OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
olli.uconn.edu | osher@uconn.edu | 475-222-6261
99 East Main Street, Waterbury, Connecticut 06702

ARTICLE I
NAME OF ORGANIZATION
The name of this organization shall be Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University
of Connecticut (UConn).

ARTICLE II
PURPOSE

OLLI is a membership-driven educational organization designed:
A. To provide learning opportunities and activities for its members through non-credit courses, lectures, and other activities.
B. To encourage leadership among its members and to encourage the members to share their knowledge and expertise.
C. To create opportunities for meaningful interaction inside and outside the classroom.

ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be generally open to anyone fifty years of age or older who, upon payment of established fees, is eligible to participate in all OLLI activities. Membership is subject to revocation if member violates the UConn Student Code of Conduct: https://olli.uconn.edu/student-code-of-conduct/

ARTICLE IV
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

A. Definition: The Leadership Council is the principal advisory representative body of the OLLI membership and shall operate under these guidelines as adopted by the Leadership Council and approved by the OLLI Director and UConn Waterbury Administration. The OLLI Director leads the organization and serves as the administrative liaison to UConn concerning legal, financial and policy related issues. All decisions of the Leadership Council must be in compliance with the policies of the campus and the University and must be approved by the OLLI Director. The LeadershipCouncil has no financial or liability responsibilities.
B. The Leadership Council shall comply with policy decisions of the UConn Administration.
C. Roles and Responsibilities: The Leadership Council shall fulfill these roles and responsibilities under the direction of OLLI’s administration and that of the UConn Waterbury campus.

1. To develop, revise, and monitor implementation of the current and future plans of OLLI.
2. To assess OLLI’s policies and procedures.
3. To ensure that OLLI’s courses and events reflect members’ interests.
4. To establish and maintain the standing and ad hoc committees of OLLI.
5. To approve policies and procedures of all standing and ad hoc committees.
6. To approve the establishment of clubs and other organized activities.
C. Leadership Council Membership:
1. The officers of OLLI and of the Leadership Council shall be one and the same.
2. The number of Leadership Council members shall be no fewer than fifteen.
3. The members of the Leadership Council shall be the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Immediate Past President, Chairpersons (Chairs) and Vice-chairpersons (Vice-Chairs) or their designee from each standing committee, up to three UConn Faculty Liaisons, and no fewer than four Members-at-Large. The OLLI Director, staff and UConn Faculty Liaisons are ex-officio members.
4. Leadership Council members are required to attend all scheduled meetings. The chair of each committee is required to attend. If the chair cannot attend, and their committee has a Vicechair, the Vice-chair will attend in their place. Failure to attend three consecutive meetings without notice may result in a request from the presiding President for dismissal.
5. Any Council member wishing to resign shall provide written notification to the Leadership Council President and the Secretary. The President shall notify the OLLI Director. The Nominating Committee shall make its recommendation for a replacement.

ARTICLE V
OFFICERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS

Section 1. The officers of OLLI at UConn and its Leadership Council shall be the President, President-Elect, Vice President, Immediate Past President, and Secretary.

Section 2. The Executive Council of the Leadership Council shall be the President, Vice President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, and Secretary. The Executive Council shall meet regularly. The OLLI Director shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Council.

Section 3. Terms of office for each Leadership Council officer position and member-at-large shall be for two years with eligibility for a second consecutive term. Additional terms may be considered after an absence of one year.

Section 4. No later than the February Leadership Council meeting, the slate of officers and members-at-large shall be proposed to the Leadership Council by the Nominating Committee.

Section 5. These officers and members-at-large shall be endorsed for a two-year term by the majority vote of the members of the Leadership Council present at a Leadership Council meeting no later than the March meeting.

Section 6. Terms of office begin on June 1.

