HISTORY: FROM ILR to LLI to LLCO
FORMATIVE YEARS
While the Lifelong Learning Community (LLCO) was created in 2025, its roots go back
to November 2000, when over 100 interested community members met at Northern
Illinois University’s Holmes Student Center to discuss beginning an Institute for Learning
In Retirement (ILR), the group’s original name. They were called together by Arlene
Neher and Steven Johnson, then directors of the external programming office in NIU’s
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Starting an ILR have been on their agenda for some time but became a priority after
Steven attended a national conference on ILRs. He was amazed by the work done by
volunteers to organize ILRs. So, area residents who had gone on the office’s Travel
With a Professor trips and those who were on Elderhostel’s list and also lived within 50
miles of DeKalb were invited to the meeting.
NIU had a lot of experience with Elderhostels, having then offered more than 75, with
area residents who attended urging them to set up an ILR. And, since ILRs were
affiliated with Elderhostel, now Road Scholars, the name changed to Lifelong Learning
Institutes when Elderhostel made that change.
A steering committee of volunteers started going through shopping bags full of catalogs
and other publications from ILRs across the country. They put together bylaws, policies,
news releases, committees, and the first set of courses. In March 2001, ILR offered its
first term of study groups and workshops.
CLASSES & MEMBERS
While some ILRs offered one-session classes, the model chosen by the organizing
committee was classes that ran the full eight weeks of the spring and fall terms and the
full four weeks of the winter and summer terms. (Summer terms were later dropped.)
For many years, two classes were offered in each morning and afternoon time slot on
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. In later years, partially because members
complained about having to make choices between classes, LLI moved to one class per
slot, running from four-to-eight weeks.
There were 71 members that first term, a few of whom were still taking classes in 2025.
The first offerings showed the diversity that continues today and included American
Mystery Short Stories, Future Presidential Elections, The U.S.: 1840s through
Reconstruction, Topics in Contemporary Science, and more. Workshops on using the
web, then new to many members, were also offered.
Classes then, and through spring 2025, were held in a variety of rooms at NIU’s Holmes
Student Center. Between morning and afternoon classes, some members met for lunch
at the Center’s various dining facilities.
Steven Johnson came up with the NIU Notables name for a weekly faculty lecture
series, an ILR program that he had wanted NIU to offer for some time and that because
a part of ILR. Notables topics that first term included Cambodia, Neanderthals, and
Climate Change. The NIU was dropped from the name in later years as the series
expanded to include community speakers and even those from elsewhere, via Zoom.
For some years, occasional field trips were offered to sites ranging from a regional wind
farm to art exhibits in Chicago. These were eventually dropped when other local groups
started offering similar trips.
In 2008, the now annual Soiree, completely organized by members and independent of
the university, was held in late spring. The Soiree, a small-scale fundraiser, was a
chance to socialize at length over hors d’oeuvres and desserts made by members,
while raising some funds for the organization. Until 2025, the proceeds went into an
account to benefit LLI with the NIU Foundation. The Soiree has been held at members’
homes, at the DeKalb Park District, and recently at Oak Crest.
Financial support, as well as staff time, in the early years came from the College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences, which was committed to the success of the ILR. In later
years, now financially independent and named the Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), the
group came under various NIU offices, particularly the external programs office and
finally NIU’S Office of Continuing and Professional Education. Partially in recognition of
the value of the program to NIU, LLI received an annual grant of several thousand
dollars from the Office of the NIU President.
NEW ERAS
During the COVID years, LLI quickly switched to meeting on Zoom. Today, our winter
term (January-February) continues to meet on Zoom, primarily so members don’t have
to go out on bad weather days but also because it allows members who have moved
away and friends who live elsewhere to attend — or even teach — a class for at least
that term.
During the 2024-25 academic year, as NIU faced many budget constraints and
reorganizations, it became evident that LLI could not survive without large fee
increases. So, the group came to a consensus to go independent, forming the Lifelong
Learning Community.
Throughout its history and whatever its name, Lifelong Learning has been run by
volunteers. Now, those volunteers are not only doing what they always have done but
also providing the support services formerly done by NIU. Volunteers put together our
curriculum, run our web page, send out our mailings, handle our registration and
finances, lead our classes, and do everything else needed to keep LLCO successfully
functioning.
The front of the group’s very first brochure in 2001 declared:
Explore New Ideas
Enjoy New Friends
Learn in Good Discussions
Learn for the Fun of It
Our name and affiliation have changed over the years. But learning for the fun of it is
still our motto, and members cherish the friendships they have made, eagerly looking
forward to the first day of each new term.