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THIS WEEK
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Brown Bag Lunch Week! Monday, October 26–Thursday, October 29 (No registration required)
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2026 OLLI National Membership Survey closes this week — All OLLI NU members are encouraged to participate!
UPCOMING OLLI EVENTS
OLLI NEWS
OTHER INFORMATION
Scroll down to learn more. All times are CT.
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OLLI staff work remotely on Fridays throughout the Fall term.
To reach the OLLI staff please email: olli@northwestern.edu
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This Week is Brown Bag Lunch Week!
BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch)
October 26, 27, 28, 29
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Dear members of OLLI at Northwestern University,
Periodically we take a demographic snapshot of the OLLI community at programs across the country and OLLI at Northwestern University has been selected to participate.
The information we gather in this survey will help the local and national OLLI administration understand who attends our programs and will help with future planning.
You are invited to take the survey because you have attended programs or events at your local OLLI. Participation is entirely voluntary. You will not be compensated for participation in this survey if you elect to participate.
This online survey has 29 questions. It will take you about 10 minutes to complete. Your participation is anonymous since we are not asking for names or any identifying information. We do ask that you try to answer all questions, especially those related to demographics, as they are important variables in data analysis.
The person in charge of this research study is Steve Thaxton, the Executive Director of the Osher National Resource Center at Northwestern University. If you have questions about this survey, you may contact Steve at 312-503-4049 or steve.thaxton@northwestern.edu.
The link to the survey is:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NorthwesternUniversity2026
We appreciate your time and contribution,
Emily Ferrin, OLLI NU Director
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Free Speaker Event for OLLI Members
Recent Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease
Date: Friday, November 6
Time: 12:00pm–1:00pm
Location: Online Zoom Webinar
The zoom link will be emailed to all registrants the day before the event.
Speakers: Northwestern University’s Dr. David Gate and Dr.Stephanie Eisenbarth
We are living through a pivotal moment in brain science. In recent years, researchers have uncovered surprising links between the immune system and Alzheimer’s disease, changing how we think about its causes and how we might one day treat it. What do these discoveries mean for the millions of families affected? How close are we to new therapies? And what can we do now to protect our brain health?
Dr. David Gate of Northwestern University will share findings from his research on Alzheimer’s disease and explain what they could mean for patients and families. Dr. Stephanie Eisenbarth will introduce Northwestern’s new Center for Human Immunobiology and describe how its work may shape the future of medicine.
Come with your questions!
SPONSORED BY THE OLLI ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE
| This event is free and open to all current OLLI members. Registration is required by noon the day before the event through the OLLI Augusoft registration system. The Zoom link will be emailed to all registrants the day before the event. | | | |
Osher Online Community Event
Grandfamilies: Rising to the Challenge of Raising Another Generation with Hope and Heart
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Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Time: 4:00pm–5:30pm
Location: Online Zoom Webinar
Speaker: Donna Butts
Today, 2.5 million children live in grandfamilies, or families headed by grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, or close family friends. A recent report by Generations United found that grandfamilies save taxpayers more than $10 billion each year by keeping children out of foster care. In her new book, Grandfamilies: Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raise Them, Donna Butts explores the unique challenges, resilience, and successes of grandfamilies through the stories of the caregivers and the children they raise. This session will use these stories to highlight how public policy and perceptions of grandfamilies and kinship care have changed over the past 30 years, and what more is needed to help these families thrive.
Speaker Donna Butts is an award-winning nonprofit executive, author, and nationally recognized advocate for intergenerational solutions that benefit children, youth, older adults, and families. For more than twenty-seven years, Donna served as Executive Director of Generations United, a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities and families through intergenerational policy and practice. In this role, she elevated the needs of grandfamilies and advanced policies supporting families across generations. Her leadership helped shape national conversations and paved the way for critical legislation and resources for relative caregivers.
| | Osher Online Community Events are sponsored by the Osher National Resource Center; events are free and open to all current OLLI members. | | | |
Families and Politics Workshop
OLLI Members and Their Guests Are Welcome
Date: Friday, November 13⋅
Time: 9:45am–12:45pm
Location: Chicago Wieboldt Hall, 339 E Chicago Avenue, Room 517
Facilitated by: Maryanne Colter, Illinois State Chair for Braver Angels
The holidays are coming up, and toxic political polarization can make some family gatherings stressful and difficult to navigate. For years, politics has been straining and breaking relationships. Our Families and Politics Workshop will teach you how to preserve family bonds while also staying true to your own political beliefs. We will use fun, engaging, interactive exercises to practice effective communication skills with difficult family members. Our goals are to understand why family differences over politics can be uniquely challenging and provide some strategies and skills for handling political differences in a constructive way.
