Lectures

Date: Sept. 18, 2023

Presenter: Rajul Patel, Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Medicare Part D- The prescription drug benefit. Did you know that most Medicare beneficiaries have over 50 different Medicare plans from which to choose to get prescription drug coverage? Did you know that each plan has a different formulary, cost-sharing structure, pharmacy network, and drug restrictions? Come find out more about changes to the Part D benefit and how to lower your drug costs.

Date: Sept. 25, 2023

Presenter: Nancy Gonzalez St. Clair, Lodi Poet Laureate

Nancy Gonzalez St. Clair believes that poetry is a mirror of human existence. She will be sharing her poetry/ poetry of others. She will focus on the intersection of poetry and internalized/ externalized culture. Gonzalez St. Clair will look at culture as an emerging journey. She will discuss the illuminative power of poetry and core elements of culture that are interwoven within poetic literature.

Date: Oct. 2, 2023

Presenter: Cindy Spiro, Retired Athletics Administrator

As the first co-educational institution of higher learning in California, Pacific has historically been progressive in providing for women’s educational opportunities. Is this also true for women's sports? This lecture explores the history of UOP women’s sports, its pioneering female athletes, socio-cultural trends influencing its growth, and the impact of Title IX over the past 50 years.

Date: Oct. 16 (Pt.1) and Oct. 23 (Pt. 2), 2023

Presenter: Gene Bigler, Former Diplomat and Retired Professor

U.S. efforts to work with countries of Latin America face historically daunting challenges to manage migration, increase environment cooperation, and advance economic & security interests. Pandemic caused recessions are worsening. Migrants are even flooding across the Darien Gap. Chinese influence, corrupt leaders, leftist regimes & gangsters are popping up all over, yet the Biden admin persists.

Date: Oct. 30, 2023

Presenter: Phillip Merlo, CEO of the San Joaquin County Historical Museum

Immigrants, Industries, and Politics deconstructs the history of San Joaquin County through the lenses of settlement patterns and economic practices, and their impacts on political cohesion in local and state institutions. We ask simple but deep questions: what unites San Joaquin County communities? How is our County divided? Why? Attend the lecture to learn more.

Date: Nov 6, 2023

Presenter: Rolly Kali-Rai, Doctor of Pharmacy

The lecture will help sort our fact, fiction, and myth behind improvement of brain function (memory, learning, alertness) given the vast number of products available currently making such claims. We will look at the hard science behind supplements and medications used to enhance brain function as we age.

Date: Nov. 27, 2023

Presenter: Peter Jaffe, Music Director and Conductor, Stockton Symphony 

Join Maestro Jaffe in exploring how so much music has been inspired by things "extra-musical"--historical events, weather, birdsong, visual arts, literature, even sounds of whales! The engaging presentation will include some brief visual projection, audio examples, and Jaffe's own excerpts played at the piano. As always, post-talk Q & A is encouraged.

Date: Dec. 4, 2023

Presenter: Kim Anderson, Deputy Director for Planning, San Joaquin Council of Governments

SJCOG, a joint powers authority working with governments, community-based groups and others to make the lives of San Joaquin County residents better, is the regional planning, financing and coordinating agency overseeing transportation, housing, habitat conservation, Measure K, and the Stockton Mobility Collective, which offers options for people looking for clean, affordable transportation.

Date: Dec 18, 2023

Presenter: Ken Albala, Professor of History

The History of Gelatin, especially its rise and fall and changing popularity since the Middle Ages.

Date: Sept. 7, 2023

Presenter: Anette Isaacs, German Historian

Frederick, the Great has been occupying the hearts and minds of historians, politicians, and history buffs for centuries. Not only will we explore the captivating life and times of this truly great King who elevated Prussia from a local to a European Superpower, but we will also take a closer look at his relationship with George Washington who considered himself an admirer of the Alte Fritz!

Date: Sept. 14, 2023

Presenter: James Bording, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum Supervisor

Join James Bording from the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum to explore the essential role of the Papyrus plant in shaping the course of the ancient Egyptian civilization. This lecture includes viewing ancient papyrus artifacts, a papyrus paper-making demonstration, and a deep dive into the plant's role in ancient Egyptian mythology.

Date: Sept. 21, 2023

Presenter: Rajul Patel, Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Medicare Part D- The prescription drug benefit. Did you know that most Medicare beneficiaries have over 50 different Medicare plans from which to choose to get prescription drug coverage? Did you know that each plan has a different formulary, cost-sharing structure, pharmacy network, and drug restrictions? Come find out more about changes to the Part D benefit and how to lower your drug costs.

