「经济学人」Back to school

For universities, the boomer business is one way of responding to the enrolment cliff

“Are we alone in the universe? That’s the core question we’re trying to answer here,” Meenakshi Wadhwa, a planetary scientist with ties to nasa, tells her spellbound class. As she explains that to answer this “we need to go back to Mars to collect rocks”, one student scribbles notes while another holds up an iPhone to take a snap of the slides. In many ways this lecture hall at Arizona State University (ASU) is like any other. A group of keen women sit attentively in the front row; the men are spread out in the back. But the hearing aids hint at how unusual this class is.

Mirabella, a 20-storey “university retirement community” on ASU’s campus, is home to over 300 pensioners. When it opened its doors in 2020, the senior-living facility was nearly fully subscribed, despite the pandemic. Most residents are having a ball. They get a university pass, which allows them to attend the same classes and cultural events as students, but with the distinct benefit of not having to take exams. Golf buggies can drive them around the sprawling campus, though many are still fit enough to mountain bike.

In their dorms, four restaurants serve better food than college grub and amenities include an art studio, a pool and gym, and a games room. Only the second floor feels institutional, with a memory-care centre and rooms for residents who need round-the-clock attention. Sometimes one half of a couple moves to this floor, says Lindsey Beagley, head of lifelong university engagement.

This is part of a wider trend. An estimated 85 colleges in America are affiliated with some form of senior living. The idea sprang from two college presidents who wanted to retire on campus in the 1980s. Today, universities from Central Florida to Iowa State to Stanford offer senior-living arrangements. Andrew Carle, at Georgetown University, estimates that as many as 20,000 older Americans live like this.

With more than 10,000 baby-boomers in America turning 65 every day, and more set to hit that milestone this year than ever before, the opportunity for alternative forms of retirement is large. Compared with previous generations, boomers are wealthy, educated and picky. They want to remain active, stimulated and not locked away. These wishes can all be met on a university campus.

For universities, welcoming pensioners can make sense too. Many face an “enrolment cliff”, caused partly by demographic shifts. Nationally, undergraduate enrolment dropped from over 18m in 2010 to below 16m in 2022. Mr Carle regularly consults with universities who wonder what to do with the extra space. The smartest ones, he says, provide a continuum of care—including for the very last stage of life. “The philanthropy is the icing on the cake,” he says of the potential that residents will include universities in their wills.

Bill Gates—not that one, but an 80-year-old former newspaper editor—moved to Mirabella with his wife, who has a phd in chemistry, two years ago. They have made friends with residents but also, to their surprise, with younger students. “Being among young people is really invigorating,” says Mr Gates. At “pizza and a slice of future”, a discussion group about ai with pizza served halfway through, one of the topics was whether a lifespan of 200 or 250 years would be desirable. “The 20-year-olds were enthusiastic,” he reflects, but those in their 70s and 80s “had some reservations”, he chuckles.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Back to school” (June 13th 2024)

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