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The University of North Carolina at Asheville
The North Carolina Center
For Creative Retirement
Your Vision of 2012
Planning Document
Background Paper for A Planning Retreat
January 10, 2003
Planning Committee
Marianna and William Bailey, chairs
Luther Barnhardt
Jim Hegglund
Edward S. Jenest
David A. Johnson
Paula I. Robbins
Ron Manheimer, ex officio
In Your Hands
The Planning Committee of the Center Steering Council developed the
document in your hands in preparation for our January 10, 2003 retreat to
explore possible futures for the NC Center for Creative Retirement. Our
intent is not to advance a specific vision but to underscore why
long-range planning is important and why NCCCR should respond pro-actively
to changes in the environment that could impact our programs. “Your Vision
of 2012,” and the retreat are first steps in a series of conversations
about the future.
1. Some Elements of Change
When the Center opened in 1988, it was newsworthy. There were then only
about 50 other college and university-sponsored, peer-learning and
teaching programs in the United States – so-called Institutes for Learning
in Retirement. Now there are about 300 ILRs, including several in our area
(e.g. at Montreat College and Blue Ridge Community College). The ILR
movement continues to grow.
Nationally, other types of organizations have entered the lifelong
learning field, including banks, labor unions, university alumni
associations, travel-learning companies, hospitals (mainly offering
wellness programs), department stores (notably, the May Company’s arts and
humanities-focused OASIS Institutes), and special interest groups like
Seniornet, the national association promoting computer usage among
seniors. They join long-running programs like Elderhostel (started in
1975), tuition-free course opportunities at public colleges, and
educational programs offered by senior centers and agricultural extension
services. Added are the growing numbers of on-line learning services such
as AARP’s “Explore, Discover, Learn with AARP.”
Development has also brought changing attitudes about terminology. In
November of 2002, the Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN), a 12 year-old
membership association of some 200+ ILRs sponsored by Elderhostel (to
which we currently belong), announced a name change. ILR is out and LLI,
Lifelong Learning Institutes, is in. EIN leaders argue that, increasingly,
their members reject the label “retired.”
Several AARP national surveys underscore the name change. Baby boomers,
AARP has found, claim overwhelmingly (80%) that they are going to continue
to work “in retirement.” They may exit the labor force but will return in
different roles and on different terms than before: part-time,
self-employed, or in a new career. So far, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reports a slight increase in average retirement age. This is
the first sign of an upward trend.
As the arenas of aging, lifelong learning, and retirement continue to
change, we ask ourselves: How, from our little corner of North Carolina,
should we respond? Our program has not been static. Our curricula have
become increasingly diverse, numbers have grown, and our clientele has
varied. Soon we will move to our own building, presenting us with a unique
opportunity.
Picture the Reuter Center in five years, or 10! That’s what we want you,
the volunteer leadership of NCCCR, to do, along with the NCCCR staff. For,
if not us, then who should take on this challenge?
Points to Ponder:
Should NCCCR reconsider its current identity as an age-segregated lifelong
learning program for older adults?
What alternative frameworks might we consider? Which are feasible?
2. Whom We Serve
NCCCR has grown from about 180 participants in 1987-1988 to about 1600 in
2001-2002. Characteristically, participants have been white, college
educated, retired individuals in their late 60s. The majority of them tend
to be newcomers to WNC but about 15% have been in the area for 15 years or
longer.
Here are statistical snapshots of some 2002 program participants:
Of the 499 fall College For Seniors enrollees, 86 were first-timers and of
those 49 were women (57%) and 37 men (43%). Their average age was 64.3.
The new students had been in Asheville an average of 7.5 years; 63%
reported they were retired, and 15% that they were working part-time (the
remainder did not report work status). Enrollment rates in CFS have
remained relatively flat for several years though some classes fill
quickly.
The fall 2002 class of Leadership Asheville Seniors included 35 students,
of whom 20 (57%) were women and 15 (43%) were men. The age range was 49 to
86, with an average age of 68 for the women and 67 for the men. LAS has
had waiting lists for the last three years.
The Smith Barney Intergenerational Computer Mentoring Program, our free
computer literacy opportunity for underserved seniors, included 52
students in the fall of 2002. Over 50% reported annual household incomes
below $15,000, 30% were African American, and the vast majority of the
class were women (85%).
The Creative Retirement Exploration Weekend for 2002 had 145 participants
with an average age of 60 (the average has remained between 58 and 60 for
the 11 years of the program). People came from 28 states. There was one
African-American couple. CREW can accommodate, at most, about 150
participants and has come close or above the number for the past several
years.
