Community Auditing Program Makes Going Back to School Effortless

The College of Professional and Continuing Studies provides adult learners with an affordable way to expand their personal enrichment.

Mark Lipowicz last stepped into a college classroom in 1985 when he was in graduate school. But the former software project manager who retired in 2023 had time on his hands and a lifelong interest in learning. So the 66-year-old Albertson, New York, resident decided it was time to go back to school. This semester, he rides his bike to campus to meet with his professor and fellow students in his Philosophy of Enlightenment class through Adelphi's Community Auditing Program, which lets adult members of the community sit in on-or audit-classes throughout the year.

The program also appealed to retired teacher Suzanne Joel, MS '77, who took History of Cinema and Film last year and is currently enrolled in American Diplomatic History. And Lorraine Radice '93, MS '96, who retired from teaching 12 years ago, is taking her second Italian class on campus. "I wanted to get that feeling I had when I went to Italy and heard people speaking Italian, which brought back being in my grandmother's dining room."

According to Brenda Cruz, an administrative assistant in the College of Professional and Continuing Studies, while many auditors are aged 62 and over-and alumni-the program is open to anyone aged 21 and over not currently enrolled as a matriculated student at Adelphi. Auditors can take undergraduate or graduate courses offered online or at Adelphi's campuses in Garden City, New York City (Brooklyn), Hauppauge or the Hudson Valley.

Meeting Their Needs

Lipowicz said he's taken online courses through other programs but preferred the in-person option.

Joel, 77, of Wantagh, said she enjoys being back at Adelphi because "I like the learning atmosphere" and that she doesn't have to do any assignments unless she wants to. "I just want to learn," she said.

And that is exactly what the program is intended to do, said Cruz, explaining, "Because there is no credit attached to the courses, there's no academic responsibility and auditors are fully aware that they're guests in the classroom.

"The feedback from our auditors has been positive," she added. "The most popular courses are languages and history, and one that has become very popular right now is political science."

Lipowicz said what he appreciates most is that "the students and the professor have treated me like another student. It's a very good experience in the class and Adelphi also makes me feel at home. I feel I'm learning something at a much deeper level than I did with online courses."

Role Models and Lifelong Learners

Cruz said the program appeals to anyone seeking enrichment or who would like to explore a topic if they're thinking about going back to school. She said that the classes also appeal to alumni and are building goodwill in the community.

Shawn Kaplan, PhD, associate professor and chair of philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, who has included auditors in his classes for several years, said matriculated students, most of whom are 18 to 22 years old, benefit from having the auditors in their classes, because they bring a "wealth of life experience and different perspectives and insights" and provide "a model of a lifelong learner in the room."