Please note that you must have either a UNC Asheville annual parking permit or a visitor permit to park on campus 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. Visit the Campus Parking for OLLI Members page for instructions on how to purchase an OLLI-subsidized annual parking permit. Daily and monthly visitor permits must be obtained through the UNC Asheville parking site; OLLI does not provide visitor permits.

Fall Catalog

The fall 2025 College for Seniors course schedule and catalog of courses, programs and events are available by clicking on the buttons below. Please be aware that courses, programs and events are subject to change or cancellation, which may not be reflected in the catalog; the online registration system will always include the most accurate locations and other information about our courses, and this page will always include the most accurate information about programs and events. Consult the schedule of upcoming College for Seniors terms (including term dates, catalog availability and registration).

View Fall 2025 CFS Course Schedule View Fall 2025 Catalog

Program Calendar

Unless otherwise noted, programs take place at the Reuter Center and are free and open to everyone.

Please see UNC Asheville’s expectations of mutual respect and care for all for more information/guidance about maintaining a healthy environment for in-person courses, programs and events.

October

Tuesday, October 7, 7 p.m. | World Affairs Council
Partner Program: “What’s So Important about U.S. Agricultural Exports?” (in-person + online)
Because countries view agricultural imports as politically and culturally sensitive, they are among the most regulated and restricted products traded globally. What impact do these sensitivities have on U.S. trade policy, domestic producers and our economy as a whole? What is the importance of exports to the U.S. agricultural sector and to North Carolina? What has been the economic impact of past trade policies and regulations? What are the potential outcomes of current policies?
Clay Hamilton retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in August 2024 at the rank of career minister (three-star equivalent) with more than 40 years of government experience of representing U.S. agriculture development, promoting agriculture exports and encouraging global policies based on sound science. Clay served in diplomatic posts in Bulgaria, Italy, Japan, Turkey, Pakistan, Brazil and India, where he negotiated increased market access, oversaw marketing programs and resolved trade barriers affecting billions of dollars of U.S. exports. From 2018 to 2023, he served as associate administrator for the Foreign Agricultural Service where he oversaw trade policy development and managed marketing and credit export guarantee programs valued at $5 billion.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 10, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “Hope After Helene: Rebuilding Lives, Repairing the World” (in-person + online)
NECHAMA – Jewish Response to Disaster is the only national Jewish organization providing sustained, direct recovery services after natural disasters. They serve all communities, regardless of faith, as part of their commitment to tikkun olam (the Jewish value of repairing the world through action). NECHAMA will talk about their response in WNC after Hurricane Helene, the impact of their volunteers and how putting Jewish values into action helps build bridges and push back against antisemitism in communities that have little or no Jewish presence.
Tzlil Bandy McDonald has over a decade of experience in program management, nonprofit leadership and community engagement. She has held leadership roles at organizations such as the Jewish Federation of Central Alabama, the Israeli American Council and the Jewish Agency for Israel, where she managed multiple programs in both North America and Israel. Tzlil holds degrees from Ben Gurion University and The George Washington University, as well as certification in conflict of interest from the i-Center. Tzlil is passionate about building bridges with diverse faith communities to combat all forms of hate and discrimination.
Join the October 10 Fab Friday online via Zoom.

Friday, October 10, 2 p.m.
Special Program: “A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies and the Crisis that Spurred the American Revolution with author Andrew Lawler” (in-person + online)
As the American Revolution broke out in New England in spring 1775, dramatic events unfolded far to the south that proved every bit as decisive as the battles of Lexington and Concord in uniting the colonies against Britain. Virginia, the largest, wealthiest and most populous province in British North America, was governed by Lord Dunmore, a pugnacious Scottish earl. Outgunned and outmanned, he allied with the colony’s enslaved Africans, who made up two of every five Virginians and were eager to gain their freedom. Dunmore emancipated those who would fight for King George III and sent them into battle against their patriot owners as part of the first corps of Black soldiers in American history. The crisis that gripped Virginia in 1775 and 1776 has long been relegated to the background by historians, in part because it is the story of two liberty-seeking groups of Americans fighting against one another. This book shows how the upheaval in Virginia shaped the course of the Revolution and sheds light on the issues or race, gun control, immigration and the split between city and country that continue to divide the nation.
Register to attend and read more about Andrew Lawler and A Perfect Frenzy. Books will be available to purchase.

