Mark your calendar!

Important dates for Fall semester, 2010

Catalog mailed and available on web: August 17
Registration open via catalog registration form or online: August 23
Kick-off meeting and orientation for new members: September 1
Semester begins: September 13

President's Message

Members and Friends: What’s New?

New Officers:: In addition to my taking over from Ron Mandelbaum who has served for the past two years as president, there are several other new board members whose names and titles appear on the Board of Directors page of this website.
New Lecture Series Subscription:: See the Lectures page for details on how members can now pay only $45 in advance to attend as many of the 11 scheduled lectures without paying anything at the door. Simply give your name and walk on in!
New Snow Closure Policy:: See the Fees and General Information page for clarification of the conditions when classes, lectures, and/or trips will be canceled due to snow or ice. In particular, see the instructions on how to find out if your class, lecture, or trip has been canceled.
Valerie Plame & Joe Wilson "Class": We're pleased that these two have agreed to present a two-hour Renesan lecture on September 14 (see C-14). We've listed it as a course so that enrollment is limited to members only. But don't delay sending in your registration form because enrollment is limited.

These are just some of the highlights you'll find as you study the website.

Enjoy! See you in class.
K. Paul Jones, President

Call for Volunteers!

Renesan is a volunteer organization. The classes, lectures, and trips offered each semester come about only through the efforts of our many volunteers. Please consider further participation in Renesan by becoming a volunteer! Volunteers are needed for classroom setup and take down, collecting fees at each lecture, operating audio-visual equipment, general office help, database input and maintenance, and to help produce our catalog. To volunteer, you may call the Renesan office at 982.9274 or return the Volunteer Form available in the Forms section of this website.

Sneak your Peek!

Here is a preview of some of our exciting classes, lectures, and trips for the Fall semester. For a more detailed listing with dates and times see the Curriculum tab on the navigation bar. Renesan's success has been due to the participation of its members in all phases of the operation. If you have suggestions about new curriculum content, or would like to suggest a topic or speaker, please contact us at renesan.curriculum@gmail.com. We welcome all input.

Valerie Plame Wilson and Joe Wilson present Speaking Truth to Power. Special class on Tuesday, September 14, 10-noon at Renesan.
For live theatre fans, we offer Love Letters by A.R. Gurney. Play read by noted local actors, Alaina Zachary as “Melissa” and Forrest Fyre as “Andrew”. Special class on Wednesday, September 29, 2-4, at the Unitarian Church.
K. Paul Jones contrasts the lives of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin in Parallel Studies in Tyranny, while historian Duane Roller takes a fascinating look at Cleopatra's world in Women of Antiquity. Beth Chambers returns to Central America with her course, Warfare of the Mayans.
For those interested in history a little closer to home, we'll present two classes focusing on New Mexican history: Time Line of Santa Fe, taught by Allan Wheeler, and Robert Tórrez' History of New Mexico.
The Simonsens—Martha and Ken—introduce us to The Golden Ages of Islamic Civilization.
Kathy Adelsheim has two sections of her class Movies. The New Yorker will be another returning Renesan favorite.
Bill Stewart is presenting two classes – Middle East History and Hot Spots.
Those interested in music can choose from a wonderful selection of classes, including Carol Redman's Evolution of the Flute, Sergio Rodriquez's Music and the Piano, and Tim Willson's Favorite Voices in Opera.
Rose Provan's Readers' Theater gives would-be actors the “chops” as they act out scenes from famous plays.
Martha Yates continues her class on the Iliad. Martha Wallace's class Women in India will focus on both the contemporary and traditional roles of Indian women.
And for an excellent combination of New Mexico history and culture, take a look at Lib O'Brien's class on authors Willa Cather and Leslie Marmon Silko, Two Writers of the Southwest.
The 2010 national mid-term election and our political system are the subject of Neil Heighberger's class, Political Parties, the Driving Force of American Politics.
And James Fitzpatrick examines the age-old problem of the ownership of antiquities in his class, Who Owns the Past: Indiana Jones and the Elgin Marbles. Also of particular interest will be a Thursday lecture, by FBI agent David Kice, Federal Art and Antiquities Crime in the Southwest.
Carol Canfield will be our new guide on Gallery Tours.
And David Osborn will again present a two-class session and Theaterwork play.
Classes by Renesan favorites Al Sanborn, on The Great Recession, Susan McGreevey, lecturing on An Adventure in Southwestern Anthropology, and Herb Beenhouwer, on Introduction to Philosphy, round out our schedule of classes.
Our Thursday lecture series will include talks by musician Joe Illick, chef Rocky Durham, writer Kathleene Parker, artist Robert Shlaer, Rabbi Ben Morrow, and political insider Fred Nathan. We've also rescheduled the lecture by Robert Himmerich-Valencia, postponed from Spring, 2010.
Trips for the Fall session are led by Kirt Kempner, Martha Yates, and Nancy Daniel. We're also scheduling a visit to the Allan Houser Sculpture Garden.

See the Curriculum tab on the navigation bar to view information on classes, lectures, and trips and to view a calendar of these events. We make this information available early on our web site to give members a chance to plan their personal calendars for Renesan classes, this fall. Our fall catalog containing complete listings of all events, including a registration form, will be mailed on August 17; a registration form will be placed online starting on August 23. We suggest registering as soon as the registration form is available because some events fill up quickly.