It may also make sense for colleges
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 4:56 am
In their dorms, four restaurants serve better food than college food, and amenities include an art studio, a pool, a gym, and a game room. Only the second floor feels institutional, with a memory care center and rooms for residents who need round-the-clock attention.
This is part of a larger trend. An estimated 85 colleges in America are affiliated with some form of senior living. The idea originated with two college presidents who wanted to retire on campus in the 1980s. Today, universities from Central Florida to Iowa State to Stanford offer senior living arrangements. Andrew Carle of Georgetown University estimates that at least 20,000 older Americans live this way.
With more than 10,000 baby boomers in buy phone number list America turning 65 every day, and more than ever poised to hit that milestone this year, the opportunity for alternative retirement options is vast. Compared to previous generations, boomers are affluent, educated, and demanding. They want to stay active, stimulated, and not cooped up. All of these desires can be met on a college campus.
to accommodate retirees. Many are facing an “enrollment cliff,” driven in part by changing demographics. Nationally, college enrollment has fallen from more than 18 million in 2010 to fewer than 16 million in 2022. Carle regularly consults with colleges wondering what to do with the extra space. The smartest ones, he says, provide a continuum of care, including for the final phase of life. “Philanthropy is the icing on the cake,” he says of residents including colleges in their wills.
Bill Gates, not the one we know but an octogenarian former newspaper editor, moved to Mirabella with his wife, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry, two years ago. They have made friends with the locals but also, to their surprise, with the younger students. “Being around young people is really invigorating ,” Gates says. At “pizza and a slice of the future,” a half-pizza discussion group about artificial intelligence, one topic was whether a lifespan of 200 or 250 years would be desirable. “The 20-year-olds were enthusiastic ,” he reflects, but those in their 70s and 80s “had some reservations,” he chuckles.
This is part of a larger trend. An estimated 85 colleges in America are affiliated with some form of senior living. The idea originated with two college presidents who wanted to retire on campus in the 1980s. Today, universities from Central Florida to Iowa State to Stanford offer senior living arrangements. Andrew Carle of Georgetown University estimates that at least 20,000 older Americans live this way.
With more than 10,000 baby boomers in buy phone number list America turning 65 every day, and more than ever poised to hit that milestone this year, the opportunity for alternative retirement options is vast. Compared to previous generations, boomers are affluent, educated, and demanding. They want to stay active, stimulated, and not cooped up. All of these desires can be met on a college campus.
to accommodate retirees. Many are facing an “enrollment cliff,” driven in part by changing demographics. Nationally, college enrollment has fallen from more than 18 million in 2010 to fewer than 16 million in 2022. Carle regularly consults with colleges wondering what to do with the extra space. The smartest ones, he says, provide a continuum of care, including for the final phase of life. “Philanthropy is the icing on the cake,” he says of residents including colleges in their wills.
Bill Gates, not the one we know but an octogenarian former newspaper editor, moved to Mirabella with his wife, who has a Ph.D. in chemistry, two years ago. They have made friends with the locals but also, to their surprise, with the younger students. “Being around young people is really invigorating ,” Gates says. At “pizza and a slice of the future,” a half-pizza discussion group about artificial intelligence, one topic was whether a lifespan of 200 or 250 years would be desirable. “The 20-year-olds were enthusiastic ,” he reflects, but those in their 70s and 80s “had some reservations,” he chuckles.