MTSU first in Tennessee to earn global recognition as an ‘age-friendly’ university

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University has been named as the first higher-education institution in the state to earn membership in the internationally recognized Age-Friendly University Global Network, or AFUGN.

Dr. Deborah Lee, National Healthcare Corp. Chair of Excellence in Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Behavioral and Health Sciences — Dr. Deborah Lee

The AFUGN is comprised of more than 120 colleges and universities across five continents that are committed to promoting positive and healthy aging to enhance the lives of older members of the global community through innovative educational and cultural programs.

“Age friendly means there are policies and practices in place that support older adults and create an age-friendly ecosystem. We want to be a university that provides ways for older adults to flourish,” said Deborah Lee, holder of the NHC Chair of Excellence in Nursing at MTSU and director of the Positive Aging Consortium, a collaborative established at MTSU in 2019 to foster positive aging within the community.

According to U.S. Census data, 1.6 million Tennesseans are age 60 and older — the fastest-growing demographic in Tennessee — and will soon constitute one-fifth of the total population.

“Across the state of Tennessee, and across the country, a lot of our older adults are living longer and healthier lives. A growing number of students are nontraditional and a lot of people are pursuing education as older adults,” said Commissioner Ralph Alvarado, M.D., Tennessee Department of Health. “I think MTSU’s commitment to being age-friendly means both staff and students gain from the experience of intergenerational learning.”

‘Supporting people in their second careers’

Since the establishment of the World Health Organization’s Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Designation in 2006, there has been a significant push toward creating inclusive and accessible environments for older populations. This initiative has encouraged communities worldwide to adopt more age-friendly practices, enhancing the quality of life for all.

The AFUGN sets forth 10 principles of an age-friendly university. Higher-education institutions must meet requirements of at least two to four in order to qualify for membership.

“We received the designation based on activities and data that are currently in place,” said associate professor of exercise physiology Brandon Grubbs, cofounder of the Positive Aging Consortium and instrumental in garnering the age-friendly designation.

MTSU met the requirements of four principles:

• 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 left school early through to those who wish to pursue master’s or Ph.D. qualifications).

• To widen access to online educational opportunities for older adults to ensure a diversity of routes to participation.

• To ensure regular dialogue with organizations representing the interests of the aging population.

New and returning Middle Tennessee State University student veterans register and listen as Hilary Miller, right, the director of the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, provides information during a spring semester Newcomers Briefing in January 2024 at the Miller Education Center on Bell Street in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Daniels Center serves as a one-stop shop for the military connected student population on campus. (MTSU file photo by Cat Curtis Murphy)

“One of the areas we see ourselves as having strength was supporting people in their second careers,” Lee explained.

MTSU’s bachelor’s degrees in professional studies and applied leadership through University College both offer a lot of flexibility for people returning to the classroom as part of the state’s largest Adult Degree Completion Program. The Alumni Summer College is a three-day educational program that offers interactive classes, tours and fellowship for the public. MTSU also provides discounted tuition for older adults.

“Another route for them to pursue education is MTSU Online, which has really grown,” Lee said. “We are catering to older adults who are already in the workforce.”

MTSU Online saw record growth this past fall with 54% of students taking at least one MTSU Online course while the number of fully online programs offered has more than tripled since 2016.

In this file photo, attendees at Middle Tennessee State University’s annual Alumni Summer College participate in one of its “edutaining” opportunities inside a computer lab on campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Such events are just one of the ways MTSU became the first higher education institution in the state to earn membership in the Age-Friendly University Global Network, or AFUGN. The AFUGN is comprised of more than 120 colleges and universities across five continents that are committed to promoting positive and healthy aging to enhance the lives of older members of the global community through innovative educational and cultural programs. (MTSU file photo by Brian Delaney)

Community, university, global networks

Collaboration with the university and community organizations is also a key element of MTSU’s age-friendly designation.

Three years after the consortium was established, MTSU hosted the inaugural Positive Aging Conference to provide older adults information and resources for living longer and healthier lives. The biennial educational event includes seminars, breakout sessions, food and fellowship.

The university also works closely with organizations like St. Clair Street Senior Center in Murfreesboro to provide programming for members, and staff are participants in the Positive Aging Consortium.

“We’ve been able to connect with other statewide organizations as well like the Tennessee Department of Health,” Grubbs said.

MTSU also offers degree pathways that train students to serve the aging population through workforce engagement. Since 1999, MTSU has offered an Aging Studies Program and there is a post-graduate certificate in gerontology as well.

“We are revitalizing the aging studies minor to find ways to breathe some fresh air into it and find better ways to connect these educational opportunities. So we’ll be focusing time and energy on that,” Grubbs said.

Students in the Aging Health and Development course at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., from left, Alexis Mason, Victoria Jennings, Katy Champion, Sydnee Washington and Kylie Calvert lead a dance train in the activity room of St. Clair Street Senior Center during a “cruise” party held as part of class on March 29, 2024. Each Friday during the semester, students taught by Human Development and Family Science lecturer Samantha Weir, seen at far right, plan and implement interactive games at St. Clair as well as Stones River Manor, also in Murfreesboro. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

Grubbs said the process has been a learning experience and has given a blueprint for ways to grow MTSU’s age-friendly agenda.

“Besides the community recognition and enhancing connections with older adults, we are part of a global network. This is a group of higher-ed institutions made up of faculty and programs focused on promoting positive aging and healthy aging,” Grubbs said.

The AFUGN members must be reevaluated every five years and Grubbs said he hopes MTSU will be able to fulfill other principles on the list.

“It’s important to be recognized as age-friendly in the community, but it also gives us the opportunity to network with other educational institutions across the world that are doing things support older adults,” Lee said. “We can learn about programs we can replicate.”

Attendees gather for the second Positive Aging Conference, held April 5, 2024, at Miller Education Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Open to the public, the biennial event is geared toward providing older adults information and resources for living longer and healthier lives. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)

Dr. Alvarado hopes MTSU’s age-friendly designation will inspire other higher education institutions and businesses as well.

“For us, it’s exciting to see that we have been proactive in engaging older adults,” Alvarado said. “This helps address health disparities and also sets a standard for other universities. The designation is a point of pride to help improve the lives of older adults. We hope more universities will do this and it carries over into the health system. And we hope businesses will want to do the same thing.”

Learn more about the Positive Aging Consortium by visiting https://www.mtsu.edu/pac/.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)