Open house at alumni center

Santa Rosa Junior College has opened a new Alumni Center to provide programs and services for the college’s 1.7 million alumni.

The SRJC Alumni & Friends Association will hold an open house Thursday, April 18, from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at 1990 Armory Drive in Santa Rosa.

The center’s first open house features award-winning Shone Farm wines and a presentation by local wine expert William “Bill” Traverso, a wine retail consultant and professional wine judge with more than 35 years of experience. He also has more than three decades of wine competition experience both as a judge and competition chairman, and was a past member of the Sonoma County Harvest Fair board of directors serving as president and as chairman of the Professional Wine Judging Competition. Traverso is also a member of SRJC’s Wine Studies Advisory Committee which oversees curriculum in the areas of wine marketing.

Located on the edge of the Santa Rosa Campus, the alumni center offers a quiet space for alumni to access all that SRJC has to offer, connect with fellow alums, or use the private office and meeting venue.

The comfortable lounge can be used for private use or small-group discussions. Two fully-equipped private offices are available for connecting to the college or for other business needs. Staff members are on-hand to help navigate the college’s programs and services. A small 15-seat conference room with audio-visual capability is perfect for meetings, trainings and workshops.

The center will also offer year-round seminars, workshops and educational programs. The SRJC Mentoring Program will meet regularly in the center.

SRJC President Frank Chong said the SRJC Alumni Center will help fortify the college’s connection to its past students. “Our students are the core of what makes SRJC such an excellent institution, whether they take classes now or graduated years ago,” he said. “We are proud to be able to offer this great resource to our alumni.”

Alumnus Rick Starkey, class of 1985, expressed his appreciation for the new center.

“By creating a physical space for SRJC alumni, the college is honoring our experiences and inviting us to come back and be a part of the college today,” he said. “I look forward to attending the various workshops and events hosted in the new space.”

The SRJC Alumni Center is open Monday through Friday (closed Fridays in June and July) from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Visitors to the center need to check-in at the SRJC Foundation reception desk located next door.