Age-Friendly Universities (AFU): Necessary Partners for Age-Friendly Communities

Abstract Shifting age demographics are reshaping our social structures with far-reaching implications for higher education. Aging populations mean more older adults are looking to higher education to meet their professional needs and personal interests, and the longevity economy is calling for a trained workforce to provide services to support the health and functioning of individuals as they age. As well, there is a need to improve students’ aging literacy, along with developing synergistic age-friendly campus-community partnerships to address aging issues. How can institutions explore, create, develop, and sustain more age-friendly programs, practices, and partnerships? This presentation will introduce the toolkit specially designed by the GSA-AGHE Workgroup for use by faculty, students, administrators, and other campus leaders, and will provide an overview of the Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative and its 10 guiding principles for creating more age-inclusive campuses.

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Age-Friendly University Models for Engaging With Retired Community Members

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1730 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 535-535

Author(s):

Joann Montepare ◽

Kimberly Farah

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Community Organization ◽

Social Experiences ◽

Retirement Community ◽

Educational Activity ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Community Members ◽

Credit Hours ◽

Drexel University ◽

Aging Populations

Abstract The pioneering Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative, endorsed in 2016 by GSA’s Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), calls for institutions of higher education to respond to shifting demographics and the needs and interests of our aging populations through more age-friendly programs, practices, and partnerships. This symposium will focus on AFU Principle 9 that advocates for engaging actively with an institution’s retired community. Appreciating the diversity of ways in which this principle can be put into practice, participants will discuss the various ways their AFU campuses have built connections with members of their local communities of retired adults. Montepare (Lasell University) will discuss the living and learning model of the institution’s affiliated-retirement community (Lasell Village) that coordinates engagement in 450 credit hours of educational activity as a benefit of residency. Berman (Ithaca College) will discuss the Gerontology Institute’s longstanding relationship with the Longview senior living community and how intergenerational educational and social experiences serve as enriching activities for students, faculty, and residents. Elfenbein (University of North Georgia) will discuss campus collaboration with The Wisdom Project, a community organization of adults 55+ interested in using their skills and talents to benefit their community through action and advocacy projects. Wenrick (Drexel University) will discuss Writers Room, a university-community literary arts program, and their intergenerational co-living initiative, creating a network of homeowners and student tenants whose shared interest in writing and storytelling forms the foundation for meaningful cohabitation.

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Campus Support Providers' Discussion of Consent in Response to Sexual Assault Disclosure Situations: Understanding of Consent Linked to Resource Referrals

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/vv-d-19-00154 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 615-632

Author(s):

Kathryn J. Holl ◽

Allison E. Cipriano

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Sexual Assault ◽

Critical Discourse Analysis ◽

Critical Discourse ◽

Resident Assistants ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Campus Community ◽

Support Providers ◽

Sexual Assault Survivors ◽

College Sexual Assault

College sexual assault is a widespread issue and the responses of support providers can greatly affect sexual assault survivors' wellbeing after a disclosure. Although “consent” (or, more precisely, the lack thereof) is the defining feature of sexual assault, little is known about how support providers understand consent and draw from this knowledge in their responses to disclosures. This is particularly important in the wake of evolving consent policies in institutions of higher education. University resident assistants (RAs) are an important source of support for students in crisis, functioning as a “first responder” and providing support. Using a sample of 305 RAs, the current study employs a critical discourse analysis to examine how RAs engage with the concept of consent in response to sexual assault disclosure situations. Four types of consent discourses were identified: (a) affirming nonconsent, (b) validating right to consent, (c) questioning nonconsent, and (d) dictating how to consent. Findings provide a novel examination of how consent is understood, communicated, and reinforced in the campus community, and the implications of these discourses for survivors. Results suggest there may be benefit in additional training for support providers around the conceptualization of consent and how to discuss consent with survivors.

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Urban Agriculture and Campus Sustainability: Recent Books

Metropolitan Universities ◽

10.18060/21481 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 113-123

Author(s):

Stephanie Ritchie

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Urban Agriculture ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Campus Community ◽

Campus Sustainability ◽

College And University ◽

Food And Agriculture ◽

Planning Development ◽

Selection Of

Food and agriculture meet an essential need of all humans and the details of how food is produced, distributed, consumed, and disposed is of increasing interest (Hedegaard Larsen, 2016). To meet the growing expectations of the campus community, many college and university decision-makers are including food and agriculture concerns as part of curricula, and in the planning, development, and sustainability efforts. This selected bibliography includes a selection of recently published books covering issues relevant to institutions of higher education on food, agriculture, and sustainability efforts.

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AAC&U's Integrative Liberal Learning and the CAS Standards: Advising for a 21st Century Liberal Education

NACADA Journal ◽

10.12930/nacada-14-017 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 26-31

Author(s):

Rich Robbins

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

21St Century ◽

Academic Advising ◽

Liberal Education ◽

Critical Role ◽

Success For All ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Liberal Learning ◽

Future Success ◽

Cas Standards

The Association of American Colleges and Universities presented and promoted integrative liberal learning as a collaborative goal that all institutions of higher education must strive to achieve. The similarities between the goals of integrative liberal learning and the Standards for Academic Advising by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education are discussed with emphasis placed on the critical role that academic advising plays in support of an integrative liberal learning education, and in turn, future success for all students.

