The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Arkansas is a member‐driven, service organization, primarily serving adults, 50 years of age and older. OLLI at the University of Arkansas’s mission is to provide a community of adults with a lifelong learning venue that promotes intellectual vitality through exploration and discussion via diverse, high quality and affordable educational and social programs. The institute was established at the university in 2007 and is currently a service unit in the College of Education and Health Professions.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) Network is a dynamic consortium of more than 120 lifelong learning institutes dedicated to serving adults aged 50 and better. Funded in part by The Bernard Osher Foundation, each independent Institute is affiliated with a college or university, offering intellectually stimulating, non-credit courses and learning opportunities tailored to meet the diverse interests and needs of their local communities. Since the establishment of the first Institute in 2001, the network has expanded to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 300 towns and cities across the nation. Courses, study groups, social events, and educational travel opportunities foster a culture of joy in learning and personal fulfillment without tests or grades.
The National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (Osher NRC) is a non-governing center of excellence, hosted by Northwestern University, benefiting older adults through the national network of 120+ Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs).
The mission of the Osher NRC is to help OLLIs thrive by connecting OLLIs to each other and to resources, collaborating with OLLIs and partner organizations, consulting with OLLI leaders to find solutions, and celebrating the successes, camaraderie, and growth of OLLIs and their members. The Osher NRC fulfills its mission through a variety of projects and services including providing professional conferences, tools, resources, and training for OLLI staff and volunteers; conducting research on lifelong learning and purposeful aging; presenting at national conferences; offering virtual courses to Osher Online affiliated Institutes; and highlighting OLLI successes through a monthly newsletter and the Osher NRC website.
The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 1977 by respected businessman, philanthropist, and community leader Bernard Osher. The Foundation seeks to improve quality of life through innovative funding in higher education and the arts.
The Foundation supports a national lifelong learning network of programs designed for adults 50 and better; Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes operate on 120+ college and university campuses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
View a brief animated video history of The Osher Institute Legacy of Bernard Osher.