OLLI at Ringling College Announces its Summer Semester: May 19-July 11

Registration for the 2025 summer semester at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Ringling College, which offers noncredit educational opportunities for adults to pursue new interests, expand intellectual horizons, and enrich their lives, opens May 6. The semester, which runs May 19-July 11, 2025, features more than 50 classes, events, and programs covering a wide variety of topics, including arts and entertainment, history, music appreciation, health, literature, philosophy, religion, and science. Semester highlights include The Roots of Black Music in America; What Makes A Good Cell Break Bad: The Biology of Cancer; Executive Orders and Presidential Power; From Memoir to Documentary: The Journey of Telling the Family Secret of Being the Daughter of Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and Lucille “Sweets” Preston; and six tours. OLLI at Ringling College is located in the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. To register, or for information about becoming an OLLI member, visit www.OLLIatRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.

Highlights of the 2025 summer semester include:

From Memoir to Documentary: The Journey of Telling the Family Secret of Being the Daughter of Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and Lucille “Sweets” Preston – Sharon Preston-Folta presents a screening of the Emmy Award-winning documentary Little Satchmo. Preston-Folta, the author and executive producer, will also share the personal journey that led her to tell her story to the world.

The Roots of Black Music in America – Producer, songwriter, teacher, and troubadour Karlus Trapp presents an educational and entertaining 100-year journey back through time, offering a fresh perspective through song, story, and history about the music of America’s black musical giants.

Memorable Opening Movie Scenes – The first scene of a film often establishes the mood and provides a hint of what the film is about. This can be conveyed through the action, setting, lighting, music, cinematography, or other memorable elements. Explore film history and enjoy some classic opening scenes which will be introduced by the instructor and followed by a brief class discussion.

Understanding Wall Street and What It Does That Impacts All of Us – Hear from a lawyer who worked on Wall Street for 50 years representing investment banks, hedge funds, mutual funds, and private equity funds in a variety of transactions. He will describe what each of the various players on Wall Street do, how they do it, and how what they do impacts your everyday lives for the better or worse.

What Makes A Good Cell Break Bad: The Biology of Cancer – All cancers develop from a single normal cell that somehow becomes cancerous. This session covers the biological basis for this transformation in a clear and understandable manner, and touches on how the causes that lead to the development of cancer also form the basis for cancer treatments.

Medical Cannabis: History, Treatment Options, and How Florida's Medical Marijuana System Works – This session includes a discussion about the history of marijuana as medicine, its current uses, the conditions it can help treat, and an overview of how the medical marijuana system is structured in Florida.

How Memory Works – Without memory, we would all be forced to live only in the present and learning could not occur. Memory depends on the process of Long-Term Potentiation (LTP). This lecture explores the biological basis of LTP and examines the types, phases, and modifications of memory.

King and Queen of Jazz: Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald – Two of the greatest musicians in the history of the 20th century come together in this dual biography of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Each performing over 300 concerts a year, they shared in common dazzling artistry, an optimism for life, and a desire to make people happy through their music. This lively presentation showcases the lives and music of Louis and Ella, both individually and together.

Executive Orders and Presidential Power – Executive orders are one of the most common ways a president can unilaterally implement policies. Only one president failed to sign any, and each president since 1880 signed over 100 of them. This session reviews the history of executive orders, how they work, how they can be challenged, and how they differ from other executive actions, including presidential memoranda and proclamations.

Additionally, OLLI at Ringling College offers six tours during the summer semester. These tours require an OLLI Gold or Silver membership. Tours include Newtown Alive on May 27, 10 am-12 pm ($30);Sarasota City Sightseeing on May 29, 10-11:30 am ($30); Save Our Seabirds on June 2, 10 am-12 pm ($10); Sarasota Art Museum on June 17, 11 am-12 pm (free to OLLI members); Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe on June 24, 10-11:30 am ($20); and Bishop Museum of Science and Nature on June 27, 1-3 pm ($10).

To register, or for more information about becoming an OLLI member, visit www.OLLIatRinglingCollege.org or call 941-309-5111.