The Abridged version:
- The Sacramento region boasts robust programs for lifelong learning at three universities — Sacramento State, UC Davis and University of the Pacific.
- Classes and activities are aimed at those 50 and over, but students of all ages can participate. Fee structures vary.
- Instructors and participants say the learning provides many benefits, including relief from feelings of isolation.
Mike Agron is all in on lifelong learning. He’s seen the benefits firsthand.
Not only is he a member of two of the Sacramento region’s programs, he is also a presenter, teaching popular music appreciation classes at Sacramento State’s Renaissance Society and at the University of the Pacific’s OLLI program. Agron has noticed how attendance, even online, alleviates isolation.
“Recently I had an elderly couple attending one of my Zoom classes,” he said, “and during the Q&A, the wife came on the screen and started to cry because her husband — who was suffering from a cognitive issue — started to smile and sing along with my music. I was blown away and so moved by the rawness of her sharing. It was hard to not start crying, too.”
Three universities in the Sacramento region offer unique learning opportunities at a fraction of typical tuition.
Sacramento State University’s Renaissance Society, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UC Davis and OLLI at University of the Pacific all have nonprofessional continuing education programs that cater to adults, regardless of background or education.
Maybe the best part? There are no tests and no grades.
Although their target market is age 50+, the programs are open to younger students who are interested in the subject matter.
Three programs offer variety
The catalogs range from how to best use AI to how to build interpersonal relationships. Music and regional history are popular subjects. Including all three schools, there are more than 250 offerings in an academic year.
In Davis, you can choose from more than 130 courses and events in wellness, history and the arts. As the UC Davis Sacramento campus expands, there will be offerings in both cities.
Participants also have access to specific scientific talks, director Kristen Gates said.
“We’ve done events at UC Davis Lighting Lab,” Gates said, “where we learned about circadian rhythm, and lights, and the technologies that are using color and the intensity of light in really smart ways.”
In Stockton, there are about 160 classes and Edventures in a year, including nature and social science. The global initiative and the history of the region’s indigenous people are among the offerings.
Programs have served Sacramento region for decades
All three programs have been around for at least 20 years. Participation dropped somewhat during COVID, although all three schools shifted to online classes, with membership numbers recovering over the past couple of years.
Programs at all three universities vary in length from a one-hour lecture to classes that meet once a week for a few weeks or for the full term. There are special interest groups, too.
Sacramento State’s Renaissance Society is the grandaddy of the trio, originating almost 40 years ago. It is also the largest, with 1,571 members in the fall semester.
“The story is that a couple of professors were retiring, and they felt strongly that people didn’t have an age limit on wanting to learn, and so they thought they’d do something about it,” said Deanna Hanson, board president.
‘Rooted in curiosity’
UC Davis and Pacific’s programs are both part of a nationwide network of programs called Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and funded by the Bernard Osher Foundation in San Francisco.
OLLI at UC Davis has about 500 members, and OLLI at Pacific had 482 members in the 2024-2025 year.
Each of the three programs has unique classes, lectures and events, but they share a philosophy.
Gates summed it up: “All of our programs at OLLI are rooted in curiosity,” she said.
Hanson echoed that perspective. “Learning never retires.”
Summer sessions are more arty
And curiosity knows no seasons. That’s why all three programs have summer sessions that differ from fall, winter and spring offerings.
Although art-related classes are offered between September and June, the arts take center stage at all three institutions during the summer.
“I think this may have been the third summer we did something like this,” Hanson said of Renaissance Society’s summer programs. “We had such wonderful generous partners who wanted to be involved with us, like the (Sacramento) Ballet, like B Street, like Capstage, like the Broadway series. It was just so fun. … And picnics, sometimes picnics in the summer.”
OLLI at Pacific skipped summer sessions for a few years, but last year created a “summer academy” with a theme focused on San Joaquin County, said program director Jennifer Juanitas. Daily learning included lectures and site visits
OLLI UC Davis has no summer classes, but the program typically offers four to seven excursions, such as a bus trip to the opera in San Francisco.
Lecture series featured at all three programs
Juanitas said OLLI at Pacific’s lectures are the most popular offering. Members gather in-person and online every Monday. “There’s history, there’s spirituality, there’s politics. We had a lecture on the sandhill cranes that fly out of Lodi,” she said.
At OLLI at UC Davis, Gates has implemented the new Dean Series, which features deans from various departments, such as veterinary medicine, presenting to the group.
The Renaissance Society features the forum Friday afternoons in fall and spring semesters.
“We try to bring together people, mostly within the community,” Hanson said, “people who are relatively well known.”
It is possible to enroll in programs at all three universities.
Connecting with communities is vital
All three university programs enjoy strong interaction with the surrounding community.
Renaissance members are asked once a month by their instructors to donate to the Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Food Pantry. The result has been substantial. “We’ve won their Gold Plate Award, I think, four times,” for most money raised by a university community, Hanson said.
Renaissance members also contribute to fund scholarships for Sacramento State students. “It’s not restricted to one department, although it started as a gerontology (department) scholarship,” Hanson said. “The most important part of it is there are scholarships for students who have majors that will tie to working with olders.”
At OLLI Pacific’s Summer Balance Clinic, “the physical therapy students do this whole thing where they walk people through some exercises and movements,” Juanitas said, followed by a “recommendation of what to do to strengthen and get better balance.”
The team at OLLI Pacific also helps schedule members for appointments at health fairs at which students in the Pacific School of Pharmacy help people review their Medicare plans and their medications.
Each of the programs operate under a different financial structure, piecing together program resources through a mixture of grants, campus funds and member fees.
The volunteer board of Renaissance, for instance, takes an active role in course development. There is only one paid position, which is filled by three part-time university employees.
Member fees vary by program
Renaissance Society charges $140 for an academic year, which includes all classes, lectures and seminars. There is an additional $44 fee to park on the Sacramento State campus for the year. An optional $10 annual fee provides access to the university library.
OLLI at UC Davis charges $100 a year, or a quarterly membership is $40. There are no parking fees for the Davis campus, but that may change as classes are added to the Sacramento campus of UC Davis.
OLLI at Pacific has a tiered program of four membership levels ranging from $55 to $115 with additional course fees of $15 to $250. The Platinum category at OLLI at Pacific includes courses, concerts, fitness center privileges, athletic events and more for $699 per year. There are several paid options for parking.
It always pays to ask about scholarships for any of the programs as well as one-term memberships. Renaissance Society offers free membership for participants age 90 and up.
Donna Apidone is a regular contributor, writing Coming of Age for Abridged.