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Lifelong Learning (OLLI)

We invite you to become part of the OLLI at Bradley lifelong learning community. Our Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) serves 1,200+ people in the Peoria area and beyond who enjoy a variety of programming geared toward age 50+, but everyone is welcome … whether you’re a Bradley alum or not. OLLI offers many options to explore, connect, and learn.

Becoming an OLLI member is easy. Membership is just $5 per quarter granting you access to any program. All programs are a la carte. Set up your account and register online, or if you’d prefer, just give us a call, and we’ll handle the rest.

About OLLI

OLLI is a program of Bradley’s Division of Continuing Education and Professional Development, and is strongly supported by Bradley as a standard of excellence in lifelong learning.

OLLI at Bradley believes there is value to lifelong learning in an open, social environment.  We provide a welcoming and social experience that is volunteer- driven, sponsored by Bradley University, and the Bernard Osher Foundation.  The top four member expectations of OLLI include:  Social engagement, quality offerings, customer service, and involvement.  

Lifelong learning programs at Bradley began in 1994 with the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR). In 2008, The Bernard Osher Foundation awarded Bradley a grant that established the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Through two separate $1 million gifts from the Foundation, OLLI at Bradley is now an endowed program of the Bernard Osher Foundation. Since its start in 2001, the Osher network has formed 126 OLLIs with more than 125,000 members. Each is independently operated, but receives support from The Bernard Osher Foundation. Through satellite locations or partner organization locations, these OLLIs offer courses and activities in nearly 334 individual cities and towns throughout the U.S.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is hosted by Bradley University, which recognizes OLLI as a standard for excellence in lifelong learning. Bradley supports OLLI through the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Development, which assists OLLI with leadership, staff, meeting space, and oversight. OLLI is a member-driven organization guided by volunteers who serve the organization through its many committees where program ideas originate. The OLLI Executive Committee takes on an advisory role for all programs and activities.

The Bernard Osher Foundation, headquartered in San Francisco, was started in 1977 by Bernard Osher, a respected businessman and community leader. The Foundation seeks to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts.

The Foundation provides post-secondary scholarship funding to colleges and universities across the nation, with special attention to reentry students. It also supports a national lifelong learning network for seasoned adults. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, operating on the campuses of 122 institutions of higher education from Maine to Hawaii and Alaska, have a National Resource Center at Northwestern University. In addition, the Foundation benefits programs in integrative medicine in the United States and Sweden, including centers at the University of California, San Francisco; Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston; the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm; Northwestern University; Vanderbilt University; the University of Miami; and the University of Washington. Finally, an array of performing arts organizations, museums, and educational programs in Northern California and in Mr. Osher’s native state of Maine receive Foundation grants.

The Foundation has a nine-member Board of Directors, chaired by the Honorable Barbro Osher, Honorary Consul General of Sweden in California.


Barbro Osher, Chairman of the Board

Barbro OsherBarbro Osher is Consul General of Sweden in San Francisco, having served in the same capacity in Los Angeles from 1995-1998. She is also the former owner and publisher of Vestkusten, one of the few Swedish-American newspapers in the United States, established in 1886 and providing news from Sweden on politics, business, and sports as well as information on the active Swedish-American community in the West.

A native of Stockholm and a graduate of Stockholm University with a degree in languages and political science, Osher pursued a career in publishing and advertising in Sweden before moving to the United States in the early 1980s. Her first visit to America in 1962 was to Maine where she participated as a student in the Experiment in International Living program. Over the years, she has represented both the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Swedish Tourist Board.

Barbro is the founder of the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) chapter in San Francisco and was president of Positive Sweden/North America, an organization furthering the image of Sweden through educational activities in the United States. She serves on the Boards of the University of California (Berkeley) Foundation and the American-Scandinavian Foundation.

Among numerous recognitions, including several American honorary degrees, Osher received the Eliason Award from the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles in 1999. She was a recipient of His Majesty the King’s Medal in 2002. In 2004 Barbro Osher was named SWEA International’s Woman of the Year, and in October, 2006, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in art from Goteborg University, Sweden. Barbro Osher was named Swedish-American of the Year for 2008 by the Vasa Order of America in agreement with the Swedish Department of Foreign Affairs.

