Teaching Here

Man talking to people
Alex Saragoza, Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies. Photo by Christina Hernandez

Joining Our Faculty

Our faculty are rock stars. That’s how our members view them, and how we do, too. From campus lecturers to Professors Emeriti, policy change-makers to subject-specific aficionados, each carries a passion for their area of expertise and for the lively, substantive and enlightening give-and-take with members.

To get a sense of the standout scholars who have taught with us, we encourage you to view this archive of faculty interviews we've conducted over the past fifteen years.

Benefits of Being an OLLI Educator

  • Introduce research and academic interests to a new, appreciative audience
  • Fashion a course that serves as a trial run for a new undergraduate class
  • Hone material for a potential book
  • Receive compensation for instructional time

Nuts & Bolts

  • We have four academic terms per year — fall, winter, spring and summer
  • Courses take place once a week and vary in both length — 1.5 to 2-hours — as well as in the number of sessions offered (typically from four to eight.) 
  • Emphasis is placed on lectures and accompanying discussions. There are no grades or exams.

Know Your Audience

When you step in front of an OLLI class, you engage with learners insatiably curious about the world. History, politics, art, music, literature, philosophy, nature, economics, science — they devour it all, and more, delighting in the challenge of acquiring new knowledge and understanding.

Roughly fifty percent of our 2,500+ members are affiliated with UC Berkeley (alumni, retired or current faculty and staff) and a full one hundred percent have decades of lived experiences that inform their thinking and interests. It should come as no surprise that they are enthusiastic hand raisers.

While most of our members live in the Bay Area with the majority residing in the East Bay, online learning opportunities have expanded our membership base to points throughout the country and beyond.

Learn More

We’re always interested in hearing from prospective faculty. Please fill out this course proposal form to let us know what you might be interested in teaching. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

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