OLLI RU at Rutgers University

10/03/2026

Celebrate Family History Month this October by exploring the fascinating world of genealogy. Whether you're just beginning your family history journey or looking for new ways to expand your research, this introductory lecture will provide the tools and guidance needed to uncover your past and preserve your family's legacy.

Join genealogy enthusiast Patricia Brady as she introduces the fundamentals of genealogical research and explores the many resources available to family historians, including U.S. census records, military records, and other valuable historical documents. Learn practical strategies for getting started, organizing your findings, and making sense of the information you uncover.

Details are here: https://livingston.librarycalendar.com/event/genealogy-101-discover-your-story-39157

Through real-life examples, helpful tips, and proven research techniques, participants will gain a better understanding of how to trace ancestors, uncover family stories, and connect with the people and events that shaped their family history. After all, every person has a story, and every family has a history waiting to be discovered.

Patricia Brady is a retired psychologist and genealogy enthusiast with more than 50 years of experience researching family histories and helping others explore their roots. Her engaging presentation will inspire attendees to discover their ancestors, preserve their heritage, and pass their stories on to future generations.

This program is being presented in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Rutgers University, which provides continuing education to individuals over 50, who are looking for an opportunity to expand their horizons, learn in an engaging environment, and meet new friends. OLLI-Rutgers offers in-person and Zoom noncredit education that is stimulating, friendly, and informal (no tests or grades).

This lecture is a part of the program-A Taste of OLLI , 1-hour presentations offered to libraries, senior centers and other organizations that allow participants to experience a bit of an OLLI class.

09/28/2026

An Introduction to Family History Research, presented by Patricia Brady

Genealogy, the research into a family history, is one of the fastest growing and most enjoyed hobbies in the United States. Every person has a story and all families have secrets. Researching our ancestors’ stories and secrets is interesting and exciting. In this presentation, we will look at the types of records available for research, and I will share suggestions on how to approach that research. Tips and tricks for understanding what you find as well as examples from actual research will be provided.

Friday, October 9, 2026 from 2 - 3 PM
This event is free. You can find it at Livingston Public Library
Address: 10 Robert H Harp Dr, Livingston, NJ 07039

The presenter Patricia Brady is a retired psychologist who has been a genealogy enthusiast for over 50 years. She enjoys helping people add to their family histories and stories through genealogical research.

09/20/2026

Celebrating 250 years of the Declaration of Independence, presented by Lou Ruprecht

On this the 250th anniversary of our founding document, it’s a great time to look at the historical and philosophical influences that produced this remarkable political statement. In this presentation, we’ll look at its iconic words, but also at what those words have meant to succeeding generations. We will also ask whether July 4, 1776 is really our nation’s birthday.

Lou Ruprecht has been a practicing lawyer for over 60 years and presently is the senior partner of a trial firm in Westfield, NJ. He was an adjunct law professor for many years and continues to lecture at continuing legal education meetings. He has tried hundreds of jury cases, civil and criminal, and has argued appeals in every level of state and federal courts.

Register for the lecture at: https://www.metuchenlibrary.org/event-calendar/olli-rutgers-celebrating-250-years-of-the-declaration-of-independence/

09/20/2026

Celebrating 250 years of the Declaration of Independence, presented by Lou Ruprecht.

On this the 250th anniversary of our founding document, it’s a great time to look at the historical and philosophical influences that produced this remarkable political statement. In this presentation, we’ll look at its iconic words, but also at what those words have meant to succeeding generations. We will also ask whether July 4, 1776 is really our nation’s birthday.

Lou Ruprecht has been a practicing lawyer for over 60 years and presently is the senior partner of a trial firm in Westfield, NJ. He was an adjunct law professor for many years and continues to lecture at continuing legal education meetings. He has tried hundreds of jury cases, civil and criminal, and has argued appeals in every level of state and federal courts.