Barbro is chair of the Bernard Osher Foundation and president of the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation. The Pro Suecia Foundation supports Swedish-related cultural and educational projects in North American and Sweden. Among the Foundation’s grantees are several American universities, including the University of California at Berkeley, Gustavus Adolphus University, and the University of Texas at Austin, whose programs advance understand of Swedish culture and tradition both in Sweden and in America. She is also a very active member of the Consular Corps of San Francisco, an avid reader in six languages, and an enthusiastic skier.


Bernard Osher, Founder and Treasurer

Bernard OsherBernard Osher, a patron of education and the arts, is well known as “the quiet philanthropist.” He created the Bernard Osher Foundation in 1977 which seeks to improve the quality of life through support for higher education and the arts. The Foundation provides postsecondary scholarship funding to colleges and universities across the nation. The Foundation also supports selected centers in integrative medicine at Harvard University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Karolinska Institute in Stockhom, Sweden. In addition, the Foundation supports a growing national network of lifelong learning institutes for older adults. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, operating on the campus of 120 colleges and universities from Maine to Hawaii, have a National Resource Center at the University of Southern Maine. A local grants program provides support for arts and humanities institutions in the Great San Francisco Bay Area and the State of Maine.

A native of Biddeford, Maine and a graduate of Bowdoin College, Osher has pursued a successful career in business, beginning with the management of his family’s hardware and plumbing supplies store in Maine and continuing with work at Oppenheimer & Company in New York before moving to California. There he became a founding director of World Savings, the second largest institution in the United States, which was recently merged with Wachovia Corporation.

A collector of American paintings of the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, Osher purchased the fine art auction house of Butterfield & Butterfield in 1970 and oversaw its growth to become the fourth largest auction house in the world. In 1999, he sold the company to eBay.

Having served on a number of philanthropic and non-profit boards, Osher is an active community leader in the San Francisco Bay Area, the recipient of several honorary degrees, a serious student of opera, and an ardent fly fisherman.

He and his wife Barbro Osher, Consul General for Sweden in San Francisco, conduct their philanthropy through the Bernard Osher Foundation, the Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Fund, and the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, which supports Swedish cultural and educational projects in North America and Sweden.


Mary G.F. Bitterman, President

Mary G.F. BittermanBefore becoming President of The Bernard Osher Foundation, Mary G.F. Bitterman most recently served as the President and CEO of The James Irvine Foundation, an independent grant-making foundation serving Californians, and as President and CEO of KQED, one of the leading public broadcasting centers in the Untied States. She has severed also as Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Broadcasting Authority, Director of the Voice of America, Director of the Hawaii State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Director of the East-West Center’s Institute of Culture and Communication.

Bitterman currently is a director (and Chairman) of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), The Bernard Osher Foundation, Bank of Hawaii, Barclays Global Investors, and the Commonwealth Club of California. She has produced several documentaries for public television and has written on telecommunications development and role of media in developing societies. She is an Honorary Member of the National Presswomen’s Federation and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Bitterman received her B.A. from Santa Clara University and her M.A. and Ph.D from Bryn Mawr College.

Explore Learning

Explore – Join us on our 100+ educational travel experiences each year including local, regional, domestic, and international destinations.

Connect – Through the OLLI program you’ll meet new friends, connect with experts, and enjoy adventures in the community and beyond.

Learn – OLLI offers a variety of opportunities to learn in the classroom, small groups, workshop settings, and on the go.

Meet in-person at Bradley University on the first four Wednesdays in April and October, and online via Zoom in January and February. Classes are taught by engaging instructors on a college campus with people your age.

Class History

Exclusive talks from the community and beyond. These compelling programs highlight a variety of people, places, and issues. They may take place on campus or nearby locations with accessible parking.

Meet off-campus at locations around the area, offer an array of new choices each quarter, and are a great opportunity to investigate topics in a small group setting.
Study Group History

Offer behind-the-scenes looks at places and spaces in the Peoria area. On OLLI trips, you get to investigate and explore with your peers. Ready to travel? Learn more about the:

Traveling Braves Multi-Day Travel

Learning Trip History

Multi Day Travel

For those interested in a multi-day enhanced group travel experience look no further. OLLI’s Traveling Braves program lets our members explore the world. From Italy and Iceland to Croatia and the Grand Canyon, we are ready to go

Current Itineraries

OLLI offers programs that are run via Zoom that are comprised of many unique presentations.

Many OLLI members choose to find learning in what they, read, listen to and watch when away from OLLI activities. Which ones have OLLI members discovered worthwhile? You’ll find the answer on OLLI Learns, a webpage where members can share what they’ve found useful and see what others recommend.

