With average life expectancy reaching , 78 years, our latter years are becoming even more golden; better health and new opportunities abound! One area that those over the age of 55 should consider looking into is reduced cost or free postsecondary education. Many colleges and universities welcome senior citizens and encourage their enrollment.
If you’re wondering why anyone would want to go to school at that age or why cash strapped institutions would offer reduced or free tuition to anyone, read on!
Personal Fulfillment
SeniorResource.com offers three main reasons why older Americans should consider going back to school:
1. Reconnecting socially with diverse and interesting people and avoiding the isolation that tends to naturally occur as people grow older and pursue their own lives for decades
2. Reinvigorating their lives by direct interaction with others
3. Improving mental and physical health by getting cognitive and corporeal exercise
To these I would add a couple more from my own observations as an educator. Do it for the joy of learning! I fondly remember a retired female student in one of my art history courses who participated enthusiastically for the first few days of class. She then threw me a curve at the end of day four when she thoughtfully informed me: “Professor Keathley, no disrespect intended, but I’m going to fail this class.” The rest of the students stopped packing up their book bags and laptops as their eyes bulged and their jaws dropped. The student went on to explain that she had just retired from a rewarding but unfulfilling career as an accountant. She explained that she liked numbers but “loved” art; therefore, she was only taking the class to learn and enjoy. She didn’t care to take tests or write papers.
Furthermore, the opportunities provided by postsecondary education are nearly limitless! Older students could, for example, experiment with online or hybrid courses where they will learn even more about communication in the virtual world and enhance their technical literacy. Better yet, why not look into an overseas study program, explore a new career, or get involved with the multitude of organizations and activities available to students. SeniorResource.com and AARP offer good starting points. Reaching out to a local college or university admissions office may also help you discover options and opportunities.
Finally, adults typically have an innate need to be needed and a responsibility to pass on their wisdom to younger generations. My art history class consisted of mostly traditional students, fresh out of high school. The inspiration a retired accountant provided through her very presence—learning when she didn’t have to because she loved the subject and wanted to be a part of our academic exploration—helped to propel these students to new awareness about art history and the value of learning. By the end of the semester, we not only treasured this senior citizen’s presence in class, but we realized how much we needed all she shared with us.
Learning Enhancement
To expand upon the value senior citizens bring to higher education, it can easily be said that they help provide a facet of diversity that adds to the learning experience for all. Educators are always interested in making connections between the subject matter in a course and the personal and professional worlds of students so that learners are able to apply their knowledge to better themselves. Having individuals in a classroom who can share 55 or more years of life experiences as examples deepens the exploration of the subject matter for students and instructors. They often share information that isn’t found in textbooks or Internet searches, knowledge that only comes from people who lived through events and experienced them first-hand.
In relation to this, older and younger students become natural mentors for one another, often offering encouragement in various areas. Those with 55 or more years of life have overcome obstacles so they can provide a clear testimony to younger students who have not yet had as many of those successes that they too can overcome life’s challenges. The energy that comes with youth tends to positively affect older adults, making them feel better. Although both age groups tend to feel intimidated by college or certain course subjects, having friendly, safe interactions with someone who reminds them of a grandparent, son, or daughter can set their minds at ease, allowing better learning to occur.
Institutional Success
All of the above will sound good to most readers; however, the basic question remains: Why would colleges and universities offer reduced or free learning when they could easily take in more profit from the increasingly large senior citizen demographic? The answer is fairly simple.
Whether they are labeled “for-profit” schools or not, all colleges and universities have a business aspect to them, and they must function well as a mission-driven, service organization, delivering a quality product to happy customers. At the risk of being too crass, postsecondary institutions are well aware of the product value older adults bring to their institutions. In addition to improving the learning that takes place and the environment overall, senior citizens bring with them a network of support. Chances are good they have maintained business and community contacts that can be tapped into to help the university in various ways like fundraising or in-kind services. All of this does contribute positively to that all important bottom line, especially when it is considered that in 2012, the over 50 population will be over one million people, the largest percentage of the population in history!
Hopefully more colleges and universities will foster this relationship with older adult students so that all the benefits senior citizen students bring to higher learning will continue to have a positive effect on education.
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