Continuing Education Center at Rancho Bernardo planning Aug. 28 reception

The Continuing Education Center at Rancho Bernardo will celebrate its upcoming season of classes with a champagne reception next week.

The free event will be 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 in the Remington Club II, 16916 Hierba Drive in Rancho Bernardo. To attend, RSVP by Aug. 25 at csau1@hotmail.com or 858-618-5520.

During the reception, attendees can learn about CEC’s upcoming season of classes taught by current and retired experts, many of whom are or were professors at local universities. CEC members and non-members are welcome to attend any class, with members paying $5 each time and non-members paying $7. Sustaining members plus Remington Club residents may attend any class for free.

Dr. Carol Saunders, a retired pediatrician who is beginning her second year as CEC president, said she enjoys the classes — that are geared toward retirees — due to their variety and associated benefits.

“Since I’m a doctor, I enjoy the fact that it is good for brain health to learn new things and to socialize,” Saunders said.

The organization has long been dubbed “a fitness center for the mind.”

The classes start on Sept. 15 and continue through May. Three classes are offered each week, from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. There is a break in December. Classes are held in the Remington Club II’s multi-purpose room. Free parking is available in the nearby Rancho Bernardo Vons Town Center.

“We have all kinds of discussions ... history, philosophic, literature, current events and entertainment,” Saunders said.

CEC began as an affiliate of San Diego State University’s Extended Studies Department. In May 2004, after 25 years of affiliation with SDSU, the current non-profit organization formed, with volunteers coordinating its functions. Members live in communities throughout the area.

Saunders said the classes — in most cases offered once per topic unless presented as a series — typically have 30 to 40 attendees, most of whom are non-members. “(Classes) are informative and entertaining,” she said.

An annual CEC membership is $50 per person or $80 per couple, which qualifies members to attend classes at the discounted rate. Sustaining members pay $200 per year, which allows up to two people in a household to attend an unlimited number of classes for free. For information, go to www.cecrb.org or call 858-487-0464.