Volunteer

Volunteers are the heart of OLLI. We have a variety of opportunities for you to get involved with OLLI. A little bit of time can make a big difference!

Great programs happen because of great ideas! We invite you to attend one of our committee meetings. Bring your ideas and enthusiasm, and learn how programs are generated during Curriculum, Study Group, and Trip Committees.

If you have a little bit of time you might consider:

OLLI Catalog Delivery

Drop off quarterly OLLI catalogs to area locations.

Parking Lot Greeter

Welcome members as they park and catch the shuttle during OLLI classes.

Class Host

The Class Host is contacted by the Class Hosts Coordinator. A host should have attended at least one previous OLLI session. The host provides an introduction of the class instructor(s), general assistance to the instructor, and distribution of thank you card. Hosts are responsible for monitoring attendance and reporting issues to staff. They are not responsible for providing any technical assistance.

Study Group Host

The Study Group Host is contacted by the Study Group Hosts Coordinator. Typically, a host should have attended at least one previous OLLI session. The host provides an introduction of the facilitator(s) and general assistance to the facilitator. They also give a reminder that evaluations will be emailed and encourage everyone to fill them out. They report any concerns to the Bradley staff.

If you have a little more time to take the next step:

Class Hosts Coordinator

The Class Hosts Coordinator is selected and appointed by the Vice President. Approximately one month prior to the start of classes, the Hosts Coordinator working in conjunction with the Bradley staff obtains current lists of registrants for each class. The Hosts Coordinator contacts class members to secure one member to serve as the Class Host for each class.

Study Group Hosts Coordinator

The Study Groups Hosts Coordinator is selected and appointed by the Vice President. Approximately one month prior to the start of the season, the Study Group Hosts Coordinator working in conjunction with the Bradley staff obtains current lists of registrants for each group. The Study Group Hosts Coordinator contacts class members to secure one member to serve as the Group Host.

Parking Lot Greeter Coordinator

Find members to help greet and direct in the parking lots during classes.

Art Exhibit Coordinator

The Art Exhibit Coordinator is responsible for scheduling four artists to exhibit during each week of Spring and Fall classes. They will give the lists of artists and their confirmed date to the Bradley staff who will email the artist with details of the event.

Community Organization Exhibit Coordinator

Community service organizations to line up exhibits for OLLI classes.

If you have Knowledge or Interests you want to share:

Be a Class Instructor

Are you an engaging presenter with expertise in a subject that interests you? OLLI needs you!

Study Group Facilitator

No need to be an expert, just an interest in facilitating a group on a topic of your interest.

Curriculum Committee

Duties include making and reviewing class suggestions, selecting classes, contacting potential instructors and securing teaching commitments from volunteer instructors. The Curriculum Committee meets three times a year between April/May, July/August, and November/December.

Fall 2025 Class Worksheet

Winter 2026 Class Worksheet

Spring 2026 Class Worksheet

Class Handbook

Study Group Committee

Members review study group suggestions, select study groups, contact potential facilitators and secure facilitating commitments from volunteer facilitators. The Study Group Committee meets eight times throughout the year, two times for each season of OLLI.

2025 Study Group Worksheet

Facilitator Handbook

Learning Trip Committee

Meet four times a year to select travel and special event options for each season. Learning Trip Committee members review recent evaluations, make travel suggestions, select trips and events for each season, and recommend policies to the Executive Committee.

Invest In OLLI

At OLLI, giving isn’t just appreciated. It’s a part of who we are.

Our members give generously of their time, talents, and resources to support our vibrant lifelong learning community. Thanks to those gifts, our OLLI continues to thrive.

For more than 12 years, your tax-deductible gifts have made a meaningful difference by funding essential upgrades and purchases that our affordable membership and program fees simply don’t cover. Your support has made it possible to purchase and maintain our fleet of shuttles, audio-visual improvements and equipment used in campus buildings, a retractable sound wall in the Michel Student Center, and state-of-the-art headsets used on each of our learning trips.

You have helped us stay connected across campus, across town, and across the world with our Zoom licenses. OLLI now reaches members with mobility challenges and those who’ve located to warmer weather but still want to learn with friends here in Peoria.

The best part? Your gift doesn’t just support the future of OLLI. It enhances your OLLI experience today. Every donation helps keep our community exploring, connecting, and learning.

