SUNY Orange announces Encore senior classes for spring

SUNY Orange announces its spring 2025 Encore course schedule, featuring short-run courses ranging from one to seven sessions, offered in both hands-on and lecture formats. Topics include art, finance, health and wellness, history, literature, and more.

Encore is a program designed for adult learners aged 55 and older residing in the tri-state area. Most classes will be held at the Middletown campus on various days starting March 7 and continuing through March, April, and May.

Here’s the roster of classes available for the spring 2025 semester: “A Visit to Culpepper, Virginia,” “Aquasize,” “Birding and Traveling in Eastern Australia,” “Book Club,” “Card Making,” “Chair Dance Exercise,” “CPR/First Aid and AED,” “Crafting Paper Roses,” “Elder Scam,” “Friday Film Festival with Matt,” “Lydia Sayer Hasbrouck: Her Life and Times,” “Gentle Yoga,” “Historic Goshen,” “History of the Middletown State Hospital and Community Campus,” “Intro to NYS Criminal Law,” “Investments — Which Investments are Best AFTER the 2024 Elections?,” “Journey Along the Basha Kill in Spring,” “Learn to Weave Market Baskets,” “Making a Welcome Plaque,” “Making a Ribbon Wreath,” “Migrant History in the Black Dirt Region — Linking National and Local Events,” “Painting with Produce II,” “The Atlantic Slave Trade 15th Century to the Present,” “The Empowered Caregiver,” “The Galapagos Islands with an Emphasis on Birds,” “The Turning Points in the Civil War: The Impact of Battles on the Conduct of War.”

The “Journey Along the Basha Kill in Spring” is a three-session class held off campus at the Mamakating Environmental Education Center, with each session led by a different instructor. Book Club participants will read and discuss “Braiding Sweet Grass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer on March 26 and Percival Everett’s “James” on April 2. The Elder Scam class, presented by Orange County Assistant District Attorney Darlene DeJesus, will cover common scams targeting older adults, including technical support scams, check fraud, AI-powered scams, funeral scams, government imposter scams, and more.

Instructors include subject matter experts with professional backgrounds in their fields, as well as those with years of experience studying or teaching a topic. They range from professors and professor emeriti to community leaders, business professionals, artists, historians, and specialists.

Class sizes are determined by available facilities, course format (lecture or hands-on), and the ability to meet meaningful learning objectives. Some classes may require additional equipment or supplies. Detailed information, including class meeting times and locations, can be found on the Encore website at sunyorange.edu/encore.

To register, students must be Encore members with their $45 annual dues paid in full. Membership openings are available for spring 2025. For more information, call 845-341-4896.