OLLI at UAF - - Lifelong Learning for Older Adults
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.
To access our ProClass online registration site
Click the link below to set up or access your account, or to browse our course offerings.
If you are a current member of OLLI or were a member last year, you already have an account. Click on "forgot password" in the login box of the ProClass page. You'll be prompted to enter your email address, and the system will send you an email with your username and password.
If you are new to OLLI, click on "New user? Start here" to create an account.
As of 3/4/14, online credit card payment is NOT available, so you'll have to call the OLLI office at 474-6607 to make a credit card payment.
SPRING 2014 Course Dates
Session I: March 3 - 28
Add-on I: March 31 - April 4
Session II: April 7 - May 2
Add-on II: May 5 - 9
The spring catalog went to the bulk mailer on Jan. 13, and started to appear in local mailboxes Jan. 24. (Fairbanks mail is trucked to Anchorage, sorted there, and trucked back to Fairbanks.) If you were not on our catalog mailing list for this spring, you can drop by the OLLI office in room 159 of UAF's University Park Building, 1000 University Avenue, and pick up a printed catalog.
You can also view course descriptions online at our new ProClass site (see the link on our "Registration Form" page from the menu at the left), or download the catalog in pdf form from the "Recent Publications" page.
Online registration opened 9:30 am (Alaska time) Wed. Feb. 12
Class placement is first-come, first-served. Some classes are full, but many still have openings.
You must purchase your 2014 membership before you can register online. Call the OLLI office to use a credit card, mail us a check, or drop by and pay by your method of choice. Regular membership is $35 for the calendar year. Regular members pay $15 per class, so this option is most economical if you plan to take fewer than 10 OLLI classes during all of 2014. Unlimited membership is $185 ($35 membership + $150 unlimited classes); this option is most economical if you'll take more than 10 classes during 2014.
Looking for materials from your particular OLLI class?
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.
A "Signature Story"
in memory of Ted Fathauer's work
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
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
Video!
Instructor Neal Brown had a surprise for his class on the first day of "Looking Down On Our Planet," fall 2012.
Educational Travel
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.
2014 Excursions:
* Invertebrates Discovery in Kasitsna Bay
* Birthplace of Alaska's 1964 Earthquake: Prince William Sound
* Historic Valdez
* Eagle to Circle by Canoe
* Sitka WhaleFest
Click "Travel" in the menu at the left of the page for more information about this year's excursions.
Membership
Membership is open to adults 50 and older and to their adult companions. The annual fee is $35, covering one calendar year of membership year (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-
$150 for unlimited courses for a full year (Jan - Dec).