Sunday, October 12, 5:30 p.m. | Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association
Partner Program: “Image Critique” (in-person + online)
Jeff Miller is a professional photographer and instructor who resides in Hendersonville. He is passionate about lifelong learning to refine his skills and expand his creativity as a photographer. Jeff is equally passionate about helping other photographers to do the same. His mission is to help everyone enjoy, capture, share and preserve the beauty around us, and to reflect it in our creative work. Jeff’s photographs have appeared in many magazines, galleries and private collections. 
To join online and for more information, visit the CNPA-Asheville Region’s website.

Monday, October 13, 2 p.m.
College for Seniors Information Session: “You Too Can Teach!” (in person + online)
Are you interested in (or curious about) teaching a course at the College for Seniors? You may have never thought that you could be an OLLI instructor, but you too can teach! Our instructors run the gamut from retired teachers and professionals to those with deep knowledge of a certain topic. The common thread with all our instructors is passion for their subject matter and a desire to share it with peers. The process of becoming an instructor is not daunting. In this information session, current CFS instructors will introduce what teaching at OLLI is all about and demystify the process from having an idea for a course through creating a good proposal. All your questions about teaching will be answered!
Register to attend in person or online.

Tuesday, October 14, 7 p.m. | Blue Ridge Naturalist Network
Partner Program: “Mitigating Climate Change: Using Science to Transform Uncertainty into Progress” (in-person + online)
Jake Hagedorn, Ph.D., will review factors that contribute to climate change, impacts in our region and findings of his research into how agricultural practices impact soil carbon and nitrogen cycling so we can better understand what techniques lead to more soil carbon sequestration, less greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation of climate change.
Jake Hagedorn is an assistant professor of environmental science at UNC Asheville.
Join online via Zoom and learn more on the Blue Ridge Naturalist Network website.

Wednesday, October 15, 7 p.m.
Special Program: “Asheville’s Jewish Industrialists documentary screening”
Join us for a showing of the film Asheville’s Jewish Industrialists, narrated by Jerry Sternberg (of blessed memory) and created by Marty Gillen. Jerry shares his memories of growing up in the River Arts District before its renaissance when there were factories, junk and hide businesses and other undesirable activities. He highlights the entrepreneurs who made something out of nothing and became successful business owners. This program is cosponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies and OLLI.
We have reached capacity to attend this event in person. Please use this form and we will send you a link to view “Asheville’s Jewish Industrialists” online.

