Lifelong Learning

University-Based Retirement Communities

   You are likely familiar with the initialism HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and you should know about UBRCs as a reader of this blog.  The only reason I am again writing about this subject, is because I have some new sources to offer. If you put these together with my two former posts, you will have considerable information about colleges and universities that are welcoming senior citizens. If you are one and are interested in retiring to a campus, this will all be very useful since you are short of time.

   The one pictured above is in Tempe and associated with Arizona State. It is not a bad place to be in the winter. I learned about it here: "Welcome Home to a Community of Lifelong Learners," Sara Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 10, 2021. Here are some details:

"Retire on campus? Colleges find community with intergenerational living.

Ruth Jones lives on top of the world – her world, anyway.

From nine stories high, she can gaze down at a sun-smothered, urban Arizona sprawl featuring a school she began serving in 1981 – the top of an auditorium here, her last faculty office there.

The former political science professor is so fond of Arizona State University that she retired on campus.

“One of my former professors said, ‘Stay on campus as long as you possibly can. … Because those students will keep you young,’” she recalls. “I realized the wisdom in what he said.”

Dr. Jones lives in a high-end, intergenerational senior living residence that opened on the Tempe campus last year. With perks like access to classes and campus IDs, Mirabella at ASU is billed as an immersive alternative to traditional lifelong learning. Retirees here are convinced they have more to give, rejecting a mindset of decline for one of usefulness and growth."

Mirabella’s sleek 20-story tower opened its doors last December. Surrounded by traffic and eateries, it sits on the urban edge of the Tempe campus, which hosts roughly 55,000 students. U.S. News and World Report ranks ASU first for innovation.

“We believe strongly at ASU in the idea that we should all be lifelong learners,” says Morgan Olsen, executive vice president, treasurer, and chief financial officer of the school.

Mirabella’s couple-hundred residents, ages 62 and older, are largely white and presumably well-off. (Entrance fees range from $382,400 to over a million dollars, on top of monthly service fees up to $7,800.) Some residents have moved there from across the country, while several have ties to the university as alumni or former employees, like Dr. Jones, who mentions enjoying an undergrad course on world religions and recreational art classes at Mirabella.

Another Mirabella resident, Richard Ruff, who, with his wife, Janet Spirer, divides his time between here and San Diego, also connects with students on academic topics. A retired organizational psychologist, he mentored students this past semester through the Center for Entrepreneurship. Along with helping him feel purposeful, the gig afforded him welcome insight into kids these days.

Older adults seek three things, says Andrew Carle, a senior living and aging industry consultant: “They’re looking for active, they’re looking for intellectually stimulating, and they’re looking for intergenerational retirement environments. And basically, I just described a college campus.”

  The article includes a link to Lasell Village, another UBRC, which is in Newton, MA. Here is a description:

 Lasell Village, sponsored by Lasell University, is home to an average of 225 residents in its independent living apartments. Lasell Village also provides supported living, short-term rehabilitation services and long-term skilled care, as well as in-home healthcare. This award-winning community invites residents to experience senior living and retirement in a whole new way, by promoting an active, intellectually enriched lifestyle in a college setting.

A sample endorsement:

“The connection with Lasell University has made me feel like a student again—it’s something I never thought I would experience while living in a retirement community!”

  More importantly, the article also includes a link to RetirementLiving.com which provides a list of such communities. There are two close by and one is at Hillsdale College, which would be a very comfortable place to be if you are conservative. Here is a description of University Commons at the U. of M.:

"Bordering the University of Michigan’s North Campus in Ann Arbor, University Commons is a condominium community consisting of ninety-two independently owned residences. The buildings, townhomes, and villas of University Commons blend into the natural setting of hardwood forest and natural wetlands. Formally opened in 2001, University Commons was originally conceived in the 1980's by university faculty members who envisioned an intellectually satisfying living style and life-long learning, combined with the convenience of condominium living.

Community members are at least 55 years old and include faculty and staff of the University of Michigan as well as other colleges and universities, professionals and business people. Many continue to work full or part-time in paid or volunteer positions. University Commons is often described as a university oriented, academically inclined and intellectually curious community."

By the way, RetirementLiving is a very good source for all things geriatric. 

Sources:

With the above information and these two posts, you will have a good bibliography relating to  UBRCs.  Retiring Back to University and Campus Corner.