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.

The Life of the Mind 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.