OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
This document applies to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois, which is a program of, and subject to the policies of, the University of Illinois, as well as being subject to the guidelines of the Bernard Osher Foundation.
Policies & Procedures
I. Name
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Illinois, at times referred to below by the acronym OLLI or as OLLI at Illinois.
II. Mission Statement
OLLI at Illinois is an inclusive community that offers affordable, accessible, high-quality educational programs designed for people fifty or older connected to East Central Illinois or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Members and staff plan, execute, and assess all programs with the goal of enriching members’ lives by heightening intellectual engagement and stimulating curiosity.
III. Organization & Affiliations
The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost (referred to below as Provost) will appoint a Director, who is the chief administrator of OLLI. The Director is a full-time employee of the university and is responsible to the Provost for ongoing operations and business management. OLLI will operate under an annual budget presented by the Director in consultation with the Advisory Council (referred to below as Council) and approved by the Office of the Provost prior to the start of each fiscal year. The Council, determined as set forth below, will advise the Director on policies, priorities, and the creation of committees. Individuals on the Council do not have authority to act on behalf of OLLI or the university in legal, financial, or personnel actions.
OLLI at Illinois is a grantee of the Bernard Osher Foundation with affiliation privileges of the national network of Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, including the services and resources of the National Resource Center for Osher Institutes.
IV. OLLI Administration
As chief administrator of OLLI at Illinois, the Director is responsible for the overall management of programmatic, financial, personnel, and managerial matters, and for ensuring that operations conform to university policies. The Director is also responsible to the Osher Foundation as the principal investigator of all grants and endowment gifts according to established guidelines and reporting procedures. The Director will be an ex officio member of the Council, all committees, and task forces and will oversee communication to staff, to members, and to the public through such avenues as the website, eNews, email messages, and semiannual course listings.
V. Membership
Membership is open to anyone fifty or older connected to East Central Illinois or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Upon payment of fees set by the Director in consultation with the Council, a member may participate in all OLLI activities. Annual membership runs from July 1 to the following June 30 (referred to below as year). Half-year memberships and scholarships are available.
Membership benefits and conditions are approved by the Council. Membership in OLLI does not confer any further University of Illinois student, staff, or faculty status.
Should the need arise, the Director, in consultation with the Council Chair, may decline or terminate the membership of an individual whose actions are inconsistent with or harmful to the best interests of OLLI at Illinois.
VI. Advisory Council
A. Scope
The Council is advisory and represents the members in its collaboration with the Director. As a constituent part of the University of Illinois, the Council has neither the administrative oversight nor the financial and liability responsibilities common to boards of incorporated entities. The Council’s authority rests solely upon the abiding commitment of OLLI at Illinois to involve its members in fulfilling its mission.
B. Role and Responsibilities
As a collaborative body the Council will work with the Director to oversee general operations, including but not limited to planning, fostering active participation and volunteer engagement, resolving issues, setting fees, raising funds, creating and dissolving committees, and budgeting.
C. Membership
The Council will not exceed thirteen members, all of whom must be current OLLI members. Council members will be recommended by the Nominating Committee to the membership at large at least ten working days prior to the annual meeting for approval at that meeting.
D. Terms of Service
Council members serve a term of two years, renewable for a second two-year term, not to exceed four consecutive years.
A former Council member may be nominated for a new term after two years have elapsed since the end of the earlier term. An outgoing Council Chair will be invited to serve for a year as Advisory Council Chair Emeritus/Emerita (ex officio, if this person has already served four years on the Council) immediately following completion of the term as Chair.
E. Vacancies
Council members must attend at least half of each year’s Council meetings. If a member does not do so or misses three consecutive regular meetings, the Chair may ask the Nominating Committee to recommend a replacement. Any Council vacancy arising midyear will be addressed by the Nominating Committee for the following year.
F. Meetings
The Council will meet a minimum of six times per year either in person or virtually. Having a majority of Council members present will constitute a quorum for conducting business at that meeting.
G. Officers
Council officers will consist of the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Each officer is elected to a one-year term by the members of the Advisory Council.
Chair: The Chair will preside over council meetings, conduct the annual meeting in consultation with the Director, appoint chairs of committees in consultation with the Director, serve as an ex officio member of all standing committees, and serve as an advisor to the Director and the Nominating Committee.
Vice Chair: The Vice Chair will assist the Chair and Director and preside over council meetings and conduct the annual meeting in the Chair’s absence. The Vice Chair may serve as an ex officio member of a standing committee in place of the Chair at the Chair’s discretion. The expectation is that the Vice Chair will become Chair the following year.
