Since 1970, the OLLI at UK's Donovan Forum Series has offered educational and entertaining presentations on Thursdays every Fall and Spring. These forums are free and open to the public, although registration prior to each forum is required.
Spring 2026 Donovan Forums
Donovan Forums next semester will be held at the Lexington Senior Center. The limit is 80 attendees in-person. Please be sure to register in advance to reserve an in-person spot. You can also register to attend remotely via Zoom. Zoom links will be sent to the Zoom roster the Wednesday afternoon before the Forum each week. You can also contact the office if you are registered but did not receive/lost the link.
OLLI Membership not required to attend Donovan Forums, but you must have an account created on our registration website. You can refer to these guides on how to create an account and register for courses, Forums, and events: https://bit.ly/olliatuk-guides
Registration will open on Wednesday, January 7, at 10 a.m at https://olli.uky.edu/uky
February 5
The Impact of Alzheimer's & Dementia in our Community
Diane Vance, Community Educator and Meredith Plant, Program Manager
Alzheimer's Association
February 12
The Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame
Tom Eblen, Literary Liaison
Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
February 19
Current Kentucky Politics and the Legacies of Mitch McConnell
Al Cross, Professor Emeritus of Journalism
University of Kentucky
February 26
Beer, Wine and Spirits Tourism in Kentucky and Around the World
R. Scott Meuret, Lecturer Hospitality Management and Tourism
University of Kentucky
March 5
A Sense of Place
Kathy Plomin, Former 12th District Councilmember
A "Sense of Place" Steering Committee
March 12
What it Takes to Become a Jockey
Remi Bellocq, Workforce Liaison / BCTC Equine Studies Program
Bluegrass Community & Technical College
March 19
Closing Pandora's Box: Understanding and Safeguarding Artificial Intelligence
Brent Harrison, Associate Professor
University of Kentucky
March 26
A Whole Human Approach to Workforce Development in Eastern Kentucky
Colby Hall, Executive Director
Shaping Our Appalachian Region
April 2
Tuition-Free, Impact-Rich: Berea’s Model for Educational Equity
Lisa Turner, PhD, RN, PHCNS-BC, Associate Professor in Nursing
Berea College
April 9
Who Needs the Humanities and Why?
Bill Goodman, Executive Director
Kentucky Humanities
April 16
The Story of the Jack Jouett House Historic Site
Linda DeRosett, Executive Director
The Jack Jouett House Historic Site
April 23
Kentucky's LGBTQ History
Josh Porter, Assistant Executive Director
Faulkner Morgan Archive
April 30
Planning
Boyd O. Sewe, Principle Planner
LFUCG - Division of Planning
Donovan Forum Recordings
We will record Donovan Forum Series presentations that have approval from the presenter. All Forums for Spring 2026 have been approved. Recordings will be sent to all registrants the day after the presentation for the week.
Please note: Some Forum presenters may provide print materials only available to in-person attendees (such as magazines, brochures, business cards, etc.) The OLLI office is not responsible for distribution of these materials to online attendees. If the Forum presenter has digital materials to share however, we will share these materials with registered in-person and online attendees over email following the presentation.
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