Thursday, October 16, 4:30 p.m.
OLLI Program: “OLLI Authors” (in-person + online)
Mary Louisa Ippolito and Julia Loughran
OLLI Authors, a quarterly reading program begun in 2017, provides a forum for talented OLLI writers to showcase their creative efforts. Each reading features two poets or prose authors.
Read more about Mary Louisa Ippolito and Julia Loughran and the October 16 OLLI Authors event. Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 17, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Friday: “Palliative Care Might Just Save Your Life: How I Decide to Recommend Heart Transplant for One Person and Hospice for Another, but Consider Both to be Palliative Care” (in-person + online)
Ray Barfield, M.D., will speak to the differences between palliative and hospice care and the benefits of each. Ray is a physician at Mission Hospital where he has been the medical director for palliative care for the last three years. Prior, he focused on pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant, first at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and then at Duke University where he was a tenured professor of pediatrics and Christian philosophy. After 20 years, he woke up and realized he wanted to get out of the academic goldfish bowl and shape his medical practice in a way that was more community-associated. His whole family lives in Asheville, and he grew up in Highlands, NC, where his father was the minister at the Presbyterian church, so he jumped at the chance to move back to the Smoky Mountains. He wanted to write philosophical novels rather than research papers, if only to justify the years he spent earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University instead of earning an income. So far, he has published three novels and four books of philosophy including a philosophical critique of corporate medicine called The Practice of Medicine and Being in Time. His mother, along with a handful of other people, have purchased copies of his books. His wife is an Episcopal priest at St. Andrews in Canton, and he is sure this helped her patience when he finished medical school at Emory and then said he would like to study philosophy for a while instead of moving on with his career. They have two kids and one grandson. If he ever retires from medicine, he hopes to land a retirement job playing guitar and trying to imitate his favorite musician, Tommy Emmanuel, in small local pubs on non-busy nights since he gets stage fright whenever he plays in public.
Join the October 17 Fab Friday online via Zoom.

Friday, October 17, 1:30 p.m.
OLLI program: “UNC Asheville Campus Tour”
Would you like to know where you can eat lunch, get your student ID card, access the University library or read in peace between classes? Answers to these questions and more will be provided on a walking tour of the UNC Asheville campus. Meet your fellow members by the main doors on the upper level of the Reuter Center for a guided tour. Significant walking and stairs/hill climbing included.
Space is limited; register to attend.

Friday, October 17, 5 p.m. | Death Café
Partner Program: “Death Café”
Death Café is an engaging gathering with storytelling and conversation about a topic that too often alienates people in our death-phobic culture. At Death Café, participants break into small groups of five or six people and discuss personal stories related to the death of loved ones; loss of jobs, relationships or marriages; or loss or death of parts of ourselves. These programs are facilitated by Karen Sanders, Greg Lathrop and Saïd Osio from Third Messenger.
Learn more about Death Café by visiting the Death Café website, the Third Messenger website, or facebook.com/deathcafeasheville.

Tuesday, October 21, 4:30 p.m. | STEAM Lecture Series
OLLI Program: “The Witchery of Wasps” (in-person + online)
Wasps are the apex chemists, architects, detectives, builders, engineers and craft artists of nature. They confounded Darwin, and they perfected evolution. Wasps discovered and used antibiotics 70y million years before humans. They are model parents and are thought to be the biological source of altruism. Some wasps can recognize individual faces, and their social behaviors are disturbingly similar to ours. Wasps have inspired space and horror movie plots, but their own tiny lives are much stranger and more interesting than fiction.
Linda Goodwin is a retired internist and geriatrician. For more than 20 years she specialized in estimating life expectancy and risks for healthy vs. unhealthy aging. She holds two U.S. patents as coinventor of an algorithm to estimate mortality risk. In college she studied drawing, bronze sculpture, English literature and biology and happened to fall in love with wasps. With her husband, George Pfeffer, she now creates art from mushrooms, native plants, paper wasp nests and anything else they find.
Join online via Zoom.

Friday, October 24, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “All About Bulldog Athletics” (in-person + online)
Learn about UNC Asheville’s high-achieving Division I athletic program from athletic director Janet Cone! More than 270 of UNC Asheville’s enrollment are student-athletes participating in a variety of sports. Learn how the program keeps the focus on their academic studies and community impact while giving them ample opportunities to excel in athletic competition. Get the news about facilities improvements, recent successes, ongoing fall sports and those coming up in winter and spring. Learn about ways that you can get involved through mentorship, game attendance, volunteer work and more.
Janet R. Cone, UNC Asheville’s director of athletics who oversees all 16 Division 1 sports on campus will present, plus members of the coaching staff and some student-athletes, as available. Janet has served as UNC Asheville’s director of athletics since 2004. Bulldog teams have won over 30 Big South Conference championships since then. Among NCAA Division I schools our Bulldogs stand out for a graduation rate and grade point average higher than for the overall student body, the result of Janet’s philosophy of “champions in athletics and leaders in life.”
Join the October 24 Fab Friday online via Zoom.

