The National Resource Center (NRC) for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes is administered by the School of Professional Studies on the downtown Chicago campus of Northwestern University. The NRC serves as the convening center for the network of 124 independent Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLIs) on university or college campuses throughout all 50 states.
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. The NRC fulfills its mission through a variety of projects and services, such as planning national conferences; producing webinars and trainings for OLLI staff and volunteers; conducting research on lifelong learning and purposeful aging; and highlighting OLLI successes through social media, a monthly newsletter, and this website.
The NRC is not a governance body, but is a center for excellence and dissemination of information on effective educational programming for older adult lifelong learners. Furthermore, the NRC exists to facilitate the exchange of opinions, solutions and experiences among institutes throughout the country so that all can benefit.
The Bernard Osher Foundation designated and funded Northwestern University as the host of the National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes in October 2014. The NRC was previously located at the University of Southern Maine from 2004 until 2014.