National Park by Rail

Click "Travel" in the menu at the left of the page for more information about this year's excursions.

Membership is open to adults 50 and older and to their adult companions.  Beginning in 2013, the annual fee is $35.  The membership year is January to December.  Membership includes e-newsletters, socials, special interest groups, and eligibility to register for courses and excursions.

Course fees are $15 per course - or-
$80 for unlimited courses for a half-year (Jan - June or July - Dec) -or-
$150 for unlimited courses for a full year (Jan - Dec).

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