Guests and family members are welcome to attend. Even if your own family is a dream, these skills will help you navigate any contentious gathering. Our Workshop facilitator is Maryanne Colter, Illinois State Chair for Braver Angels, a national organization working to bridge political divides and fight polarization. Maryanne is also a media personality and appears on the WTTW series Firsthand Democracy. You can see Maryanne in action in this 22-minute WTTW segment here.
SPONSORED BY THE OLLI CHICAGO COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE
| This event is free and open to all current OLLI members and their guests. Registration is required through the OLLI Augusoft registration system. OLLI members may register themselves and their guests through Augusoft. | | | |
Not Sure How to Proceed with Your Spring or Summer 2027 Study Group Idea?
From an Idea to a Proposal Workshop
Date: Friday, November 13
Time: 9:00am–12:00pm
Location: Chicago Wieboldt Hall, 339 E. Chicago Ave., Room 402
Do you have an idea for a study group but are not sure how to proceed? This workshop is designed as a hands-on experience on how to turn an idea into a proposal and a successful study group. This workshop is for:
- Members who have an idea for a study group, but are not sure what to do next.
- Those who have co-coordinated but did not participate in all aspects of planning, therefore have questions about offering their own study group and submitting a proposal.
We will assist you to write and then refine your study group description, complete the proposal form, and construct your syllabus. We will also briefly explore how to identify engaging resources.
There is no text for this workshop, but participants are expected to bring an idea that they would like to develop. Participants should come to the workshop with their study group idea and book (or other course material you plan to use), as well as a preliminary written description of the idea. We will look at each person’s idea, then as a group we will discuss and offer constructive suggestions to help refine that idea. Next, we’ll work through the process of transferring the ideas into the proposal software system. We’ll also discuss ideas for finding a co-coordinator for your study group if you don't have one, as each fall and spring study group is expected to have two coordinators. We’ll also briefly discuss developing the syllabus for your study group. Our goal is for participants to end the workshop with a fully developed study group proposal ready to submit for fall term.
This workshop will not cover how to use Augusoft and MyOLLI as a coordinator, nor coordinator responsibilities and classroom management techniques. Those topics are discussed in the New Coordinator Orientation workshop which is required for all new coordinators prior to the beginning of each term.
SPONSORED BY THE OLLI CHICAGO STUDY GROUP COMMITTEE
| This event is free and open to all current OLLI members. Registration is required by noon the day before the event through the OLLI Augusoft registration system. | | | |
Save the Dates!
OLLI Holliday Party Luncheons
Chicago
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Date: Friday, December 4
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Time: 11:30am–1:30pm LUNCH – New this year
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Location: Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse (at Dearborn & Kinzie), Chicago
Details to come.
Evanston
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Date: Friday, December 11
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Time: Noon–2:00pm
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Location: 500 Davis Street, 7th floor, Evanston
Details to come.
SPONSORED BY THE OLLI MEMBERSHIP ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE
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Calling All Tech Savvy OLLI Members
The OLLI Technology Committee Needs You!
Are you tech savvy? If so, the Technology Committee is interested in hearing from you.Click here for more information.
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Do you have OLLI news?
If you have OLLI news to share, send us your news and photos to be considered for inclusion in an upcoming OLLI newsletter (notate OLLI Newsletter in the subject line): olli@northwestern.edu
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Northwestern University Speech, Language, and Learning Program (NUCASLL)
FREE Healthy Hearing Event
Date: Friday, November 13
Time: Call for Appointment
Location: Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning — 2315 Campus Drive, Evanston
Let the doctors of audiology at Northwestern University help you take charge of your hearing health.
