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New Report Points the Way to Greater Postsecondary Participation Among Older Adults

Washington, DC (Dec. 9, 2008)—Despite successful efforts by some colleges and universities to create lifelong learning programs for adults aged 55 and older, many institutions remain stuck in outmoded, one-dimensional views of this population, a new report by the American Council on Education (ACE) with support from MetLife Foundation concludes. To meet their changing educational needs, higher education must rethink approaches to outreach, programs and services, and financial assistance.

Mapping New Directions: Higher Education for Older Adults examines how institutions can more effectively respond to the factors that drive older adults to postsecondary education including their desire to learn, connect and work. The report also offers recommendations to colleges and universities for broadening the participation of older adults who will comprise one-third of the nation's overall population by 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

"With increased longevity and economic instability, older adults are looking for greater mobility across educational, work, and community environments," said Molly Corbett Broad, ACE president. "Now more than ever, lifelong learning plays a critical role in their lives and higher education must find ways to better serve this huge pool of potential learners.”

Today, one in five Americans is aged 55 or older, and to get a clearer picture of how higher education is serving them, ACE conducted focus groups, surveyed colleges and universities, and held regional roundtables with higher education leaders.

The results found:

• Older adults are more likely to attend community colleges than students under the age of 25. Half of the college-going adults aged 50 and older attend community colleges.
• The top five areas of study for older adult were: fine arts/humanities, business management and entrepreneurship, human services and counseling, teaching education, and health services.
• Students aged 50 and older preferred descriptors such as third age and lifelong learning because they imply a continuum of learning. Members of this age group don't consider themselves seniors or even older adults.
• More than 40 percent of the higher education institutions responding to the ACE survey said they did not identify older adult students for purposes related to outreach, programs and services, or financial aid.

“Many older adults are eager to continue learning and to acquire new skills for work and service,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “We are pleased to join ACE in encouraging colleges and universities to understand and serve the needs of this growing segment of society.”
 
“If trends in delayed retirements and workforce shortages continue, higher education has the opportunity to better serve older adults with programs and services that meet their rapidly changing needs,” added Mary Beth Lakin, associate director for special projects in ACE's Center for Lifelong Learning, who is also the project director and report co-author.

The report is the second and final offering from the ACE research project, “Reinvesting in the Third Age: Older Adults and Higher Education.” Copies of the new report are available as a complimentary PDF on the ACE web site. Printed copies are also available by sending an e-mail to reinvestinginthethirdage@ace.nche.edu.

Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.

MetLife Foundation supports education, health, civic and cultural organizations. It seeks to increase opportunities for young people to succeed, give students and teachers a voice in improving education, create connections among schools, colleges and communities and develop leadership. Its funding for education is informed by findings from the annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. 

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