After more than a year of thoughtful consideration by the Executive Committee, OLLI at Bradley will charge a $5 quarterly membership fee beginning with our Fall 2019 programs.

The Bernard Osher Foundation, which has provided $2 million in endowments to recognize our OLLI as a program of national distinction, encouraged our transition to a membership-based program.  Membership can promote a stronger sense of community and belonging, and also provide an additional revenue stream to further develop, broaden, and sustain our OLLI at Bradley.

The membership fee will bring our OLLI into alignment with the Foundation's best practices.  OLLI membership fees at other institutes in the Midwest range from $45 to $600 per year, but we have decided that $5 per quarter is sufficient to satisfy the Foundation's guidelines and to meet our needs.  The fees generated each quarter will be used to fund our new offerings and offset costs that impact all OLLI activities (such as producing the quarterly brochures and distributing the weekly newsletters).

Here are some advantages to becoming an official OLLI member this Fall:

• Only OLLI members will have access to our quarterly programming, including classes, learning trips, study groups, and OLLI Originals (special events such as after hours, cinema programs, theme dinners, and more).

• We will have more flexibility to develop new offerings, such as Lunch and Learns, Workshops, and Breakfasts with the Experts.  Many of these programs will have higher seating capacities than most of our other events, so more members can enjoy the new learning opportunities.

• We will be able to deliver additional benefits to OLLI members, including discounts at the Bradley Bookstore, the Bradley Theatre, and other member-only perks offered by our community connections (e.g., discounted prices for symposiums and deals from other organizations).
   
• The affordable fee will enable us to better determine the needs and interests of our members and to deliver programs to meet them.
   
• The fee - only $5 per season - will produce an additional source of revenue for our new offerings, offset costs that impact all OLLI activities, and allow us to sustain the current prices for classes, study groups, and trips.

Watch this weekly newsletter for more information as the Fall season approaches.  If you have any questions, please contact OLLI Director Michelle Riggio at mriggio@bradley.edu or (309) 677-3900.

Thank you all for your continuing support of our lifelong learning community!

Wondering what to do for lunch during OLLI Classes?  We've got options!

Everyone is invited to join our buffet luncheon every Wednesday in Ballroom B from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  If you haven't already purchased your tickets, stop by the OLLI registration desk before 9:00 a.m. each Wednesday, and buy your ticket for $10.75 per day.  Here's what's coming up on the menu: 

• April 10 * Italian chopped salad with pasta, onion, black olives, tomato, cucumber, and three dressings on the side * Italian wedding soup * Roasted pork loin with mashed potatoes and gravy * Carrot cake with cream cheese icing 

• April 17 * Caesar salad with parmesan, croutons, tomatoes, and Caesar dressing * Chicken tortilla soup * BBQ pulled pork sliders * Vanilla cupcakes 

• April 24 * Baby spinach salad with onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, and raspberry vinaigrette * Minestrone soup * Sweet and sour chicken with Asian vegetables and steamed rice * Angel food cake with strawberry topping 

For those wishing to eat elsewhere, visit one of the cafes of the Michel Student Center Marketplace on the first floor.  Stop by Chick-fil-A, Moe's Southwest Grill, Marketplace Deli, or Tossed, or select ala cart items at P.O.D. (Purchase on Demand) Market.

You can also visit restaurants near campus where cuisines vary from American to Vietnamese.  Want to pack your own lunch?  Then join us in Ballroom B, or take your lunch outside to enjoy our beautiful campus.

Call Bonnie or Gwen if you have any questions about lunch during Classes: (309) 677-3900.

Super Brain Summit
Friday, April 26

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Bradley University Michel Student Center Ballrooms

OLLI members are invited to the fourth annual  Super Brain Summit, where keynote speaker Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. will discuss trauma history and define how trauma is remembered in mind, body, perception, and action.  He will be joined by Amy Serin, M.D. who will talk about the neuroscience of stress.

This one-day conference offers multiple viewing options plus a discounted registration fee for OLLI members.  For more information, visit the  Super Brain Summit website, or contact Debbie Devine at (309) 677-2820.  You may also  register online.

As the weather warms, construction on Bradley's Business and Engineering Convergence Center is heating up too!  Over the past 30 days, crews have been installing limestone and terracotta on the exterior of the building, and if you look at the east side of the east wing, you can see what the building will look like upon completion. The penthouse was erected on the west wing demonstrating the full height, magnitude, and impressiveness of the new building. Steel framing was also erected to bridge the gap between the east and west wings.

During the next month, you can expect to see a flurry of activity, and the site will start to look more and more complete.  The project is  on track for faculty and staff to move in this summer, and we will be ready for students this fall. 

Monica Hendrickson, Public Health Administrator at Peoria City/County Health Department, will share information from a recent national conference she attended regarding how various states have dealt with the issue of legalizing marijuana. The floor will then be open to further discuss the topics she introduces. 

Funding for Peoria Speaks is being provided by Illinois Humanities through their Illinois Speaks program which is aimed at strengthening the democratic process through community dialogues across the state of Illinois.  The program is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact the Peoria Public Library at (309) 497-2186.