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Ageism in Higher Education: Historical Reasons and Contemporary Age-Friendly Solutions

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1725 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 534-534

Author(s):

Joann Montepare

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Collaborative Teaching ◽

Educational Goals ◽

Older Learners ◽

Diversity And Inclusion ◽

Age Diversity ◽

Aging Populations ◽

Age Segregation ◽

Prejudice And Discrimination

Abstract The need for greater attention to aging in higher education is indisputable. Changing age demographics are reshaping societies and challenging colleges and universities to consider how they can respond to aging populations through new approaches to teaching, research, and community engagement. However, ageism permeates academia in systematic as well as implicit ways, holding higher education back from expanding attention to aging. This presentation will describe how ageism manifests itself and how the pioneering Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative with its ten guiding principles offers a framework to address the neglect of age in academia by advocating for greater age-diversity and inclusion. Special attention will be given to an AFU focus on breaking down age-segregation by bringing younger and older learners together around educational goals of mutual interest, engaging in collaborative teaching and learning experiences, and building intergenerational solidarity in line with social-psychological principles known to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Part of a symposium sponsored by Age-Friendly University (AFU) Interest Group.

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The AFU Campus Inventory Tool for Assessing Age Friendliness in the Objective Environment

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1739 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 537-537

Author(s):

Susan Whitbourne ◽

Nina Silverstein ◽

Lauren Bowen ◽

Taylor Jansen

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Older People ◽

Preliminary Data ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Structural Elements ◽

Community Members ◽

Reporting Tool

Abstract The AFU principles establish a framework that universities can use to set aspirational goals. As AFU principles become more widely adopted, there will be a need for institutions of higher education to evaluate their progress toward achieving these goals. In part, the AFU goals represent structural elements of the campus, or the “objective” environment. The AFU Campus Inventory provides an efficient, form-based, reporting tool for use by relevant campus departments to provide information on age-friendly practices, such as the prevalence of older people on campus as faculty, staff, and students; the provision of courses on aging, advising for older community members, and such amenities as reduced prices for various services. In this session, the Inventory will be demonstrated utilizing preliminary data from campuses in Massachusetts to illustrate its feasibility. Participants will be shown how to use the Inventory for adaptation at their own institutions.

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Preparing students for community-based learning using an asset-based approach

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ◽

10.14434/josotlv14i5.5060 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 48-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Lisa Garoutte ◽

Kate McCarthy-Gilmore

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Community Partnerships ◽

Campus Community ◽

Community Members ◽

Community Based ◽

Community Based Learning ◽

Future Work ◽

Individual Role

One goal of service and community-based learning is to produce students who are more tightly engaged in the larger communities surrounding their institutions. Drawing on data from three courses, we argue that an asset-based approach plays a role in creating authentic campus-community partnerships that strive to engage students as members of the community from the outset and throughout their service learning courses. Asset-based activities help students come to understand the value of relationships amongst community members while also underscoring the value of their individual role in this group. As such, students are more prepared for future work within the community.

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“Thinking outside the Box”: Social Innovations Emerging from Academic Nursing-Community Partnerships

Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management - Social Innovation in Higher Education ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-84044-0_12 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 245-272

Author(s):

Cheryl Zlotnick ◽

Mary McDonnell-Naughton

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Community Partnerships ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Community Members ◽

Community Based ◽

For Profit ◽

Not For Profit ◽

Social Innovations ◽

The World

AbstractNurses comprise the largest group of healthcare workers in the world. Increasingly, nurses in higher education institutions are collaborating with not-for-profit and community-based organisations to devise programs, projects and interventions that benefit both their students’ education and individuals in the community. This chapter describes an integrative review of these academic nursing-community partnerships, focusing on the nurses’ roles, the students’ role and the lessons learned from the partnership strategies that blend the expertise of the community members and nurses in higher education.

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Age-Friendly Universities: Confronting Ageism and Fostering Age Inclusivity

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1724 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 533-534

Author(s):

Joann Montepare ◽

Kimberly Farah

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Learning Community ◽

Campus Climate ◽

The United States ◽

First Aid ◽

Online Course ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

Age Diversity ◽

Aging Populations ◽

Age Attitudes

Abstract The pioneering Age-Friendly University (AFU) initiative, endorsed in 2016 by GSA’s Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), calls for institutions of higher education to respond to shifting demographics and the needs of aging populations through more age-friendly programs, practices, and partnerships. Over 65 institutions in the United States, Canada, European countries, and beyond have joined the network and adopted the 10 AFU principles. Despite the importance and appeal of the AFU initiative, individuals leading age-friendly efforts on their campuses have found that ageism in higher education is a persistent, yet overlooked, factor holding us back from embracing age diversity. This symposium will feature AFU partners who will discuss how ageism presents itself in higher education, along with offering recommendations for breaking it down and promoting greater age inclusivity. Montepare will open the session with an overview of systematic and implicit instances of ageism in higher education. Bowen and colleagues will then discuss results from an AFU Campus Climate Survey that examined the age attitudes of faculty, students, and staff along with their views about that nature of campus age-friendliness. Manoogian will discuss the value of approaching the teaching of age diversity from an intersectionality perspective. Reynolds and Kruger will provide theoretical framing and dissemination models for the GSA online course Ageism First Aid within various AFU and programmatic structures. Andreoletti and June will discuss how creating an age-inclusive AFU Learning Community can raise awareness about ageism across campus as well as in the community where a campus resides. Age-Friendly University (AFU) Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

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