Emerging Demographics
The NCCCR serves a number of publics: local folks; out-of-state people who
come for workshops, retreats and conferences; and professionals in the
fields of aging and education through collaboration with state and
national organizations. As national, state and local demographics change,
so too will the make up of the potential pool the Center serves. Our
largest service group is retirees and soon-to-be retirees in WNC and, in
particular, Buncombe and Henderson Counties.
• In 2002, NC had an estimated 540,000 residents aged 65-74. By 2010 that
number is expected to rise to about 600,000. In-migration from other
states will account for a significant portion of this increase.
• By 2020, the state’s population of people aged 65-74 is projected to be
988,000. WNC trends will mirror these increases.
• Buncombe County in 2002 has a 65-74 population of about 16,000, and
Henderson County, about 9,800. By 2010 these counties can expect totals of
20,000 (a 25% increase) and 12,300 (also about 25%), respectively. (The
numbers are projected to be 29,000 and 16,200 by 2020.)
• Older age cohorts, 75 years and above, will also grow commensurately.
Points to Ponder:
How will or can we serve participants who become less mobile or unable to
attend campus-based courses, programs and events?
How much effort should we make to ensure attracting a more diverse
membership?
3. Whom We Could Serve by 2010
The NCCCR serves a number of areas and regions. These are the immediate
vicinity of the Asheville metropolitan area, the WNC region, the state of
North Carolina, and the Southeast US and the US as a whole. We consider
each of these in turn:
Immediate service area: 45-minute travel radius from the Reuter Center
The Reuter Center could be the primary locale for Center offerings. The
Center would be accessible for those able to drive and those who can
utilize public transportation. Currently, public transportation is
limited. But we could imagine bus service at 10-minute intervals to the
UNC-A campus from downtown, the hospital center, Biltmore Village and
retirement clusters along Hendersonville Road. This could be supplemented
by on-call transportation to other points, on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Secondary outreach service area: counties contiguous to Buncombe
County/satellite centers
Reuter Center offerings could be complemented by selected satellite
centers in other parts of the four-county, Land of Sky Region, such as in
Hendersonville, Waynesville, Black Mountain, and the various high-density
retirement communities. These centers might eventually be equipped with
digital interactive video/audio, supplementing face-to-face offerings. The
NCCCR could serve as an experimental laboratory in the use of combinations
of face-to-face and digitally based interactive programs.
State of North Carolina
The NCCCR could serve as a model for other regions of the state of North
Carolina with concentrations of retirees, such as the Research
Triangle/Chapel Hill area and the Wilmington Coastal Area. Centers in
these regions could be electronically networked to each other to extend
offerings and exchanges on a cooperative basis. The NCCCR could also serve
as the State's center for research on retirement and lifelong learning.
The state of North Carolina might fund specific programs and projects that
benefit the entire state and its people.
National
The NCCCR could continue to develop its services as a research center for
retirement and lifelong education for the Southeast US and, indeed, for
the country at large. A full-time research staff could be established and
intergenerational student programs and courses offered as prototypes to
disseminate for possible adoption elsewhere. The NCCCR could also host
national conferences for scholars and for prospective retirees at the
Reuter Center or at conference centers in WNC.
Points to Ponder:
How do we weigh the relative importance of various possible future
clienteles?
How ambitious do we want to be in terms of program scope and regional and
national (even international) visibility?
4. The Impact of the New Facility
With the completion of the Reuter Center, we will have a model
senior-friendly, learning- conducive facility. Reuter Center could
accommodate seven classes and/or events simultaneously, varying in
audience size from 12 (computer lab) to 100 (larger part of divisible
multipurpose room). Also, space is available for committee meetings and
informal gatherings. With a larger, more flexible space, more equipment
and our own building, there are clearly opportunities to expand class and
event offerings. In addition, there is more to be managed and that will
require both paid and volunteer talent.
Curriculum and Clientele
With an art studio, computer lab, and dance or exercise classes in the
multi-purpose room, it will be possible to have greater variety in course
offerings. Course lengths, formats and scheduling could also be more
varied. A new evening and weekend program for those still employed might
be added. Vocationally related courses for people pursuing post-retirement
careers could be included. Special interest groups could also be formed
ranging from creative writers to business entrepreneurs to groups for
singles, alternative lifestyle followers, and caregivers.
Use of Volunteers
Volunteers will continue to be needed for tasks other than teaching,
serving as class reps, and serving on committees. For example, there might
be a volunteer to coordinate the use and scheduling of space in the
building. Volunteers with major responsibilities might be able to trade
their time for credit toward NCCCR program costs.
Generating Additional Income
When the Reuter Center is not being used for Center for Creative
Retirement activities, it could be rented out as a means to generate
income. A policy is currently being developed with the University
administration to cover this aspect of facility use.
Other Facility Uses
Seminars and conferences for a regional or national audience could be
planned on topics dealing with the spectrum of aging, retirement planning
and lifelong living issues. They should generate enough income to support
a coordinator’s salary and contribute to the general fund of the Center.
