With UW-Milwaukee’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, there are many ways you can get involved other than attending classes or Go Explores. If you like to give back, we have a variety of volunteer opportunities, including serving on key committees that make Osher what it is today.
You can also teach. You don’t even need to be an OLLI member or have professional teaching experience. All it takes is a strong interest and desire to bring a topic to life for others. If you’re a UWM graduate student, you can gain essential teaching experience through our OLLI Scholars program.
Volunteering for Osher
We have many volunteer opportunities. Committees are a critically important function of Osher. We are always looking for members to serve on a committee. If you have an interest or skills in membership development, event planning, marketing, programming, leadership or communications, this is a great way to shine. Committee chairs love volunteers who have some background in the type of work the committee does, and we will happily train those interested in learning something new. For new committee members, we have a mentoring process to help integrate volunteers into the function of each committee.
Osher Committees
Travel: Develop recommendations for UWM Osher sponsored domestic and international trips. This committee usually meets monthly for 90 minutes.
Core Programming: Develop recommendations for course topics, instructors and speakers; review course proposals; and help schedule courses.
Go Explore: Develop recommendations for excursions and local tours to various locations of interest in Milwaukee. This committee usually meets monthly for two hours.
Membership: Recruit and welcome new members and assist with membership renewal. This committee usually meets three times a year for 1.5 hours.
Fundraising: Plan and implement activities to help meet the annual fundraising goals that supplement Osher revenue-producing activities. This committee usually meets monthly for 90 minutes.
Volunteer Engagement and Recognition: Enlist volunteers to serve on standing committees, act as facilitators and work on special projects. Develop volunteer recognition events and programs. This committee meets monthly for 1.5 hours.
If you are not sure which committee to join but are interested in volunteering for Osher, please email us at SCEOsher@uwm.edu.
Want to be a Presenter?
We are always looking for presenters. Do you have a special interest or consider yourself to be an expert in an area? Share your knowledge with adult learners. Please note: course descriptions, course titles and instructor bios may be edited to meet UWM’s editorial style guidelines.
Fill out our Presenter Form to tell us about yourself and the course you would like to teach.
For more information, contact:
Laurie Yingling, yinglinl@uwm.edu, 414-227-3255
OLLI Scholars Program
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UWM would like to invite you to be an OLLI Scholar! The call for applications for the 2026–27 academic year will open on February 1, 2026 and be accepted through March 15, 2026.
OLLI Scholars are invited to share their research, experiences and expertise with an engaged community of UWM lifelong learners who would provide encouragement and valuable feedback.
Overview for Applicants for the OLLI Scholars Program
OLLI is part of the University of Milwaukee’s School of Continuing Education and belongs to a national network of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes established by the Bernard Osher Foundation. The OLLI community is composed of mostly retired adults, all of whom are active lifelong learners who value high-quality noncredit courses.
The OLLI Scholars Program invites UWM graduate students to apply for paid, short-term teaching opportunities during one of three academic year terms: fall, winter and spring.
Those who are selected to be OLLI Scholars will receive a $1,500 stipend to prepare and present a short course for our members in 75-minute class periods, one time per week from two to three weeks in duration, depending on how much time the presenter needs to cover the topic.
Because OLLI courses are noncredit, there is no grading, papers or tests.
OLLI classes are offered in person at the UWM Hefter Conference Center located a few blocks from campus at 3271 N. Lake Drive and online to our members. Classes also take place online via Zoom. The selected scholars will receive an OLLI primer, mentoring and support in developing a course designed for the OLLI demographic, and hands-on training and best practices for teaching via Zoom.
Note: An OLLI Scholar must be an enrolled student during the term in which their course is delivered. Scholars are also required to obtain a written endorsement from their advisor prior to teaching.
The call for applications for the 2026-27 academic year will open on February 1, 2026. Applications will be accepted through March 15, 2026.
Please complete our OLLI Scholars Application by March 15, 2026
OLLI Term Dates
OLLI term dates for fall 2026 through fall 2027 are as follows:
- Fall: Aug 31 to Dec 11, 2026
- Spring: Jan 25 to May 14, 2027
- Summer: May 25 to Aug 28, 2027
OLLI courses are 75 minutes per session and take place on weekdays at one of the following times.
- 10-11:15am
- 12:30-1:45pm
- 2:15-3:30pm
- 4-5:15pm
The number of sessions can be adjusted depending on content.
After You Apply
In late March, a selection committee of OLLI staff and member-volunteers will review all applications. Candidates will be notified by the end of May 2026.