Collegium

Message from the Board

Welcome to the Winter 2026 COLLEGIUM Program.

Registration will open at 9 a.m. sharp on December 16 and can only be done online using the streamlined registration form that will open on December 16 at 9am.

Collegium Winter 2026 Registration Form – Fill out form

All classes will meet in person at the Knollwood Center on the SUNY Westchester Community College, Valhalla Campus.
Classes will meet: Wednesdays, January 14, 21, 28, February 4 (makeup day February 11).
Registration will open on December 16 at 9:00 a.m. and is online using this form – Collegium Winter 2026 Registration Form – Fill out form
Select two classes, one at 9:30 a.m. and one at 11:00 a.m.
Please note that classes are assigned first come, first served and fill quickly.
Tuition is $100 for two classes with a one-time semester registration fee of $10.50.
A staff member will call you within approximately two weeks to confirm your classes and to receive payment. No one will be available to call back during the holiday break December 24 – January 1. Someone will call shortly after the college reopens on January 2.

All our very best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Sincerely,
The Collegium Board

Winter Course Offerings

All classes will meet in person at the Knollwood Center

on the SUNY Westchester Community College, Valhalla Campus

Registration is online at: sunywcc.edu/collegium

Select two classes, one at 9:30 a.m. and one at 11:00 a.m.

Tuition is $100 for two classes with a one-time semester registration fee of $10.50

9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Oedipus Rex: Fate vs. Free Will

Leader: Andrew Bausili, retired English teacher with 21 years of experience at the Bronx High School of Science

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is arguably the greatest of the surviving plays from the
Golden Age of Ancient Greek theater. This was evidenced by Aristotle who used the play as his model when he codified the elements of tragedy in his Poetics. It has continued to remain relevant 2,400 years after it was first performed. Its exploration of universal themes and challenges of the human condition is timeless. In fact, a current version is now on Broadway. In class, we will examine this enduring work. While any translation of the play will do, the version we will use in class will be the one by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Leader: Michele Cella, retired Latin teacher with 42 years of experience in high schools, community colleges, and universities, lecturer in Etruscan history at the Etruscan Foundation in Siena, Italy

The “Grandeur of Rome” has fascinated the world for 2,000 years. Historians, poets, artists, and film makers have shown us the military power, the colossal ruins and the disturbing behavior of Rome’s rulers. Somewhere in all these distractions are the true achievements of the Roman World. Have you ever wondered why the Romans persecuted the Christians, did Cleopatra really look like Elizabeth Taylor, and which monument in the Roman Forum is incorrectly included in every movie about Rome? This class will examine the Mediterranean civilizations which influenced Rome and then discuss how cultural traditions, domestic and religious architecture, society, and laws of the Roman world are the result of these.

Are We a Nation of Social “Mediots”?

Leader: David Greene spent over 60 years as a student, teacher, teacher trainer, consultant, and lecturer

We have moved beyond political journalism, yellow journalism, the age of radio, and the age of television, which in the 1970s was called the “Age of Vidiots.” We have been amped up by the constant bombardment of unwanted ads, violence-inspiring phrases, divisive MEMES, and inciting messages. We now have tribes-based social media whose tribal chants and values are constantly reinforced! “Enshittification” describes the deterioration over time of online platforms, many owned by corporations whose primary interests are making money. Podcasts, political networks, discussion and community forums offer information, or is it disinformation? How do we know? Do you feel Nihilistic? Fatalistic? Pessimistic? Optimistic? Politicized? Commercialized? What is your clickbait? How does it all affect you and your loved ones? What can we do?

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Potpourri and A la Carte Art

Leaders: Sue Brownie, Collegium member, retired medical physicist, and native plant enthusiast; and Jim Burnett, JD, LLM, Collegium board member, retired FBI agent, and criminal justice professor

The A la Carte class, popular with its engaging speakers and its intriguing topics each week has inspired us to try something new this winter. We will offer two separate classes (not interchangeable) running simultaneously: one entitled Potpourri, the other A la Carte Art. Each class will meet for four weeks and feature its own set of speakers and subjects. See the following details:

Potpourri

January 14 - World traveler Chris McCormack, who delighted us in the fall with
his wild motorcycle ride across Mongolia, will be back captivating us with his travels in Guatemala.
January 21 - Avocational historian Stephen Paul DeVillo author of The
Bronx River in History & Folklore will engage us in learning about New York City’s
only freshwater river and its exceptionally rich history, local legend, and environmental wonder.
January 28 - Rob Buchanan, a board member NEASA (the New England Antiquities Research Association) and a 20-year independent stone structure researcher, will enlighten us on the mysterious, fascinating, and unique Native American Stone Structures of the Lower Hudson Valley.
February 4 - Digital innovation executive Lee Huang, who spearheaded innovation at major corporations such as NBC Universal, Marriott, and Barnes and Noble and advised leading brands like Amazon, Conde Nast, and Starbucks, will discuss Unlocking AI: How to Use it Today—and Prepare for Tomorrow.

A la Carte Art

January 14 - Joseph Squillante, will take us on a visual photographic voyage exploring the Hudson River’s beauty and challenges. Westchester’s Board of Legislators designated October 16, 2025, as “Joseph Squillante Day” for his 50 years photographing the 315-miles of the Hudson River from the Adirondacks to New York Harbor. Website: HudsonRiverPhotography.com
January 21- Art and art history educator and lecturer Julieanne McCarthy, who has collaborated with private art institutes such as the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, will talk about Vincent van Gogh’s art, as seen through the lens of his religious beliefs.
January 28- After 38 years as a teacher, David Greene dove back into the photography he loved as a child. His Black and White Only Human photography has been acclaimed and exhibited at both The American Labor Museum and The Piermont Fine Arts Gallery. Using his camera as a candid observer, he captures people in those transitory slice-of-life moments that reveal deeper stories. Come experience those moments for yourself! Website: http://dcgphotos.smugmug.com
February 4 - Emeritus professor of art history, Joseph Forte, asks if you’ve ever wondered what was behind the art and architecture of Renaissance Florence. He thinks you won’t be surprised to know it was money, Medici money. Come see and hear how it worked in the 15th century.

11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Post-Holocaust Cinema

Leader: Joseph Sgammato, Collegium board member, senior adjunct faculty, SUNY Westchester Community College, departments of English and Film

Holocaust films now number in the thousands, according to cinema historians. The focus here will be on four films that are holocaust related, dealing with the aftermath of the horrific event that is still capable of astonishing civilized audiences with its unspeakably daring evil. We will encounter themes of survival, continuing trauma, as well as recovery and multi-level guilt in these haunting examples of a genre that shows no signs of subsiding in this eighth decade of the postwar period. Program notes will be provided, and discussion will follow the film showings, with a projected dismissal time of 1:30 p.m.