Age-Friendly Universities

Ardent Solutions is excited to partner with Alfred University on its journey to becoming an Age-Friendly University through the Age-Friendly University Global Network. The Age-Friendly University Global Network is an association of higher education institutions committed to promoting positive and healthy aging and enhancing the lives of older members of the global community through innovative educational programs, research agendas, curriculum development, online education, health and wellness activities, arts and culture programs and civic engagement opportunities.

Fall 2023 Semester- Age-Friendly University Session 1
Final Project: Cookies and Computers
Students planned an intergenerational desert and technology workshop at the Saxon Inn introducing community members to the following:

Social Media and Connectivity to Family and Friends
Internet Safety
Accessibility Features of Technology Devices

Over cookies and deserts, older adults and students competed in a friendly game of 50s-70s Pop Culture Kahoots.

Spring 2024 Semester
- Age-Friendly University Session 2
Mid-Term Project: Cookies and Computers II (April 12, 2024)
Final: Spring Fling Intergenerational Dance
Students are planning a semi-formal dance for older adults and peers to music throughout the decades beginning in the 1950s.

10 Principals of an Age-Friendly University

To encourage the participation of older adults in all the core activities of the University, including educational and research programs.
To promote personal and career development in the second half of life and to support those who wish to pursue second careers.
To recognize the range of educational needs of older adults (from those who were early school-leavers through to those who wish to pursue Master’s or Ph.D. qualifications).
To promote intergenerational learning in order to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages.
To widen access to online educational opportunities for older adults to ensure a diversity of routes to participation.
To ensure that the university’s research agenda is informed by the needs of an aging society and to promote public discourse on how higher education can better respond to the varied interests and needs of older adults.
To increase the understanding of students of the longevity dividend and the increasing complexity and richness that aging brings to our society.
To enhance access for older adults to the university’s range of health and wellness programs and its arts and cultural activities.
To engage actively with the university’s own retired community.
To ensure regular dialogue with organizations representing the interests of the aging population.

Age-Friendly Universities is funded in part by the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York through a GoLocal Grant