Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education

Re-Energizing Gerontology: Barriers to Program Growth and What We Can Do About Them

Chair(s)

• 

  Judith Sugar, PhD, FAGHE, CPG

  Associate Professor, Emerita
  School of Public Health
  University of Nevada, Reno
  Reno, Nevada, United States

Co-Chair(s)

• 

  Harvey Sterns, PhD, FGSA, FAPA, FAPS, FAGHE (he/him/his)

  Professor Emeritus of Psychology Director Emeritus Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology
  Psychology
  University of Akron
  Akron, Ohio, United States

Discussant(s)

• 

  Robert Maiden, PhD, FGSA, FAGHE

  Professor/ Director or Gerontology
  Psychology
  Alfred University
  Alfred, New York, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• 

  Harvey Sterns, PhD, FGSA, FAPA, FAPS, FAGHE (he/him/his)

  Professor Emeritus of Psychology Director Emeritus Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology
  Psychology
  University of Akron
  Akron, Ohio, United States
• 

  Judith Sugar, PhD, FAGHE, CPG

  Associate Professor, Emerita
  School of Public Health
  University of Nevada, Reno
  Reno, Nevada, United States
• 

  Donna Schafer, PhD, CPG (she/her/hers)

  President
  NAPG
  National Association for Professional Gerontologists
  Healdsburg, California, United States

  Slides Handouts
• 

  Maria Henke, MA

  Senior Associate Dean
  Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
  University of Southern California
  Los Angeles, California, United States

With the growing population of older people in the U.S., it is more important than ever to increase the number of well-educated gerontology professionals. Beginning in 1972 with support from the Administration on Aging, resources were mobilized to establish and fund regional gerontology centers that would provide educational opportunities at all levels. Over the last 50 years, important work has been done to optimize the development of gerontology education. So it is ironic that at a time when we need more people to work with older adults, gerontology degree programs often struggle to enroll students. Low enrollments threaten the survival of existing programs. We have not done a good job marketing our field either inside or outside academia. We propose an effort to develop partnerships among like-minded organizations to promote the field and to attract funding to re-energize it. A coalition of partners needs to work with the employer community to convey the value of a gerontology education and ensure that graduates have the skills employers need. Accrediting gerontology programs and credentialing individuals can help to raise the profile of academic programs and graduates, and to assure employers that their employees bring the knowledge and skills to work with and for older clients, patients, and customers. The symposium presenters will engage attendees in a discussion of ways we can re-energize the field of gerontology to strengthen our academic programs and recruit more students to take advantage of the opportunities and meet the challenges of our aging population.

Presentations:

• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

  Enhancing Gerontology Education: An Historical Perspective
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Harvey L. Sterns, PhD, FGSA, FAPA, FAPS, FAGHE (he/him/his) – University of Akron
• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

  The Current Status of Academic Gerontology Programs in the US
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Judith A. Sugar, PhD, FAGHE, CPG – University of Nevada, Reno
• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

  Professionalizing Gerontology and Credentialing Gerontologists
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Donna E. Schafer, PhD, CPG (she/her/hers) – National Association for Professional Gerontologists
• 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM PST

  Enhancing the Aging Workforce: The Case for Accreditation of Gerontology Programs
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Maria L.G Henke, MA – University of Southern California