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.
USF OLLI expanded classes to St. Petersburg in Spring 2025, starting with a handful of classes from some of our most popular faculty. This semester USF St. Pete OLLI has thirteen new classes.
To sign up for a class, you must become an OLLI member by paying the $50 annual fee, and you may then pay on a class-by-class basis. Prices are indicated in the OLLI Catalog. Registration for classes for Fall 2025 will start on Monday, August 25, 2025. You can register online or call, both listed below.
Email: stp-olli@usf.edu
Telephone: 813-974-5848
Address: 140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, 33701
Class Registration: usf.edu/olli
Campus Map
Parking for classes will be available in Lot 2.
Open House
The USF St. Pete OLLI Open House is an opportunity for attendees to learn about our upcoming courses and meet the faculty. It's the OLLI experience in a nutshell: learn something, meet great people, exercise your brain, expand your network!
Dr. Heather O'Leary will give a keynote lecture to kickoff this OLLI season by asking us to explore the cultural dimensions of life's most important questions: What is happiness? How do people create happiness and protect it together? How does this vary across time and place?
The Open House is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Light refreshments are served. Bring a friend and plan to make new ones!
Register online or call 813-974-5848
Location: University Student Center Ballroom | 200 6th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Classes
Here is comprehensive list of classes offered for the Fall Semester 2025. Click on the drop down menu to find out more about the class including instructor, class description, schedule and price.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Serengeti
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Frank Biafora
Class Description: In this class, Frank Biafora, Ph.D. will share his recent experience serving as a sociological attaché on an exciting National Science Foundation (NSF) funded scientific expedition to Tanzania, Africa. The goal of the NSF-funded research was to conduct a feasibility study to eventually bring portable energy sources to nomadic tribes in sub-Saharan. Dr. Biafora's unique role was to identify and build a friendship with one of the few remaining Maasai tribes in Tanzania. He will share some of the exciting twists and turns that happened "On the way to the Serengeti."
Instructor Bio: Frank Biafora, Ph.D. is a professor of sociology at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Campus. He is committed to community engaged research that helps to improve our local community. He also is committed to exposing students to global issues through annual international study abroad courses.
War and Environment in American History
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 | 2pm - 3:30pm | SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Erin Mauldin
Class Description: Warfare is one of the most dramatic ways in which humans interact with their environment, and while nature can occupy contradictory roles in warfare—enemy and ally, casualty and beneficiary—it is always central to the progress and outcome of armed conflict. Proceeding chronologically through U.S. history from the colonial period to the twentieth century, this class will explore wars large and small, highlighting the role played by non-human nature. Topics will include disease and the American Revolution, animals and the US Civil War, and the natural resources fueling the First World War.
Instructor Bio: Erin Mauldin, Ph.D. is the John Hope Franklin Chair of Southern History at the University of South Florida and the author of Unredeemed Land: An Environmental History of Civil War and Emancipation in the Cotton South (Oxford University Press) and A Companion to Global Environmental History (Wiley-Blackwell). Her current book project is War and Conflict in American Environmental History, forthcoming with Routledge Press.
NATO: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | 10am - 11am | SLC 2100
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | 10am - 11am | SLC 2100
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | 10am - 11am | SLC 2100
Price: $30
Instructor: Instructor: Lynne Platt
Class Description: A look at the more than seven-decade history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, its current membership and configuration, and challenges facing the peace and stability of its member states.
Instructor Bio: Lynne Platt’s career of U.S. Government service spanned 31 years, 24 of them in the U.S. Foreign Service. She retired in 2018 with the rank of Minister-Counselor, having worked overseas in Cairo, Casablanca, USNATO, Paris, Baghdad, Port-au-Prince, London, and Vancouver as Consul General. Domestically, she served in the State Department’s Near East Asia Bureau and at the non-partisan Wilson Center as senior State Department Fellow at the Canada Institute. She is the Co-founder - St. Petersburg World Affairs Council.
