(Last UPDATED 10/28/2023) Description of the Sacramento Renaissance Society, a volunteer member-directed lifelong learning organization that operates in partnership with California State University, Sacramento (CSUS).
I first heard about the Sacramento Renaissance Society a long, long time ago. I thought at the time that it sounded like an organization I would be interested in joining. At that point, retirement was so far in the future that I filed the idea away in my mind under the heading “someday”.
After reading a news article that registration was open for the Spring 2018 Semester, I immediately decided that now was as good a time as any to join – so I did. Shortly afterwards, I attended an introduction and orientation meeting for new and prospective members. The meeting was very organized and informative. It is no wonder – as mention was made that 2018 is the 33rd Anniversary of the Sacramento Renaissance Society!
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Introduction to the Sacramento Renaissance Society
The morning program included a description of the Sacramento Renaissance Society vision and mission, as well as important information about the CSUS campus and parking on campus. When I joined I purchased a parking pass ($20) which allows me to park at certain locations on campus on Friday and Saturday during the Spring 2018 Semester.
Next up was a discussion of the on-campus seminars (held on Fridays and on Saturday mornings) and off-campus seminars (held during the week at various locations). Also included was information on seminar leader training, how to register for seminars, and about the “Forums” held following the Friday afternoon seminars. Forums feature a variety of community leader speakers, followed by Q&A.
There are also extracurricular activities – which include social functions, the scholarship program and volunteer opportunities. Each year the Sacramento Renaissance Society provides scholarships to CSUS undergraduate and graduate students. This past May six students received $3,000 scholarships! Volunteer opportunities include cooperating with the CSUS Gerontology Department and serving as ushers at CSUS plays and musical events.
See related blog post: Festival of New American Music
After the morning orientation we broke into two groups and took a tour of the campus. Our tour guide pointed out the various buildings where seminars and forums are held, and assured us all more than once that we could not get lost on campus. Ha! More on that later.
After the tour of the campus we were on our own for lunch. Some of the food vendors on campus provide discounts to members of the Sacramento Renaissance Society.
Renaissance Rendezvous
After lunch 1½ hours was reserved for “Renaissance Rendezvous” which provided another opportunity to join as well as time to visit with seminar leaders to become familiar with their particular seminar. Sacramento Renaissance Society members both choose the topics to study and lead the courses.
After making the rounds of the room and chatting with several seminar leaders I decided to head home. When I left the University Union building I was a bit turned around and did not head in the direction of the parking garage where I had parked. Everyone who knows me knows that I have no sense of direction. After wandering around for a bit I asked some students to point me in the right direction which they gladly did.
To Sum Up
To sum up, I am looking forward to becoming an active participant in the Sacramento Renaissance Society – perhaps even at some point becoming a seminar leader.
See related blog post: CSUS (Sac State) University Arboretum
UPDATES
(10/28/2023) The transition to Zoom experiment was a huge success. Today it is not uncommon for members to have a choice to attend a class in person or to Zoom it – whatever works best for them that day.
(12/20/2020) The Renaissance Society went online (Zoom) in 2020 with numerous and varied offerings to keep members entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully on-campus classes will resume in late-2021.
(1/21/2020) Broken link repaired.
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