Section 7. Duties of Office:
A. President: The President shall:
1. Preside at and conduct all OLLI membership and Leadership Council meetings.
2. Serve, along with the OLLI Director, as an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
3. Maintain regular communication with the OLLI Director and staff, and committees.
4. Represent OLLI at external meetings and gatherings where representation is desired.
5. Serve as Immediate Past-President of the Leadership Council for two years after completion of the term as President.
B. Vice President: The Vice President shall:
1. Preside at all general meetings of the OLLI membership and Leadership Council in the absence of the President or when requested.
2. Serve as the representative of the OLLI President when requested.
3. Maintain regular communication with committee chairs and provide support as needed.
4. Develop and coordinate bi-annual training for Leadership Council.
5. In the absence of the Secretary, record accurate minutes of Executive Council meetings and ensure timely distribution.
6. In the absence of the Secretary, record accurate minutes at Leadership Council meetings, and ensure timely distribution.
C. President-Elect: The President-Elect shall:
1. In the absence of the President and Vice-President, preside at and conduct OLLI membership and Leadership Council meetings.
2. Serve, along with the President, as an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
3. Maintain regular communication with the OLLI Director and staff, and committees.
4. Represent OLLI at external meetings and gatherings where representation is desired.
5. Succeed the current President of the Leadership Council after completion of term as President-Elect. Should the President-Elect choose not to succeed the President, the VicePresident shall be given the choice to succeed the current President.
6. Assist President as required.
D. Immediate Past President: The Immediate Past President shall:
1. Serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee.
2. Appoint at least two Nominating Committee members.
3. Work with the President and the OLLI Director on existing and future projects to ensure a smooth transition in leadership from one term to the next.
4. Attend all Leadership Council meetings.
E. Secretary. The Secretary shall:
1. Prepare and distribute the monthly Leadership Council meeting agenda in conjunction with the OLLI President.
2. Take and record accurate minutes of the meetings of the Leadership Council, Executive Council, and general meetings of the OLLI membership.
3. Maintain the list and contact information of committee chairs, vice chairs, committee members, and Leadership Council members for distribution to the Leadership Council and OLLI staff every June.
4. Report to the Leadership Council at the May meeting the term status of the executive officers and Members at Large so that the Nominating Committee shall know which offices need candidates for the next year.
5. Maintain a record of terms of appointments of Council Members.
F. Members-at-Large: The Members-at-Large shall:
1. Familiarize themselves with issues of interest or concern to OLLI members and represent the OLLI members.
2. Members-at-Large may be considered for future Leadership and committee positions.

Section 8. Any officer or member-at-large not performing the assigned duties of the position may be subject to removal from the Leadership Council.

ARTICLE VI
COMMITTEES

The Leadership Council shall authorize, establish and maintain the standing committees and ad hoc committees of OLLI. These committees shall include but are not limited to: Marketing and Community Outreach, Member / Travel Services, Nominating, Program Development, Publications, Special Interest Groups, Technical.
All committees shall appoint a chair. Each chair shall serve a two-year term, up to a maximum of three consecutive terms. Appointments shall be reported at the February Leadership Council meeting. Terms begin on June 1*. An outgoing chair may apply to be nominated as a MemberAt-Large. A report on committee activities shall be presented at each Leadership Council meeting. Committee chairs are required to submit a written annual report with recommendations for the next year prior to the May Leadership Council meeting. The Executive Council shall review reports and recommendations and report back to the Leadership Council at the June meeting.
*The initial term for any chair already in place prior to the approval of these Guidelines shall be June 1, 2026.
Committees shall meet monthly and maintain minutes. These minutes shall be submitted to the OLLI Secretary to maintain.
Committees shall provide the Secretary with an updated list of committee members each February and advise the Secretary of any changes throughout the year.
Committees shall follow the Committee Restructure plan approved by the Leadership Council in September of 2021.
Participation on any OLLI committee requires an active paid OLLI at UConn membership.
An OLLI member shall be eligible to chair and/or vice-chair only one committee at a time. (Exceptions may be made with majority vote approval by the Leadership Council.) It is recommended that each committee have no fewer than three members.
Should a chair of a committee resign during a term, the committee shall appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term and report the change to the Leadership Council.
A. Marketing and Community Outreach: Purpose is to plan, recommend and, in conjunction with OLLI staff, help coordinate/implement long- and short-term marketing, public relations, advertising and fundraising strategies that create OLLI awareness statewide, build membership and promote annual fundraising goals.
B. Member Services: Purpose is to provide hospitality at OLLI functions, welcome new members, and conduct the travel program.
C. Nominating: Purpose is to identify and recommend nominees for officers and members-atlarge positions and present slate to the Leadership Council.
D. Program Development: Purpose is to facilitate the advancement of curriculum at OLLI at UConn (including OLLI Café presentations) through review of current course offerings, identify topics of interests of OLLI members, recruit and support additional instructors, and research programs and presentations at other OLLI Institutes.
E. Special Interest Groups: Purpose is to identify and bring together members who have a common interest they wish to pursue. Members meet outside the normal class environment to discuss and enjoy their mutual interest while providing lifelong learning opportunities as well as social and community project experiences. Participation in any OLLI special interest group requires an active paid OLLI at UConn membership.
F. Technical: Purpose is to provide online / hybrid classroom technology support to instructors and members.