UNCA classes and special events will probably take place in the Reuter
Center, thus making NCCCR more visible to the UNCA community.
Availability of Parking
With parking conveniently available, enrollment may increase among older
students and those who are unable to walk long distances.
Points to Ponder:
How do we diversify our program and clientele without losing our identity
as a program for people “of a certain age” or life stage?
Do we want to grow in number or should we aim to cap overall enrollment
and maintain an age-requirement in order to ensure that NCCCR is more a
community of retirement-age learners than a continuing education program?
What should be NCCCR’s ideal relationship to the UNCA community?
5. Money
The NCCCR currently experiences financial constraints that limit the
Center’s ability to develop new programs and projects, advertise, increase
staff levels, and reduce the cost of tuition for programs and courses.
Further, about 42% of the Center’s current budget is provided by state
funding that may be unreliable in the longer term. After the generous
contributions made by members in the Reuter Center campaigns, fund raising
appeals to the general membership may have limited potential for relieving
pressure on the Center’s operating budget.
Fortunately, a variety of options may be available to enhance the Center’s
viability. NCCCR enjoys an excellent reputation nationally as an innovator
of programs that focus on the needs of individuals who are retired or are
planning retirement. The skills and experience held by the Center staff
and member/volunteers provide a solid foundation for programs and
activities that can significantly reduce the Center’s financial
vulnerability.
Retreats, Seminars and Conferences
The success of the Creative Retirement Weekend (including the Weekend
Warm-up) and the Paths to A Creative retreat suggest that a substantial,
and potentially lucrative, market exists nationally for pre-retirement
education and planning retreats and seminars. The Center’s national
reputation, combined with the availability of the new building, may
provide a basis to profitably host national conferences for a variety of
aging-related groups, such as gerontologists, retirement planners, and
psychological counselors.
Products
As the Center’s authoritative image grows with respect to aging issues,
the Center may be able to retail a variety of products at the Reuter
Center and via Internet sales that could be sold to commercial enterprises
with an interest in the aging market. Examples might include literature on
successful aging and retirement-related subjects, possibly based on
Center-sponsored research.
Commercial Joint Ventures
The Center should consider entering joint ventures with commercial
enterprises in businesses such as training, travel, senior housing
development, publishing, and distance learning, when mutually beneficial
opportunities are identified. Criteria for appropriate partnerships need
to be developed.
Grants and Endowments
The Center currently funds some of its outreach projects with grants from
foundations and commercial companies. Examples of such projects are
Leadership Training for Older Persons, and the Smith
Barney/Citigroup-funded Intergenerational Computer Literacy Program. This
practice of soliciting grants for outreach demonstrates NCCCR’s commitment
to the community and to underserved seniors. The Center could also
consider a program to solicit endowments from existing members in a manner
similar to the efforts of most colleges and universities.
Increased Membership
The Center should develop programs, enhance member benefits, and
continually reexamine pricing to increase local membership. The College
for Seniors remains NCCCR’s most strategic program. Most new members join
in order to attend classes. The relationship between enrollment levels and
the level of membership fees is an important factor. Since the marginal
cost of additional enrollees is low, increased membership would have a
significant, positive impact on the Center’s financial situation. But
growth may have adverse effects too.
Points to Ponder
How important is it for the Center to operate on a business basis with one
goal being financial independence from public funding?
How much of a national focus should the Center have?
6) An Exercise in Visioning
To get the creative juices flowing, the following is offered as a sample
Vision 2012. We encourage you to try your hand at visioning before you
attend the January 10th event.
In light of the new terminology and the national movement toward what some
experts call an “age-irrelevant society,” perhaps the Center could be
renamed The Reuter Institute for Lifelong Learning (TRILL). By 2012, TRILL
could:
• Have become a recognized innovator of intergenerational programs,
attracting increasing numbers of students 50 years of age and above who
are seeking to update and up grade their knowledge and skills while
interacting with traditional-age college students.
• Be a nationally known and recognized center for information, resources,
new thinking, volunteerism, and programs on retirement, retirement
planning, and the retirement transition. It will include a Longevity
Institute, focusing on a holistic approach to health and fitness.
• Serve as a provider of programs and products nationwide for individuals
contemplating retirement or recently retired.
• Continues to be an integral part of UNC-A, but become financially
self-sufficient, managed by a collaboration between paid staff and
volunteer leaders
• Become a magnet for both retired and still-working adults by providing a
balanced and progressive set of educational, social, and volunteer
programs for some 2500 members.
Points to Ponder:
Do we need a new image of the Center so that we can include programs that
cross the boundaries of class, ethnicity, and age?
What key qualities would we not want to see NCCCR lose in changing over
the next 10 years?
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