Secretary: The Secretary will record minutes of all Council and annual meetings. If neither Chair nor Vice Chair is available, the Secretary will preside over council meetings and conduct the annual meeting. [If none of the officers is present, a standing committee liaison (in alphabetical order by committee name) will preside.]
VII. Committees
In addition to the standing and special committees below, task forces and ad hoc committees may be convened by the Director in consultation with the Chair. Additional standing committees may be created, and existing committees may be dissolved, by the Council.
Chairs of committees will be appointed by the Council Chair and the Director. Committee chairs will serve a one-year term, with the possibility of renewal for a second year. No committee chair may serve more than two consecutive years in that role, with the exception of the eNews Committee chair.
Committee members, appointed by the OLLI Director in consultation with the Council Chair and the appropriate committee chair, will serve for up to three years. There are no term limits for the eNews Committee. The Director and the Council Chair (or Vice Chair, if so designated) will be ex officio members of all standing committees. No current member of the Council will chair a standing committee. A committee member may be invited to serve on a different committee when the member’s original term has expired or on the same committee one year after the original term has expired.
A Council member will be appointed by the Council Chair and OLLI Director to serve as Liaison for each standing committee. The Liaison will serve as an ex officio member of the committee for two years and will represent the Council and its policies at committee meetings. Liaisons will provide committee reports at Council meetings.
Committee meeting schedules will be determined at the start of the year by the Director, Council Chair, and each committee chair. Special meetings may be called as needed.
Standing Committees
A. Curriculum Committee
In partnership with the Director, the Curriculum Committee will develop a stimulating, well-balanced schedule of courses for fall and spring semesters. The Director has sole hiring authority for instructors.
B. Development Committee
The Director is the chief development officer of OLLI at Illinois. In accordance with university policies and procedures, the Development Committee works with the Director and Council to plan and implement fundraising to help meet OLLI’s financial goals. Members may not approach individuals or agencies on behalf of OLLI without prior approval from the Director.
C. eNews Committee
The eNews Committee works with the Director to create and distribute an electronic newsletter for members and others on the OLLI at Illinois mailing list.
D. Marketing Committee
The Marketing Committee works with OLLI staff to promote OLLI to the broader community, recruit new members, and establish community partners. The committee will help design and distribute marketing materials, assist with social media posts, maintain a list of local media outlets, and maintain data on marketing efforts.
E. Lecture Committee
The Lecture Committee assists the OLLI Director in developing a stimulating, well-balanced schedule of lectures throughout the membership year.
F. Membership Committee
The Membership Committee assists in the orientation and retention of OLLI members. The committee also assists OLLI staff with the annual meeting, day trips, local tours, and special events throughout the year.
G. Study Group Committee
The Study Group Committee works with OLLI staff to develop a schedule of peer-led discussion groups on a wide variety of topics. Committee members should have experience as study group facilitators prior to joining the committee and are encouraged to serve as facilitators while on the committee.
Special Committees
A. Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee identifies, invites, and recommends members and officers of the Council for approval at the annual meeting. The slate will consist of as many nominees as there are positions to be filled for the coming year. This committee, appointed in March by the Director, will have four members, one of whom will chair. One of the members will be a Council member named by the Director in consultation with the Council Chair.
B. Council of Chairs
The Director and the Council Chair will convene all past chairs of the Advisory Council (and its predecessor body) as needed, but at least annually, to benefit from their institutional memory and collective wisdom.
VIII. Annual Meeting
There will be an annual meeting each June open to all OLLI members. At the meeting the Director and Committee Chairs will present an overview of the year’s activities. Following these brief reports, the Nominating Committee Chair (or designee) will present a slate of candidates for the Advisory Council for approval by a majority of the members in attendance.
IX. Conflicts of Interest
Although the University of Illinois System Policy on Conflicts of Commitment and Interest applies to paid staff members, both OLLI staff and volunteer leaders will adhere to this policy in all dealings, such as helping to choose vendors, influencing purchases, and establishing business affiliations. Any OLLI member is expected to disclose potential conflicts of interest and/or to recuse her- or himself from decisions that might benefit the member financially.
X. Parliamentary Authority
The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised and any subsequent Official Interpretations from its authorship team will govern the conduct of business at OLLI in all cases in which they are applicable when they are not in conflict with this document or with university statutes.
XI. Amendment and Revision
Amendments to these policies and procedures must be proposed at one Council meeting and not voted upon until the next meeting, with notice sent to all Council members of the proposed changes and the date, place, and time of the meeting at which a vote will be held.
At least every two years the Council, in consultation with the Director, will examine these policies and procedures and propose any desired revisions.
Revised and approved by the OLLI Board of Directors on May 19, 2022, this document went into effect on July 1, 2022, transforming the Board of Directors into the Advisory Council.