Date: Sept. 28, 2023

Presenter: Jaclyn Moreno, Program Director for EDGE Coalition, Retired Local Elected Official and Former Candidate for Sacramento County Supervisor 

Get a behind the scenes look on local politics including strategy, campaigns, fundraising, and connecting with voters from the perspective of a former local elected official and candidate.

Date: Oct 5, 2023

Presenter: Cindy Spiro, Retired Athletics Administrator

As the first co-educational institution of higher learning in California, Pacific has historically been progressive in providing for women’s educational opportunities. Is this also true for women's sports? This lecture explores the history of UOP women’s sports, its pioneering female athletes, socio-cultural trends influencing its growth, and the impact of Title IX over the past 50 years.

Date: Oct. 12, 2023

Presenter: 

Mike Agron, Music Aficionado

By 1965 Brian Wilson, the founder of The Beach Boys wanted to leave surfing & cars in the rearview mirror & create the greatest rock album ever. Pet Sounds with songs such as God Only Knows & Wouldn't it be Nice, is considered his masterpiece. It influenced Sgt. Peppers. Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums ranks it at #2. I will unpack why 57 years later this album was and is such a game changer.

Date: Oct. 19, 2023

Presenter: David Diskin, Microsoft Master

It’s time for to get up to speed with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and learn how it can help improve our lives. In David's lecture, he’ll demonstrate how to use AI to write and proofread our emails, create a meal plan, summarize a topic, and perform mundane tasks in seconds. He’ll also talk about the limitations of AI including privacy, bias, ethics, and accuracy.

Date: Oct. 26, 2023

Presenter: Keith Hatschek, Retired Professor & Author

How do filmmakers utilize music to advance the story and plot of a feature film? Join Conservatory Professor Emeritus Keith Hatschek for an interesting look at how movies and music have become intertwined in the art of film. We’ll look all the way back to the silent film era, survey Hollywood’s so-called “Golden Era” when each studio had their own resident in house orchestra and a stable of A-list composers on staff, and conclude with today’s film music, as composers utilize the latest computer technology to create compelling film soundtracks that rival the best of the Golden Era with the click of a mouse and keyboard.

Date: Nov. 2, 2023

Presenter:  Bob Benedetti, Professor

Bob Benedetti is on a mission to convince you that the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a cultural treasure. Bob argues great writers have found their tensions between humanity and the natural world. He considers eight in depth: Bret Harte, Josiah Royce, Frank Norris, Jack London, George Stewart, Leonard Gardner, Joan Didion, and Ursula Le Guin. Then he will introduce you to recent authors worth your acquaintance.

Date: Nov. 9, 2023

Presenter: Gail Knapp, Retired Professor

Today we are inundated with friends and media that make all kinds of claims. How can we know what we should believe? History has demonstrated that the best way to find out what is real and true is the scientific method. Every day we make important life decisions. This lecture will present how psychology and science teach us to look for evidence and to avoid errors in reasoning.

Date: Nov. 16, 2023

Presenter: Douglas Stowell, Principal Consultant

We live in a global society with instant communications, rapid travel access and increasing multi-national issues. How well is the U.S. performing in meeting the challenges that exist in 2023? We will cover 20+ topics such as: education, taxes, healthcare, climate change, immigration, military preparedness, prosperity, happiness, + in "Top 10's"!

Date: Nov. 30, 2023

Presenter: Terry McAteer, Retired Superintendent of Schools

This lecture discusses the presidential primary calendar and the election process. We’ll begin to look at polling, fundraising numbers and campaign strategies for this all-important election along with state and congressional races.

Date: Dec. 7, 2023

Presenter: Gene Bigler, Former Diplomat and Retired Professor

The new Atlas of Impunity shows how deficient accountability in several sectors of U.S. society, including the judiciary, corporate America, access to opportunity, voting rights, the role of dark money, and other flaws now rank us below the global top 30. Although quite complex, the comprehensive & transparent new measurement system reveals just how serious some of America's ills have become.

Date: Dec. 14, 2023

Presenter: David Kroese, Author & Lecturer

We visit over thirty parks that tell a story of scientific discovery, the industrial revolution, and the labor that built America.

Date: Dec. 21, 2023

Presenter: Asya Pereltsvaig, Language Expert & Historian

Since February 2022, a large wave of emigrants left Russia for political reasons, but this is far from being the first wave of emigration from Russia. Millions of émigrés left Russia over the years due to their political views, professional careers, and personal circumstances. Among them were scientists and engineers, writers and artists, singers and musicians, incl. several Nobel prize winners.