OLLI - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville

OLLI at UNC Asheville provides opportunities to thrive in life's second half through learning, leadership, service, and research. WHAT DO WE DO?

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville (formerly the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement) is an award-winning, internationally-acclaimed learning community dedicated to promoting lifelong learning, leadership, community service, and research. We opened our doors in 1988 as a department of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Our goal is to enable our members to

“thrive” in life’s second half. OLLI at UNC Asheville(OLLI) embraces an unusually comprehensive array of programs in the arts and humanities, the natural world, civic engagement, wellness, life transition and retirement relocation planning, intergenerational co-learning, and research on trends in the reinvention of retirement. HOW DO WE OPERATE? OLLI is housed in our own building, Reuter Center, on the UNC Asheville campus. Our collaborative member-staff led organization operates as a public-private entity, with two-thirds of our budget derived from endowment income and fees; and one-third from state funding. Approximately 450 members volunteer each year to do everything from teach, serve on committees, run research projects, mentor undergraduates, and provide consulting to other UNC Asheville departments. WHO'S TAKING NOTICE? OLLI's uniqueness has earned it frequent mention in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, SmartMoney, Business Week, Kiplinger’s, and The Christian Science Monitor, TV's CBS Sunday Morning, and websites such as CNN.com, AOL.com and many others. WHO PARTICIPATES? How large is OLLI’s Boomer population? If we stretch a couple of years beyond the current age threshold of 62, we find that 43% of our more than 1800 annual members are age 64 and under. So we’re nearing half who can claim to have experienced Woodstock or seen Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show. Balancing out the upstart Boomer generation, we have members of the “greatest” generation represented by 17% age 75 and above. WHAT DO WE STAND FOR? Our values express how we expect to travel where we want to go:

SENSE OF COMMUNITY — We are a community of learners who rely on the active participation of its members. Through these activities, members enjoy meeting like-minded people, exploring common interests, sharing experiences and forming lasting friendships. COMMITMENT — We are committed to the development of our staff and the personal growth of our volunteers. LEADERSHIP — All members have a voice and help set goals and direction. EXCELLENCE — Our staff and volunteers are constantly seeking to achieve the highest standards of performance. INNOVATION — We creatively pursue new areas of opportunity that will benefit our members. CULTURE — We create an atmosphere that is stimulating, creative, friendly, fulfilling, and fun. WHERE ARE WE HEADING? OLLI continues to grow by taking the accumulated experience and knowledge of the past and making it newly relevant to the changing environment and conditions of life. Members get to join a new community by making friends with people who share their interests. Come and take your turn with us. You will discover wonderful, new aspects of yourself and the environment that surrounds you!

06/19/2026

The USA will soon celebrate a big birthday: 250 years! Where were you 50 years ago when we reached the 200-year milestone?

06/16/2026

OLLI members enjoyed a tour of the Asheville Art Museum last Saturday. The tour focus was the special exhibition "In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870-1940," exploring the ways artists interpreted rural, maritime and urban spaces in the U.S.

OLLI will offer more exhibition tours at the museum in the fall, so look for those in the upcoming fall catalog.

📸: Lisa Lehr

05/25/2026

05/22/2026

OLLI will be closed on Monday, May 25 for the Memorial Day holiday. We wish you a fun and relaxing weekend to kick off the summer season!

Photos from OLLI - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville's post

05/15/2026

We love it when we get new furniture. Today we retired our old tablet chairs that have served us well for many years and brought in new ones. We think you'll like them!

05/14/2026

OLLI is proud to partner with these local and national organizations that offer high quality year-round programming for OLLI members and the community. Programs include guest speakers, panel discussions, concerts, tours and films on topics such as art, music, nature, conservation, politics, world affairs, theater, history, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), literature, aging, caregiving, death, dying and more. We are grateful to all of them for their contributions!

Alzheimer's Association - Western Carolina Chapter
Asheville Art Museum
Asheville Museum of History
Asheville Senior Chorus
Asheville Symphony Orchestra
Astronomy Club of Asheville
The Autumn Players/Readers Theatre Showcase
Blue Ridge Audubon
Blue Ridge Naturalist Network
Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association
Common Word Community Read (offered by UNC Asheville)
Council on Aging of Buncombe County
Death Café
OLLI Authors (offered by OLLI at UNC Asheville)
Osher Online
Science Book Club
STEAM Lecture Series (offered by OLLI at UNC Asheville)
WNC Sierra Club
World Affairs Council - WNC Chapter

Most programs are free, but a few require pre-registration and/or a ticket. And all are welcome to attend these programs, which take place here at the Reuter Center, online and within the community. At any time of year, check out our online calendar and see what is coming up next! https://go.unca.edu/olliasheville/calendar/

05/12/2026

Fill your Friday afternoon with art! Join Asheville Art Museum associate curator Robin Klaus at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 15 in-person or online via Zoom for an in-depth exploration of the artists and artworks in the exhibition "In a New Light: American Impressionism, 1870-1940." Learn more at https://go.unca.edu/olliasheville/calendar/

04/27/2026

The summer 2026 catalog is here! A range of weekly courses are being offered in College for Seniors, as well as some fun weeklong courses. Lottery registration for College for Seniors opens next Monday, May 4 at 10 a.m. View the full catalog here: https://go.unca.edu/olliasheville/calendar/

04/16/2026

Longtime College for Seniors instructor Martha Branden has a knack for coming up with creative ideas for courses in the visual arts. This term it's "Introduction to Book Art," wherein participants employ paper-folding techniques on old books to create articles of beauty.

04/14/2026

Patriots are in building! Wait ... it's Craig Isaacson and Garry Linton in costume as they teach the College for Seniors course "The American Revolution: Overlooked Histories." We can't wait to see what roles they assume next week!

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Location

Asheville

Contact the school

Click here to send a message to the school

Telephone

+18282516140

Website

https://olliasheville.unca.edu/

Address

Reuter Center At UNC Asheville, 300 Campus View Road
Asheville, NC
28804

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm