New Housing at Arizona State U. to be Retirement Community for Senior Citizens

New Housing at Arizona State U. to be Retirement Community for Senior Citizens

This sounds like the basis of a great comedy movie. Think of something along the lines of Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School.

Inside Higher Ed reports:

Retirees to Embrace Campus Life

New housing under construction at Arizona State University isn’t slated to be completed until 2020, but the university president has nonetheless dubbed it “the world’s coolest dorm,” and future residents have already secured their spots.

The residents won’t be typical college students, however — they’ll be people in their 60s, 70s and up. The housing complex on the university’s Tempe campus will be a retirement community with a twist — the residents will be able to take classes, make use of campus facilities such as the library with university-issued ID cards and immerse themselves in university life as much, or as little, as they like. They’ll also be encouraged to mentor and build relationships with younger students.

“There’s no reason everyone can’t be a college student and engaged in what this community has to offer for the entirety of their lives,” ASU president Michael Crow said at a groundbreaking ceremony for the complex, called ASU Mirabella, in February 2018. “We’re excited that we’ll have on our campus several hundred new learners, new teachers and new experts,” he said.

Crow said he wants to reconceptualize “lifelong learning,” a popular talking point among university leaders who promote the important role of higher education in helping adults prepare for new career opportunities. Retirees are often left out of the equation and have not been a significant part of those efforts, said Todd Hardy, managing director of innovation zones at ASU. While they don’t need degrees or certificates to show to future employers, many retirees do want to keep learning and feel engaged, he said.

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