Friday, October 24, 2:30 p.m.
University Program: “Health and Performance Assessments at UNC Asheville”
We will learn about the variety of health and performance assessments offered within the health sciences department at UNC Asheville including a comprehensive cardiovascular fitness assessment, iDXA testing for body composition, iDXA testing for bone density and osteoporosis risk, maximal aerobic capacity and lactate threshold. This discussion will include descriptions and rationale for each test as well as scheduling and pricing information. Time will be allotted for Q&A.
This program is free and open to OLLI members and members of the University community, though registration is requested. Read more about the Wellness Evaluation and Lifestyle Lab (“The WELL”) at UNC Asheville.

Sunday, October 26, 3 p.m. | Asheville Senior Chorus
Partner Program: “Magical Moments: The Music of David Bates”
Read more about Asheville playwright and song writer Dave Bates and find an event poster for “Magical Moments: The Music of Dave Bates.”
The performance is free, but donations are gratefully accepted at the door.

Monday, October 27, 7 p.m.
Special Program: “The Cigarette Surfboard documentary screening”
After a young designer realizes that a surfboard – which he crafted from thousands of littered cigarette butts picked up off California beaches – could captivate the eyes of millions across the globe, he decides to use it as the impetus to do something more. The “cigarette surfboards” become a platform to spark ocean stewardship and the symbol of a campaign to hold Big Tobacco accountable for their toxic, plastic waste. Surfing is the medium, but the message is universal.
Join us for a screening and discussion by filmmaker Ben Judkins and creator of the “cigarette surfboard,” Taylor Lane. We hope to have some of the boards on hand.
Register to attend, watch the trailer and read move about the film.

Friday, October 31, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “Epilepsy and Aging” (in-person + online)
Leslie Grayson, M.D., will join us to talk about the fastest growing segment of people living with epilepsy in the U.S.: older adults. One in four new epilepsy diagnoses in America occur in a person age 65 or older. Leslie will explain why adults are more likely to develop epilepsy later in life, outline the challenges of recognizing, diagnosing and treating epilepsy in older adults, and provide valuable information for older adults living with epilepsy and their caregivers. The presentation will include information on the latest medical and surgical treatment for epilepsy in older adults.
Dr. Leslie Grayson is a neurologist and epileptologist who has been in practice for more than 10 years. A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she began her career as assistant professor of neurology at UAB. During her six-year tenure at UAB she focused on epilepsy and rare diseases, cannabinoids as a treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy, functional neurological disorders and transition care in the adolescent population. In 2021 she relocated to Asheville where currently serves as the epilepsy medical director for Mission Hospital.
Join the October 31 Fab Friday online via Zoom.

Friday, October 31, 2:30 p.m. | Council on Aging of Buncombe County
Partner Program: “Introduction to Medicare–Understanding the Puzzle”
The Council on Aging of Buncombe County, in conjunction with the NC Department of Insurance’s Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program invites you to explore how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties and ways to save money. People who are new to Medicare, caregivers and others who help senior citizens with their Medicare insurance should consider attending this free, informative class. The information presented is unbiased and accurate. No products are sold, recommended or endorsed.
Register to participate.

November

Saturday, November 1
Last day to proposal a course for College for Seniors spring 2026 term
Visit the Forms page to access the CFS spring 2026 course proposal form.

Thursday, November 6, 7 p.m. | Astronomy Club of Asheville
Partner Program: “James Webb Space Telescope: The Story So Far” (in-person + online)
Maggie Connelly, planetarium specialist, Roper Mountain Science Center
Join online via Zoom and read more about the November 6 Astronomy Club Lecture on their website.