ARTICLE VII
MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

Section 1. An annual meeting of the membership shall be held each year.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President in consultation with the Executive Council.

ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS OF THE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Section 1. Meetings of the Leadership Council shall be called by the President monthly except in July and December. Special meetings may be called by the President and/or by written request of members of the Leadership Council.
Section 2. Sixty percent of the voting members of the Leadership Council shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum or in the event of an emergency, the President may consult with the OLLI Director, available officers and Council members and act on behalf of the Leadership Council. A written report of any action taken shall be sent to all Council members as soon as possible.
Section 3. Voting shall be by voice unless otherwise requested.
Section 4. Any OLLI member may attend a Leadership Council meeting as an observer only.

ARTICLE IX
NOMINATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

Section 1. If a member of the Nominating Committee wishes to be considered as a candidate for the position of President, President-Elect, Vice President or Secretary, that member must resign from the Committee. An Alternate shall be appointed by the OLLI President to fill the vacancy.
Section 2. Any OLLI member who wishes to be an officer or member-at-large of the Leadership Council shall submit a letter of request to any member of the Nominating Committee at any time.
Section 3. To promote continuity, nominations and appointments for different offices and positions shall take place on even and odd years.
♣ Even years:
• President
• President-Elect
♣ Odd years:
• Vice President
• Secretary
Section 6. The Nominating Committee shall propose a slate of officers to the OLLI Leadership Council no later than the last day of February.
Section 7. The slate of officers and members-at-large shall be endorsed by the Leadership Council prior to submission to the OLLI Director and UConn Waterbury Administration.
Section 8. The UConn Waterbury Administration shall provide the final approval of the slate of officers prior to the last Friday of the OLLI Spring Semester.
Section 9. The names of the new officers of the OLLI Leadership Council, and members of the Nominating committee, shall be published in the next OLLI weekly e-newsletter after their appointment.

ARTICLE X
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURES

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the organization in all cases to which they are applicable and are not inconsistent with these Guidelines and any special rules or order the organization may adopt.

ARTICLE XI

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

OLLI is subject to and protected by the University of Connecticut non-discrimination policy. The complete policy can be accessed here: Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Related Interpersonal Violence | University Policies

ARTICLE XII
AMENDMENT OF GUIDELINES

These Guidelines may be amended by an affirmative vote of sixty percent of the voting members of the Leadership Council and approval by the OLLI Director and UConn Waterbury Administration. These amended Guidelines were adopted on August 5, 2026, at a duly convened Leadership Council meeting of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Connecticut; Waterbury Campus; Waterbury, Connecticut.

Record of Previous Amendments to OLLI Guidelines: November 1, 2023.

OLLI AND UCONN ADMINISTRATION

These amended Guidelines were approved by OLLI and UConn Waterbury Campus administration on:
________________________August 6, 2026_______

 

OLLI at UConn Director:

Fiona de Merell

_________August 6, 2026________________________

 

UConn Waterbury Campus Dean & Chief Administrative Officer:

Dr. Fumiko Hoeft

_____August 6, 2026___