Creating a Friendly Environment for Aging Students

Higher education's traditional model assumes students arrive at 18 and leave by 22. That assumption no longer holds, and for institutions facing shrinking youth enrollment, the question isn't whether to rethink their relationship with older learners, but how quickly they can do it. In Episode 14 of Higher Ed Chats, host Scott Miller talks with Aaron Guest, a gerontologist and senior director at Arizona State University's Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging, about what it actually looks like to build a university that works across the full lifespan.

The conversation starts with the Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Network, launched in 2012 at Dublin City University, ASU, and the University of Strathclyde. Built on 10 principles and modeled after the WHO's Age-Friendly Communities framework, the network has grown to around 120 member institutions. Aaron explains what separates AFU members from institutions that simply offer a few non-traditional courses: it's structural. At ASU, that commitment takes physical form in Mirabella, a university-based retirement community that integrates older adults directly into campus life.

One of the sharpest points in the episode is about intergenerational learning as a response to ageism. "Ageism is a rampant problem in society," Aaron says, "and the best way to address it is through intergenerational learning opportunities." This isn't just idealism. It's a programming strategy with measurable implications for how universities design courses, convene communities, and think about who counts as a student. Aaron also points to a blind spot most institutions share: "Universities have done a very poor job in some regards in engaging their own retired community, not just talking about alumni but kind of the breadth of faculty and staff expertise that universities develop and then seemingly lose."

The enrollment cliff anchors the second half of the conversation. Aaron frames it through the lens of the baby boom, noting that institutions had decades of warning and still got caught flat-footed: "Everyone knew it was happening but they didn't know it was happening to them." Age-inclusive programming isn't just a values question; it's a strategic response to a demographic reality that was entirely predictable. The episode closes with employer-university partnerships, including ASU's agreements with Uber and Starbucks, where micro-credentials are replacing vague continuing education offerings with something more structured and credentialed.

If your institution is thinking about adult learner strategy, exploring employer partnerships, or just trying to understand what the non-traditional enrollment landscape looks like beyond the traditional pipeline, this conversation is worth your time.

Who’s in the episode?

Dr. Aaron Guest is a socio-environmental gerontologist with training in public health and social work and is an Assistant Professor within the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging at Arizona State University. He is also the Chair of the Secretariat for the Age-Friendly University Global Network.

Scott Miller is the host of Keystone Higher Ed Chats and the Executive Director of Keystone's international division, bringing over 11 years of EdTech experience to conversations about global education.

After graduating from DePauw University, living and working in different cultures showed him that stepping outside your comfort zone doesn't just broaden your horizons; it reshapes them entirely. That belief in the transformative power of international experiences brought Scott to Keystone in 2010, where he's spent over a decade (and counting) helping higher education institutions reach students worldwide.

On Keystone Higher Ed Chats, Scott speaks with thought-leaders in the industry about what he's most passionate about: how education changes lives, how cultural experiences broaden perspectives at any age, and how Keystone's mission—connecting students with their ideal higher education institution—makes those life-changing moments possible.

Timestamps & Takeaways

Timestamps

Takeaways

Tap your retired faculty before they walk out the door for good
Aaron Guest put it bluntly: ""Universities have done a very poor job in some regards in engaging their own retired community, not just alumni, but the breadth of faculty and staff expertise that universities develop and then seemingly lose."" That institutional brain drain is avoidable. Connecting retired faculty to lifelong learning programs, advisory roles, or intergenerational courses costs very little and delivers expertise that can't be hired back.

Build employer partnerships around specific credentials, not vague training agreements
ASU's agreements with Uber and Starbucks aren't generic professional development deals. They're structured around micro-credentials that employees can earn while working, covering defined skills tied to real job paths. If your institution is exploring corporate partnerships, start with a specific credential outcome, not a broad continuing education catalog.

The enrollment cliff was predictable, age-inclusive programming is the practical response
As Guest noted, the demographic shift after the baby boom was visible for decades: ""Everyone knew it was happening but they didn't know it was happening to them."" With the traditional 18-21 pipeline shrinking, enrolling returning adults and older learners isn't a niche add-on. It's a structural response to a structural problem, and the institutions that build capacity now won't be scrambling later.

Intergenerational learning is the most direct way to address ageism on campus
Guest was direct about this: ""Ageism is a rampant problem in society and the best way to address it is through intergenerational learning opportunities."" Mixing age groups in the classroom changes student assumptions in both directions. For institutions thinking about adult learner programs, this isn't just a social good argument. It's a selling point for younger students too.

The Age-Friendly University framework gives you a structured starting point
The AFU Global Network, founded in 2012, has grown to roughly 120 member institutions built around 10 core principles. The network traces back to the WHO's Age-Friendly Communities initiative, which means there's established research and peer benchmarking behind it. Enrollment and strategy teams considering older adult programming don't need to build from scratch: afugn.org is where to start.

University-based retirement communities are a long-term infrastructure play worth watching
ASU's Mirabella isn't a marketing initiative. It's a physical structure that places older adults directly on campus, making age-inclusivity a built-in institutional feature rather than a program that can be cut. For presidents and provosts thinking about long-range campus planning, on-site retirement living is a model that generates both revenue and a genuinely mixed-age learning environment.

Higher Ed Chats

April 23, 2026

27 minutes

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Creating a Friendly Environment for Aging Students

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Aaron Guest

Scott Miller

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