Learning and Research
Lifelong Learning
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USF St. Petersburg
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USF (OLLI-USF) is a member-based learning community of adults age 50+. We offer classes, workshops, lectures, events and social networking. We provide high-quality, low-cost learning opportunities for seasoned adults across West Central Florida.
After 30+ years on the Tampa campus, USF OLLI expanded classes to St. Petersburg in Spring 2025, starting with a handful of classes from some of our most popular faculty.
Starting Dec. 1st 2025, OLLI members and non-members can register for classes. More info on becoming a member and registering for classes can be found here.
We currently provide reciprocal benefits for members of OLLI Eckerd College.
Email: OLLI-inquiries@usf.edu
Address: 140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, 33701
Class Registration: usf.edu/olli
Classes
View all courses offered through OLLI USF here.
Upcoming at USF St. Petersburg:
Savor and Remember: Writing Memoir Through Food
Rescheduled - Date TBD
Member Price: $20
Non-Member Price: $40
Instructor: Kerry Kriseman
Class Description: In this 90-minute class, participants will use food - recipes from family, or a favorite dish - as the spark for memory. The smells, tastes and textures will open the door to the past, and together we’ll capture those stories on the page. We'll also sample tastes that spark creativity and remind writers of events centered around food that can be a launching point for a memoir or personal essay. Think of our class as cooking your way into your memoir.
Instructor Bio: St. Petersburg native Kerry Kriseman is the author Accidental First Lady, her non-political memoir about 22 years as a political spouse. She has taught memoir writing for Keep St. Pete Lit, and OLLI programs at Eckerd College and USF-St. Pete. Kerry also has also spoken on writing and publishing to local and national audiences.
Grandparents and Family Connections: How Everyday Interactions With Children Birth to Three Shape Young Children's Development and Success.
Monday, April 13th | 10:30pm - 12pm| USF St. Petersburg Family Study Center
Free Class - Open to the Public
Instructor: James McHale
Class Description: The past 25 years have provided astonishing new evidence that between 80 and 85% of lifelong brain development has been completed by the age of 3. The wiring of our brain's "superhighways" - created in infant, toddler and young children's brain infrastructure - is influenced in real time by children's moment-by-moment, everyday experiences with their parents, grandparents, extended family members, and care providers outside the family. This class outlines the mission and programs of USF's Family Study Center, which for the past 23 years has supported families in Pinellas County and Tampa Bay by working with the network of caring adults responsible for each child's care and upbringing - children's "coparents" - to optimize healthy early brain development, kindergarten readiness, and positive life trajectories, even in challenging circumstances.
Instructor Bio: Dr. James McHale, Professor of Psychology and Director of the internationally recognized Family Study Center, is a USF alumnus who received his master's degree in Developmental Psychology from Tulane University and his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Since 2020, he has been recognized as one of the world's top 2% of scientists by the Stanford-Elsevier rankings, which uses standardized citation indicators to identify the most cited and influential experts globally across nearly all scientific disciplines. At USF, he teaches popular large enrollment courses in Introduction to Psychology and leads a unique graduate certificate program in Infant-Family Mental Health.