10 Foods that Define Florida
Friday, October 3, 2025 | 2pm - 3:30pm | SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Gary Mormino
Class Description: Florida boasts an extraordinarily rich food culture. In this illustrated talk, we will discuss the significance of Grits & Grunts, smoked mullet, the impact of the Columbian Exchange, and many other foods that generations have enjoyed in the Sunshine State. Professor Mormino teaches a class in Food, History, and Culture at USF St. Petersburg.
Instructor Bio: Gary R. Mormino, Ph.D. is the Frank E. Duckwall professor emeritus of Florida history at USF St. Petersburg. He has written award-winning books and is currently working on a study of Florida and WWII.
Retirement Planning – Beyond the Financials
Thursday, October 9, 2025 |10:00am - 11:30am | SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Denise Shields
Class Description: While most people plan for the financial aspects of retirement, much more is needed to thrive in your golden years. Join Denise Shields, Ph.D., a Certified Retirement Coach with nearly 20 years of corporate health and wellness experience, as she explores the often-overlooked elements of retirement planning. Learn how addressing the non-financial aspects, including mind, body, and spirit, can help you flourish in retirement.
Instructor Bio: Denise Shields, Ph.D., Leadership, has served in corporate leadership roles in Health and Wellness, Sales and Account management, and Customer Service for more than 30 years. She is a certified Professional Retirement Coach (CPRC), an International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coach and an International Mindfulness Teacher Association (IMTA) certified mindfulness teacher.
Human Sexuality through the Life Span
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 210
Price: $60
Instructor: Victoria Beltran
Class Description: This course is designed to enhance participants' understanding of the diverse nature and construct of human sexuality, sexual dysfunction, identity, and culture throughout the lifespan. The course approaches this topic from an interdisciplinary perspective, including evidence-based perspectives from evolutionary theory, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and public health. Students explore sexuality issues and learn tools that promote sexual health and healthy relationships.
Instructor Bio: Victoria M. Beltran, DrPH, MPH, CHES, CSE is a public health consultant at BME Strategies, holds degrees from NYU, Emory University and University of South Florida, and is an AASECT-Certified Sexuality Educator. She has worked at the CDC, non-profit organizations, universities, and hospitals and has been teaching Psychology of Human Sexuality at USF since 2015.
Evolutionary Roots of Love, Sex, and Aggression
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 10am - 11:30am | SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Deby Cassill
Class Description: An analysis of animal and human behavior such as sex, territoriality, and aggression in the context of evolution.
Instructor Bio: At USF St. Petersburg, Deby Cassill, Ph.D. is affectionately known as the “ant whisperer.” In her quest to understand the evolution of social behavior, she uses ants as surrogates for humans with over 50 publications in journals ranging from Bioeconomics to Ethology to Scientific Reports. Recently, she published a paper that extends Darwin's theory of natural selection to include the origin of cooperative societies.
The Memoir Blueprint: How to Stop Overthinking and Start Writing
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 10am - 11:30am SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Kerry Kriseman
Class Description: The Memoir Blueprint: How to Stop Overthinking and Start Writing is a powerful, practical class designed to help aspiring authors finally gain clarity, confidence, and momentum with their memoir. Through a simple 3-step framework, participants will uncover their core story, identify defining scenes, and learn how to connect with the readers they're writing for.
Instructor Bio: Kerry Kriseman is the author of Accidental First Lady: On the Front Lines (and Behind the Scenes) of Local Politics. She is also a memoir instructor, and has taught her course, Make Memoir Magic, online, and in person at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Eckerd College and for Keep St. Pete Lit.
