Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Francisco State University

02/01/2026

Travel with OLLI! We have teamed up for trips with Road Scholar and Overseas Adventure Travel. Civil Rights tour with Road Scholar, May 3-10 and Vietnam with OAT, Oct. 30 - Nov. 10. Commitments needed soon! Let us know if you want more info. [email protected]

12/02/2025

🌟 Today is !

OLLI at SF State is proud to join this global celebration of generosity. If OLLI has brought learning, community, or joy into your life, we invite you to give back today.

Your support helps us keep classes affordable, expand our outreach, and prepare for the exciting move to our new OLLI Center on the SF State campus next July. Research shows that adults 50+ who engage in lifelong learning live healthier, longer, and more rewarding lives—and your gift helps make that possible for everyone.

Please consider making a tax-deductible Giving Tuesday donation to OLLI.

Donate Now: https://olli.sfsu.edu/index.php/support

Thank you for helping us build OLLI’s future—together.

Donate - General Operating Fund, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Donate - Fee Assistance Fund, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Give the gift of learning — donate to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, San Francisco State Like other Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes nationwide, our OLLI at ...

11/29/2025

📚 We’re counting down to !

OLLI continues to grow its engaging educational offerings and the welcoming community that keeps lifelong learners active, curious, and connected. As we prepare for our move to the SF State campus next July, your support is more important than ever.

Every gift—large or small—helps us keep classes affordable, support staffing and innovation, and ensure a smooth transition to our new OLLI Center.

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to support OLLI’s next chapter.

Donate Now: https://olli.sfsu.edu/support

We look forward to having you join us!

Donate - General Operating Fund, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Donate - Fee Assistance Fund, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Give the gift of learning — donate to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, San Francisco State Like other Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes nationwide, our OLLI at ...

11/26/2025

🎉 is almost here!

It’s always the right time to come together and support the greater good—and that’s exactly what is all about. This year, OLLI is preparing for an exciting new chapter as we get ready to move to the SF State campus and open our first-ever dedicated OLLI Center next July.

With your help, we can keep OLLI thriving and accessible for all lifelong learners age 50+. Your Giving Tuesday support helps us provide fee assistance, expand outreach, and strengthen the vibrant OLLI community we all value.

Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to OLLI at SF State.

Donate Now: https://olli.sfsu.edu/support

We look forward to having you join us!

Donate - General Operating Fund, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Donate - Fee Assistance Fund, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Give the gift of learning — donate to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, San Francisco State Like other Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes nationwide, our OLLI at ...

09/26/2025

Learn more about the Declaration of Independence, or AI's impact on art, or learn to write sketch comedy or...! OLLI Fall classes start October 6th. https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/course/course.aspx?catId=138

08/22/2025

Check out our September Mini Courses that start September 2 and Fall Courses which begin in early October. We have some Zoom classes, and some in-person at 160 Spear at the SF State Downtown Campus San Francisco.

07/25/2025

OLLI SF Film Screening!
Singing for Justice

On Friday, August 15, 12:30 - 2:30, The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State (OLLI) will host a screening of the one-hour documentary Singing for Justice! Co-director Estelle Freedman will be present, joined remotely by co-director Christie Herring. After the Q&A Freedman will lead an audience singalong. The screening is $5 and open to all.

Location: August Coppola Theater in the Fine Arts Building at SF State on Holloway Ave. Here is a map of campus: https://maps.sfsu.edu/

Register Here: https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/course/course.aspx?catId=139

The film tells the story of Faith Petric, a San Francisco-based political radical, community organizer, and charismatic performer who united folk music and progressive causes from the 1930s through the early 2000s. She embraced life-long creativity, reinventing herself as an travelling folk singer after retirement. Narrated largely by Faith herself, the film weaves her musical and political journeys to showcase the central role of folk music in the transformational social movements of the 20th century.

More than a decade in the making, Singing for Justice launched nationally on PBS in March 2025. The film had its world premiere in October 2024 at the United Nations Association Film Festival. Since then, the film has been recognized by film festivals including the Montreal Women's Film Festival, Toronto International Women's Film Festival, WRPN Women's International Film Festival, TO.GET.HER, and FLOW Film Festival and Film Market. Singing for Justice was awarded Best Editor by LA Independent Women Film Awards and Runner Up Best Documentary by B!tchFest Film Festival & Screenplay Contest.

