LIFE OF THE MIND CONSORTIUM

RELEVANT READINGS

Digital photo by Richard Scribner

Brandon, Emily. The Class Goes Gray. U.S. News & World Report. November 6, 2006.

CLCU: Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities New York's 100+ Private Colleges and Universities. In Support of Seniors.

Caplan, Jeremy. Back to School. Time. February 2004.

Caplan, Matthew and Others. Intergenerational Engagement in Retirement Communities: A Case Study of a Community Capacity-Building Model. Journal of Applied Gerontology, Vol. 25, No. 5, November 2006, pp. 406-426.

Kelley, Robert. The Complete Guide to a Creative Retirement. Turnkey Press, 2003.

Larson, Wendy Ann. Back to School. The Washingtonian. March 1, 2005.

Manheimer, Ronald J. “Older Adult Education in the United States: Trends and Predictions.” North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, 2002.

Pastalan, Leo and Others. The Importance of Collegiate Retirement Communities on or Near a College/University Campus.

Roszak, Theodore. Longevity Revolution: As Boomers Become Elders. Revised Edition. Berkerley Hills Books, 2001.

Russell, Jenna. Thirsty for Learning, Seniors Fill College Programs. The Boston Globe. November 17, 2004.

United States. The Administration on Aging, US Dept of Health and Human Services. Census Statistics: Older Population by Age: 1900 to 2050. March 3, 2003.

"With full-span lives having become the norm, people may need to learn how to be aged as they once had to learn how to be adult." Ronald Blythe



 

Underlying Research

With more than 35 million people over 65 today and predictions for 80 million by 2030, both retirement communities and institutions of higher education need to recognize and to capitalize on the resources of this population. The aging of American citizenry is one of the most significant social challenges of the 21st century. Since colleges and universities have traditionally served as agents of social change, they have an interest in and may assume some responsibility for meeting this challenge.There are growing numbers of college-based retirement programs responding to the increased demand from retirees for ways to remain mentally, culturally, and physically active and involved.

Formal relationships between retirement communities and universities have existed for more than forty years. What is relatively new is the back-to-campus movement in which retirement communities are physically located on university campuses. About 50 colleges and universities have sponsored such housing for retirees, and about 50 more have projects in development, says Leon Pastalan, author of University-Linked Retirement Communities and an emeritus professor of architecture at the University of Michigan writing in Business Week Online. "Boomers have always expected more," he says. "When they start retiring in five years, they're going to demand more opportunities for personal growth. That's where the colleges come in."

Dr. Pastalan and Others write: "Our society has low expectations of people in retirement. 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' is a serious question posed to a child. We have institutions that provide a young person with the necessary education and training to take his or her rightful place in the work-a-day world. In contrast, if one asks, 'What do you want to be when you are old?' the response is Silence - Silence because very little exists in the way of institutional traditions to create valued or meaningful roles in retirement."

Thirty years ago, writes Helen Dennis of UCLA retirees "may have been looking for more of a rest. Today's group is saying, 'Give me a little rest, but I'm ready for the next challenge.'

The trend emerges clearly from statistics that show more older Americans are working, volunteering and going back to school than ever before. And it's seen in countless examples of older people striking out in new directions.

Digital Hubble photo NASA and STScl

"Reaching out in every direction!"

The Life of the Miind Consortium is the opportunity to engage in both a broader and a deeper exchange of ideas with university faculty and younger people in more sustained and interactive educational pursuits. The differing perspectives this kind of activity will bring is critical to all participants in today’s society. Both academic communities and leading retirement communities, as change agents, must look at the broader issues and develop an enabling culture to sustain and nurture older adults and the young people with whom they interact. Ronald J. Manheimer, who has studied retirement and university connections, speaks of residents as people who hold lifelong education in high esteem; the life of the mind is important to them.

“However, to harness that energy for society's benefit, Marc Freedman argues the need to create programs that capitalize on baby boomers' love of learning and community service. He advocates the development of new institutions such as a Center for Unretirement, to help prepare people for new careers; an Institute for Learning in Retirement; and Experience Corps, to let older workers teach and help others in a variety of fields.”

Older people constitute the backbone of American volunteerism, working not for money but to help others. In fact, experts say if it were not for the 28 million volunteers 55 and older—about half the national total—the volunteer sector would almost come to a halt.

Benefits to Willow Valley

1. An ongoing relationship with academic institutions will appeal to potential residents and serve as a substantial marketing tool. The large numbers of “baby boomers” now moving into retirement are especially interested in facilities that allow them to continue to pursue a variety of intellectual, social, and cultural activities without age restrictions.

2. Collaborative activities will introduce faculty, alumni, parents and students to Willow Valley Retirement Communities and encourage them to consider this community for their own retirement and publicize it to others.

3. Residents’ participation in a larger supportive intellectual and cultural community fosters the development of new and more valued roles in retirement. Emphasis on service activities provides residents with the satisfaction of continuing involvement in the larger community and demonstrates Willow Valley's commitment to its neighbors.

4. Residents increase their opportunities for intellectual, social, and cultural enrichment by taking college courses, organizing resident-directed seminars and attending campus intellectual, artistic, and cultural events.

5. The lives of retirees are enriched through possibilities for interaction with students and campus activities.

6. Universities provide an on-going source of part-time student employees and student interns throughout the communities.

 

"In the culture I grew up in you did your work and you did not put your arm around it to stop other people from looking--you took the earliest possible opportunity to make knowledge available." --James Black, Nobel Prize in Medicine

2008 Last Update