Make/Renew My Annual Gift

  • Give online for a one-time or monthly, quarterly, annually recurring gift
  • Call our office to speak to staff about a gift:  (309) 677-3900
  • Mail a check, payable to Bradley University (designate OLLI in the memo):
  • OLLI at Bradley
    ℅ Continuing Education
    1501 W. Bradley Avenue
    Peoria IL 61625

Honorary/Memorial/Anonymous Gifts

Commemorate or honor your loved ones, friends, instructors, or fellow OLLI members.  You can designate your gift as anonymous, or you can designate who should be notified of your gift.  To discuss this type of gift, please email or call Michelle Riggio, (309) 677-3900.

Qualified Charitable Distribution

If you’re 70 ½ or older, you can save on taxes by supporting OLLI through a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA.  To learn more, please email or call Michelle Riggio, (309) 677-3900.

Securities/Stocks/Mutual Funds/Donor-Advised Funds

For these types of gifts, we ask that you first review the information on Bradley’s Advancement site and work directly with our Director of Treasury Services, Terry Kenny by emailing or calling him at (309) 677-3490.

Matching Gifts

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions or volunteer hours made by their employees or retirees. To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, visit Bradley’s Advancement site to enter the employer’s name and learn more about completing the matching process.  To learn more, please email or call Michelle Riggio, (309) 677-3900.

Planned Gifts

A planned gift to OLLI can transform the future of OLLI.  Depending on the structure, planned gifts can also offer tax benefits for your heirs.  We invite you to explore how planned giving can help you meet your goals while creating a brighter future for OLLI.  To start the conversation, please email or call Michelle Riggio, (309) 677-3900.

Donate Your Car

You can donate your car, truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle to OLLI!  You’ll receive an initial donation receipt upon the free vehicle pickup, and your donation will be turned to cash to support OLLI.  To learn more, please visit the Cars website or call (855-500-7433).

To discuss advertising opportunities, please email or call the Continuing Education staff at (309) 677-3900.

View our 2025-2026 advertising rate card

As an advertiser in OLLI’s quarterly catalogs and/or weekly e-newsletters, your organization will receive exposure to an important demographic: Central Illinois’ active 50+ crowd.

OLLI hosts several special events each year that provide additional exposure to the important 50+ crowd in Central Illinois:

  • OLLI Trivia Night
  • View the 2025 Sponsorship Levels
  • OLLI Spring Kickoff
  • For more details, email or call OLLI Director Catherine Lawless, (309) 677-3900
  • OLLI Summer Open House
  • For more details, email or call OLLI Director Catherine Lawless, (309) 677-3900

Current Sponsors

Frequently Asked Questions

For all programs an email will be sent prior to the event regarding specific details on times, location, and parking.

OLLI Classes meet on Bradley University’s campus (in the Michel Student Center), with free park-and-ride service to drop you off at the front door.

Study Groups and OLLI Originals meet at Bradley’s Peoria Next Innovation Center, as well as several satellite locations throughout the community including Goodwill Commons, and the Peoria Public Library branches.

Learning Trips are conducted primarily within the community and region though some trips include multi-state and international destinations. Local trips are generally half-day excursions using the comfortable easy-access OLLI shuttles. Longer land-based trips utilize charter coaches. Most all day trips depart from CampusTown Shopping Center, 1200 W. Main, near Bradley’s campus. We reserve parking for participants on trip days between the entrance of CampusTown and the Shell gas station.

OLLI hosts a free quarterly Orientation session for all new, like new, and returning members who’d like to learn more about OLLI in a casual setting. See our quarterly catalog or call (309) 677-3900 for dates and details.

OLLI’s cancellation policy was designed to encourage our members to carefully consider their personal availability for events. This thoughtful scheduling will allow peers who wish to participate a chance to do so. Extenuating circumstances will be handled on a case–by–case basis. Membership fees are non–refundable. There is a $10 minimum cancellation fee and additional charges depend upon the program, the cost, and the time of the cancellation. Please refer to our quarterly catalog for specific details for each program.

There is a $5 quarterly membership fee that allows you to register for as many programs as you would like each quarter. OLLI has a combination of free and fee experiences:

  • OLLI Classes – Fees vary with most Classes costing $30 per class
  • OLLI Learning Trips – Fees vary depending on the destination and related travel costs
  • OLLI Study Groups – Fees vary with most Study Groups costing $45 per grou
  • OLLI Originals – Fees vary from $5 or more with an average program around $10.

Please contact us if you would like to confirm the fee for a specific event.