Fraud Watch Basics, Fraud in the Digital Age, Fraud, Fraud - How to Protect Your Identity
Thursday, November 6, 2025 10am - 11:30am SLC 2100
Thursday, November 13, 2025 10am - 11:30am SLC 2100
Thursday, November 20, 2025 10am - 11:30am SLC 2100
Price: $20
Instructor: Bill Herrmann
Class Description: This is a three part series including an overview of fraud and the most common scams of 2025; how to protect your personal information online while using social media, as well as shopping and banking; and reviewing an ID protection checklist with steps you can start using today to help protect your identity. These sessions will review the common elements of most scams and discuss what you can do to avoid becoming a victim of these scams. It is presented by Bill Herrmann who is an AARP Fraud Watch Network presenter and member of the AARP Florida Advocacy Team lobbying legislators in Tallahassee.
Instructor Bio: Bill Hermann is an AARP Advocate and Educator with a BA in Economics and an MBA with a concentration in Finance. He retired from utility operations at the age of 60 and became an offshore sailboat delivery captain for 9 years.
Storytelling and (In)Justice
Monday, November 10, 2025 | 5pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Dawn K. Cecil
Class Description: From Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy to Ear Hustle, the first podcast to be produced in a prison, stories featuring lived experiences offer us a deeper understanding of the criminal legal system. In this class, we will look at the power of personal stories and explore how they can unlock a deeper understanding of the issues, as well as the people involved
Instructor Bio: Dawn K. Cecil, Ph.D. is a professor of criminology and creator FRAMED on Substack. Her research focuses on the content and impact of media representations of crime and justice, especially prison images and true crime.
Happiness: Finding Meaning and Wellbeing
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 | 12:30 - 1:45 | DAVIS 267
Thursday, December 4, 2025 | 12:30 - 1:45 | DAVIS 267
Friday, December 5, 2025 | 12:30 - 1:45 | DAVIS 267
Price: $35
Instructor: Heather O'Leary
Class Description: This OLLI class explores the ways we understand happiness: from world concepts to their rituals and processes. OLLI students will join and participate in a USF course with university students by sharing happiness fieldwork and contributing their own Oral Narrative accounts about the challenges and opportunities of finding happiness in St. Pete, Florida, the US, and our world.
Instructor Bio: Heather O'Leary, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at USF St. Pete. Her research interests include transnational disparities related to women’s rights, water politics, urbanization and the environment. She regularly presents on these topics at national and international anthropology conferences and works with governance institutions like the OECD to find social-science solutions.
Exploring Innovation in St. Petersburg
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | 1pm - 4pm | The Maritime and Defense Technology Hub 450 8th Ave SE St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Price: $30
Instructor: Alison Barlow
Class Description: Join us to explore what innovation means for St. Petersburg. How are efforts by researchers, academics, government and private industry coming together to solve critical challenges such as coastal resiliency, create new jobs for our youth, and strengthen our economic prosperity? The class will begin with an introductory discussion about global Innovation Districts, history of the St. Pete Innovation District, and an update on current projects. Then the class will move to a trolley tour of the District with stops where we will go behind-the-scenes to meet local innovators and see their work.
Instructor Bio: Alison Barlow is the Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Innovation District, a public-private partnership located on 560 acres south of downtown. She grew up in St. Petersburg, received a Bachelors in Hospitality Administration from Florida State University, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management of Global Information Technology from American University in Washington D.C., and for 15 years led technology projects in D.C. before returning to St. Petersburg.
Underground History: Exploring Erased Histories In the Tampa Bay Region
Thursday, December 4, 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm | SLC 2100
Price: $15
Instructor: Polita Glynn
Class Description: Underground History explores the diverse histories of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, from the archaeological remnants of ancient Indigenous villages to settlements of freedom seeking people, Cuban fishing ranchos, displaced African American communities and erased cemeteries. Each story reveals a layer of history and how they are connected. Underground History poses the question, if a community fully acknowledge its past, can it develop a deeper sense of place and a more equitable future
Instructor Bio: Polita Cohen Glynn is a writer and media producer. She recently completed Underground History, a documentary film which explores stories of erased communities in St. Petersburg. Glynn received her B.A. in American Studies from Bennington College, Ed.M. from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and studied film production at the University of Miami School of Communication.