Estelle Freedman is Robinson Professor Emerit in U.S. history at Stanford University. Christie Herring is an award-winning film-maker based in Brooklyn, NY.

06/26/2025

OLLI SF has several trips planned. Here is one for next year:
Have you always wanted to visit the landmarks of the Civil Rights movement? We are partnering with Road Scholar to send a group on a special tour in May 2026. Please see below and contact [email protected], or [email protected], our contact at Road Scholar.

Note that you are interested in the OLLI SF trip.

The Civil Rights Movement: Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham May 3 - 10, 2026

An Exclusive Learning Adventure for OLLI Members at San Francisco State University Program # 22657 with Road Scholar

Program Overview:
-Journey south into the heart of the civil rights movement to gain a deeper understanding of the historic and continued struggle for racial equality in the United States.
-Follow in the footsteps of the venerable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legendary marches, and hear the moving story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott.
-Walk across the Selma Bridge with an activist who took part in the peaceful protest that devolved into unforgivable violence known as “Bloody Sunday.”
-Pay homage at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church as you learn the story of the victims of the 1963 K*K bombing. Study how these catalysts ignited a movement that would define this pivotal moment in American history.

Program Highlights:
• Commemorate the central figures of civil rights on field trips to the Rosa Parks Museum, Georgia State Capitol and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
• Follow the path of heroic marches through Atlanta and Birmingham and from Selma to Montgomery, now a National Historic Trail.
• Learn from an activist who was a witness and participant in some of America’s most significant civil rights battles.
To learn more or reserve your spot, please contact Frania Monarski at Road Scholar – [email protected]
Space is limited to 24 OLLI Members

A $100 deposit will hold your spot - final payment is due by March 5, 2026.

03/22/2025

Ever heard of Howard Hawks? He is the director of films like Scarface (1932) and The Big Sleep (1946). OLLI SF offers a 6 week course on Hawks starting April 18. Check it out, and all other Spring Courses. https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/course/course.aspx?catId=117

02/27/2025

Our Spring session runs April 14 - 23 with 6-week daytime classes at our downtown campus on Spear Street (close to Embarcadero BART and Muni station, transbay terminal and many buses) and other classes on Zoom. Also our shorter Mini Courses are March 17 - 21 with one Ellis Island Course beginning March 12. Check us out at the link. https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/category/category.aspx

02/21/2025

Have you always wanted to visit the landmarks of the Civil Rights movement? We are partnering with Road Scholar to send a group on a special tour in May 2026. Please see below and contact OLLI, or Frania Monarski, our contact at Road Scholar.

Note that you are interested in the OLLI SF trip.

Note that this trip is next year - 2026, but interest is supposed to be conveyed by the end of March this year.

The Civil Rights Movement: Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham May 3 - 10, 2026

An Exclusive Learning Adventure for OLLI Members at San Francisco State University with OLLI Dominican University. Program # 22657 with Road Scholar

Program Overview:
Journey south into the heart of the civil rights movement to gain a deeper understanding of the historic and continued struggle for racial equality in the United States. Follow in the footsteps of the venerable Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legendary marches, and hear the moving story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. Walk across the Selma Bridge with an activist who took part in the peaceful protest that devolved into unforgivable violence known as “Bloody Sunday.” Pay homage at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church as you learn the story of the victims of the 1963 K*K bombing. Study how these catalysts ignited a movement that would define this pivotal moment in American history.

Program Highlights:
• Commemorate the central figures of civil rights on field trips to the Rosa Parks Museum, Georgia State Capitol and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
• Follow the path of heroic marches through Atlanta and Birmingham and from Selma to Montgomery, now a National Historic Trail.
• Learn from an activist who was a witness and participant in some of America’s most significant civil rights battles.

To learn more or reserve your spot, please contact Frania Monarski at Road Scholar – [email protected]
Space is limited to 24 OLLI Members

Deadline to express interest is Monday, March 31, 2025
A $100 deposit will hold your spot - final payment is due by March 5, 2026.

01/07/2025

Our Winter session begins January 27th with 6 week daytime classes about music in cinema, fighting slavery, chair yoga, elder justice and more! (Oh and next week are our Mini Courses!) Check us out at the link.

https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/category/category.aspx