NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University is the first higher-education institution in the state to earn membership in the internationally recognized Age-Friendly University Global Network, and two leaders in that effort shared insights behind that effort with WKRN-TV News 2 viewers.

Deborah Lee, NHC Chair of Excellence in Nursing and director of the Positive Aging Consortium, and Brandon Grubbs, an associate professor in MTSU’s Department of Health and Human Performance, appeared Friday, Oct. 25, on WKRN-TV’s “MTSU on 2” segment to discuss the distinction earned almost a year ago and what it means to the university.

Watch the segment below.

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. By 2034, the Census Bureau projects that adults 65 and older will outnumber people under 18 for the first time.

The process of being named an age-friendly university first began in 2019. Lee and Grubbs called the journey, which required collaborations across the campus, a learning experience and a blueprint for how MTSU can grow its age-friendly agenda.

“An age-friendly university is one that is committed to positive and healthy aging,” Grubbs said, “and you do that by fostering opportunities for older adults to engage and learn and participate in all aspects of university life. These institutions promote lifelong learning, and they offer programs that promote personal as well as professional development in the second half of life.”

Due to the shifting demographics of an aging population, systems, including universities, need to become age-friendly, Lee said. Being age-friendly means that the institution intentionally designs programs, practices and policies to support life-long learning, provides opportunities for engagement between generations, and includes older adults in every aspect of the university community. 

“Older adults are a rich source of opportunity for universities, not just to increase enrollment, but to bring their wisdom and knowledge to the table, inspiring students, strengthening communities, and reminding us that learning and growth truly have no age limit,” Lee said.

MTSU has a long history of academic programming in the area of aging, and it was this foundation that supported the creation of the Positive Aging Consortium co-founded by Lee and Grubbs. 

The Positive Aging Consortium includes faculty from departments throughout the university as well as community partners with a mission to enhance the health and well-being of older adults by emphasizing positive aging through research, service, workforce development and advocacy. 

MTSU’s application to join the Age-Friendly University Global Network showcased the many ways the university supports and engages older adults. The application highlighted MTSU’s wide range of online programs, job-specific certifications, and flexible degree options — such as the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts — that can be tailored to meet the needs of older students. It also noted that Tennessee residents age 60 and older may audit classes without paying tuition, while those 65 and older can take courses for credit by paying only a small service fee. In addition, the Office of Nontraditional Student Engagement offers resources and support to help adult learners thrive at MTSU. 

The university must be reevaluated every five years to keep its designation as an age-friendly university, a recognition MTSU achieved by meeting four of 10 principles that universities can address.

“Our next application will include a focus on growing our research in the area of aging and enhancing and reimagining our Aging Studies programming at the undergraduate level and the post-graduate certificate in gerontology,” said Lee. 

The Positive Aging Consortium also hosts a Positive Aging Conference. “The feedback we receive from those who attend our conferences is fantastic, so we know we are meeting the goal of producing a conference that is informative and fun for older adults,” Lee added.

MTSU will again hold its Positive Aging Consortium on April 17, 2026, at the Miller Education Center at 503 East Bell Street, Murfreesboro. To learn more, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/pac/.

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)