- Receive a Free Hearing, Cognition, and Balance Screening
- Speak to an Audiologist
- Demo Hearing Devices
More information on the Healthy Hearing Event flyer.
Appointments are limited. Call now to secure your spot:
847-491-3165
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Travel Opportunities
Through OLLI NU Partnership with OLLI ASU
The OLLI NU travel partnership with OLLI at Arizona State University offers our members a unique opportunity to deepen friendships, expand horizons, and learn in new settings beyond the classroom. Whether exploring cultural treasures, natural landscapes, or intellectually inspiring destinations, each trip is thoughtfully curated to combine expert-led learning with rich social experiences. You’ll traverse new terrain with people who share your curiosity and enthusiasm. You will create lifelong memories, sparking fresh ideas, and coming home with renewed energy for community and lifelong learning.
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Just Added! OLLI Corps New Zealand OLLI at ASU in collaboration with AUIP Study Abroad Program
- December 4–17, 2027
- Information meeting: November 9, 3:00pm–4:00pm MST (4:00pm CT). Register here.
- Click here for full itinerary.
- A rich blend of cultural discovery, service learning, and scenic exploration across Auckland, Rotorua, Napier, and Wellington.
- Note: All the trip coordination and payments will be handled directly by AUIP. You must provide proof of a current OLLI Membership to make a deposit and reserve a spot for the trip.
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Food & Landscapes of Ireland with ASU Faculty Kathleen Dixon
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OLLI's South Africa Expedition
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Madrid, the Camino & the Portuguese Coast with ASU Professor Dr. Eduardo Pagàn
| Questions? Email Tracy Grewe at Arizona State University: tmgrewe@asu.edu | |
Invitation to Travel with OLLI at Southern Oregon University
OLLI at Southern Oregon University has organized three trips in 2027 with Premier World Discovery (PWD) travel company. and is inviting fellow OLLI members from other regions of the USA to join.
ONLINE BOOKING OPTION: Save time, postage, and secure your seat for this group departure. Simply type https://res.premierworlddiscovery.com/ into your web browser and use the Booking Number (Web Code) to make your deposit online in just a few minutes. No need to submit a Reservation Form if booking online.
Burgundy & Provence French River Cruise
Mackinac Island, The Grand Hotel & Niagara Falls
Treasures of Ireland
| | Explore a Bold New Wirtz Season Across Evanston and Chicago | | | | |
The 2026-27 Wirtz Center season invites audiences to experience stories that spark imagination, challenge perspectives, and celebrate the power of human connection. Highlights include the Tony Award-winning Matilda the Musical, the charming romantic musical comedy She Loves Me, and a fresh contemporary take on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. In Chicago, groundbreaking productions such as Takes All Kinds: Stories of American Democracy, 73 Seconds, 2021, and Slutbot push the boundaries of storytelling through innovative explorations of civic life, memory, technology, and identity.
Ready to see what’s next? Explore the newly refreshed Wirtz Center website and discover the full season of performances, venues, and events. Experience the energy of two campuses, one creative engine, where students, faculty, and professional artists come together to take creative risks, ignite meaningful conversations, and bring bold new work to life.
Visit wirtz.northwestern.edu to explore the season, learn more about each production, and reserve your seats today.
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Northwestern Library holds over 8 million items making it the 11th largest private university library.
Need help finding resources for your study group, or have other library-related questions?
Email Tracy Coyne: tracy-coyne@northwestern.edu
OLLI Research Guide
| | National Resource Center for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (NRC) |
The mission of the National Resource Center is to help OLLIs thrive by connecting OLLIs to each other and to resources, collaborating with OLLIs and partner organizations, consulting with OLLI leaders to find solutions, and celebrating the camaraderie and growth of OLLIs and their members. Members can subscribe to their monthly newsletter to find out what is happening at OLLIs across the country.
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Chicago Office:
339 East Chicago Avenue
Wieboldt Hall, Room 412
Chicago, IL 60611
312-503-7881
M-F 9:00am–3:30pm
olli@northwestern.edu
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Evanston Office:
500 Davis Street
Suite 700
Evanston, IL 60201
847-467-1523
M-F 9:00am–3:30pm
olli@northwestern.edu
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