CU Anschutz Medical Campus Becomes
Age-Friendly University 

The first Age-Friendly University in the University of Colorado System

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has been designated an Age-Friendly University for its leadership in research, education and care for older adults.  The recognition is part of an international effort endorsed by the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) to create more programs, policies and opportunities for an aging population.

CU Anschutz is the first academic medical campus in Colorado to become a member of the Age-Friendly University Global Network, joining a small group of designated academic medical campuses worldwide.  CU Anschutz becomes the first campus in the CU System to receive the Age-Friendly University Designation, as well as #87 University and #4 Academic Medical Campus in the world to receive the designation.

CU Anschutz will focus its initial Age-Friendly work within the following pillar areas including: Research and Innovation, Intergenerational Learning, and Encore Careers and Enterprise.

Age-Friendly University Pillars

• Research and Innovation
• Teaching and Learning
• Lifelong Learning
• Intergenerational Learning
• Encore Careers and Enterprise
• Civic Engagement

In addition to the age-friendly pillars, the 10 principles are guiding fundamentals to ensure CU Anschutz offers an age-inclusive campus environment to work, learn and engage for people of fall ages.

The 10 Age-Friendly University Principles  

1. To encourage the participation of older adults in all the core activities of the university, including educational and research programs.
   
2. To promote personal and career development in the second half of life and to support those who wish to pursue second careers.
   
3. To recognize the range of educational needs of older adults (from those who were early school-leavers through to those who wish to pursue graduate and terminal degrees).
   
4. To promote intergenerational learning to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages.
   
5. To widen access to online educational opportunities for older adults to ensure a diversity of routes to participation.
   
6. 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.
   
7. To increase the understanding of students of the longevity dividend and the increasing complexity and richness that aging brings to our society.
   
8. To enhance access for older adults to the university's range of health and wellness programs and its arts and cultural activities.
   
9. To engage actively with the university's own retired community.
   
10. To ensure regular dialogue with organizations representing the interests of the aging population.

For additional information or interest in becoming an Age-Friendly University