About OLLI at UGA/Learning in Retirement in Athens

Our organization began in 1994. It started with a small group of community leaders interested in expanding services for older residents of the Athens metro area. Over the years, we have grown to over 400 members and we offer approximately 100 courses and activities per year.

In February 2009, we received a grant of $100,000 from the Bernard Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. It was a significant honor to be selected for this grant, which will provide the financial resources we need to expand our course offerings and grow our membership. If we demonstrate successful management and use of these funds, we may qualify for additional grants in the future.

Our goal is to offer a wide array of courses: literature, history, religion, philosophy, natural sciences, social sciences, performing arts, art and architecture, economics, finance, computers and lifestyle issues. We also schedule trips to local and regional attractions. Our 14 interest groups provide another means for members to meet and socialize with other members who have similar interests. We invite you to join us!

Our curriculum committee is responsive to the requests of our members, which helps keep our offerings fresh. If you have a suggestion for a new course or activity, please use the form on our Contact page to let us know about it.

Our instructors are a mix of UGA professors, peer teachers, graduate students, independent scholars, and community and national experts. Anyone with knowledge on a particular topic is invited to suggest a course they'd like to lead. As our instructors will tell you, it's fun to take a course, but it's even more fun and rewarding to teach one. If you would consider teaching a course or leading an activity, please let us know via the form on the Contact page.