Friday, November 7, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “The Historical MacBeths” (in-person + online)
Upon the Corner of the Moon (March 2025, Regal House) is the story of the Macbeths you have never known: Destined to unite Scotland, they first had to survive as pawns in a dynastic struggle. While closely following recorded history about the rise of this rightful king who ruled for 17 years, it also speculates on the heritage of his wife Gruach, drawing on the Neolithic settlement of Alba and the mysterious legacy of the Picts. This two-book project begins with the childhoods and young adulthoods of Macbeth and Gruach and delineates the complex political, social and religious life of early medieval Scotland between the Viking incursions and the Norman conquest.
Valerie Nieman is a graduate of West Virginia University and Queens University of Charlotte. She has held National Endowment for the Arts and regional fellowships, including a South Arts grant. Now professor emerita of creative writing at NC Agricultural and Technical State University, she was a founding editor of two literary magazines and continues to teach at writers’ workshops. Valerie is the author of a short fiction collection, three poetry books and six other novels including In the Lonely Backwater, winner of the 2022 Sir Walter Raleigh Award, which was called “not only a page-turning thriller but also a complex psychological portrait of a young woman dealing with guilt, betrayal and secrecy.” Her novel Blood Clay won the Eric Hoffer Prize in general fiction. To the Bones, a horror/Appalachian/eco-justice novel, was a finalist for the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award and now has a sequel, Dead Hand. Upon the Corner of the Moon, Valerie’s debut historical novel, will be followed by the second book, The Last Highland King, in 2027.
Join the November 7 Fab Friday online via Zoom.

Friday, November 7, 2 p.m.
Special Program: “The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks book talk” with author Dennis Drabelle (in-person + online)
Wallace Stegner called national parks “the best idea we ever had.” As Americans celebrate the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, a question naturally arises: Where did the idea for a national park originate? Published in time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park on March 1, 2022 and the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted on April 26, 2022, The Power of Scenery tells the fascinating story of how the national park movement arose, evolved and has spread around the world.
Dennis Drabelle was born and raised in St. Louis, where he graduated from St. Louis University. Dennis earned a graduate degree in English and a law degree, both from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He moved to Washington, DC, where his favorite job as a lawyer was counsel to the assistant secretary of the interior with responsibility for the national parks. By then, he had developed a passion for wilderness—both hiking in it and reflecting on its importance to the human spirit. While working as a contributing editor of the Washington Post Book World from 1984-2015, Dennis squeezed in as much backpacking as he could, ranging from Patagonia to Baffin Island, with many visits to the American West in between. Dennis now lives and writes in Asheville with his spouse, Mike Bell, who doubles as first editor (unpaid but far from unappreciated) of everything he writes.
This event is free and open to everyone, but registration is requested. Register to attend and read more.

Wednesday, November 12, 5 p.m.
OLLI Event: “Welcome to Improv”
Do you love the Upright Citizens Brigade, “An Evening at the Improv” or NPR’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway”? Join us for an improvisational comedy show hosted by participants in Bob Sack’s fall 2025 course, Introduction to Improv, for an hour of unscripted laughs.

Friday, November 14, 11:30 a.m.
Fab Fridays: “Acute Stroke Care in WNC” (in-person + online)
Acute stroke is a medical emergency. Time to treatment is critical to long-term recovery. We will focus on local hospitals in Western North Carolina and their capability to care for acute stroke. The discussion will include national and state protocols that guide EMS and hospital response to acute stroke.
Robin Jones is a registered nurse with more than 40 years of acute stroke care experience. She is a member of the NC Stroke Advisory Council and co-contributor for the NC Stroke System of Care, as well as a certified stroke RN by the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses.
Join the November 14 Fab Friday online via Zoom.

Sunday, November 16, 3 p.m.
OLLI Event: “Original Stand-Up Comedy”
Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of comedy performed by your fellow OLLI members! Comedians were participants in Randy Robins’ fall 2025 course Performing Original Stand-Up Comedy.