Register for the lecture at: https://www.metuchenlibrary.org/event-calendar/olli-rutgers-celebrating-250-years-of-the-declaration-of-independence/

09/05/2026

Experience Rutgers Osher Lifelong Learning at the Metuchen Public Library with a free one hour presentation of “Justice in the Hands of Poe” by Maureen McVeigh-Berzok. You will engage with Edgar Allan Poe’s language and unrelenting sense of justice in The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Fall of the House of Usher, four masterpieces of mystery and horror by the master of the macabre.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
This event is free. Please register at https://www.metuchenlibrary.org/event-calendar/olli-rutgers-justice-in-the-hands-of-poe/

Presenter Maureen McVeigh-Berzok loves words. She has spent 47 years connecting great stories with students on a Native American reservation in Oklahoma, to tenth graders in a New Jersey high school, as part of a program for teen runaways in New York, as a K-12 Literary Supervisor, as a college professor of English Composition, and as a newspaper editor.

09/01/2026

Step into the shadowy world of classic Hollywood crime cinema in this engaging course exploring the origins and evolution of the film detective. Focusing on the 1930s and 1940s—the formative years of film noir and detective storytelling on film—this course examines the iconic sleuths, gripping narratives, and stylistic innovations that define the genre.

Registration: https://ce-catalog.rutgers.edu/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=98117

Thursdays: 9/10/2026 - 11/12/2026 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Location Rutgers Lifelong Learning Center
3 Rutgers Plaza
New Brunswick , NJ 08901

Instructor Jerry Wichinsky is a lifelong cinephile, with a specialty in American Western Film, a passion he would love to share with others. He is also a veteran cabaret performer in NYC, NJ and PA.

More Details are available here: https://olliru.rutgers.edu/

08/31/2026

This talk, in recognition of Constitution Day, provides a brief introduction to the study of the U.S. Constitution, highlighting its history and structure, reviewing several landmark Supreme Court cases interpreting the text, and exploring some of the fundamental rights embedded in this remarkable document.

Speaker Lou Ruprecht has been a practicing lawyer for over 60 years and presently is the senior partner of a trial firm in Westfield, NJ.

Find More Details Here: https://livingston.librarycalendar.com/event/understanding-us-constitution-38480

08/21/2026

What makes an action morally right—or wrong?

This fall at OLLI-Rutgers, take a thought-provoking look at some of today’s most challenging ethical questions, including war, capital punishment, euthanasia, abortion, self-defense, and more.

No philosophy background needed—just curiosity and a willingness to think, question, and discuss

Course: Contemporary Moral Issues I
Registration: https://ce-catalog.rutgers.edu/courseDisplay.cfm?schID=98077

Wednesday 10:30 AM - Noon: September 9 to November 11
Location: Online, ZOOM

Instructor Alison Brown taught philosophy at Union County College for 25 years. She is involved in making philosophy’s value, methods, and areas of focus accessible and translatable to our everyday lives. She is honored to be the recipient of the Marlene M. Pomper Teaching Award.

08/11/2026

Have you ever doubted yourself? Have you ever thought that your decision wasn’t quite the best one? Yeah, Shirley Jackson knows you. As the days get shorter and the nights get chillier, let’s read some new stories together that show us the “dark fiction” centered on America’s ambiguous fear of the unknown and the horror that
may happen when you break the rules. We will read Jackson’s
“The Lottery;”
“Louisa, Please Come Home;”
“The Possibility of Evil;”
“The Daemon Lover;”
and the story that Stephen King called “the scariest story ever written,” “The Summer People.”

Make good choices. We will also create some original art based on what we’ve read.

Registration: https://olliru.rutgers.edu/
Date and Time: Tuesdays, Sept. 8 – Oct. 6 (1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m)

Location: in-person in New Brunswick at the Lifelong Learning Center

Instructor: Maureen McVeigh-Berzok

Fall Preview at the Lifelong Learning Center on August 12!Hear about upcoming courses, meet fellow students and register on-site!Details coming soon...

07/27/2026

Click here to register for the FREE preview of OLLI-Rutgers fall courses https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/uxqtdfe?source_id=e5de32ec-f5ca-47f4-97e7-60752ffdf869&source_type=em&c=6GOoKL-ipTXbWEvKZ4NeiEuQY1tcLH0FnXVZFvjBEI64oCj701yJgw==