Welcome!

On behalf of the OLLI at Duke staff, I want to extend to you a warm welcome back to the OLLI community!

I hope you’re as excited about the upcoming fall term as we are. When you review the catalog, you’ll see a variety of new courses, new instructors and information about the OLLI Fall Social on October 10.

Whether you’re taking an online or an in-person course, I encourage you to check out our Special Interest Groups (SIGs). These groups meet regularly online to discuss topics of interest, share ideas and build community. You can find a list of our SIGs on our website

I also want to take a moment to thank our amazing OLLI volunteers, instructors, board members, moderators, class assistants and SIG leaders. Your hard work and dedication make OLLI possible. We couldn’t do it without you!

The staff and I can’t wait to see you in September. In the meantime, keep an eye out for our weekly newsletter with the latest news and upcoming events. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Chris McLeod, J.D. Director, OLLI at Duke

Our Mission

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke University seeks to engage the minds, elevate the spirits and foster the well-being of its members through numerous educational programs and opportunities for volunteer service and social activity.

Our Vision

We seek to provide a premier, quality, cost-effective noncredit curriculum with courses that cover a wide range of interests in history, literature, the natural and social sciences, the fine arts and current events.

Our History

OLLI at Duke is one of the oldest and largest institutes within the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute network. Established in 1977 as the Duke Institute for Learning in Retirement (DILR), the program was renamed the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Duke in 2006 in honor of the Bernard Osher Foundation. Membership has grown from the original 42 members to as high as 2,570 members in 2019. The current membership is 1,913.