Nationwide
events steer students toward booming aging
industry
The graying of
America's
population is resulting in a shortage of people
trained to meet the unique needs of these older
adults. To close this gap, 60 colleges and
universities across the country are gearing up
for the sixth annual Careers in Aging Week – a
joint venture between The Gerontological Society
of America (GSA) and the Association for
Gerontology in Higher Education taking place
from April 8th – 14th, 2007.
The schools' events will provide important
information about the wide range of
opportunities in the field of aging, raise
awareness about older populations and their
needs, and inform students and the public of the
many academic programs available to get one
started on a career path. GSA also hosts a
permanent job website,
agework.org,
that currently boasts nearly 100 offerings.
By 2020, there will be 53.2 million Americans
older than age 65 – forming 15.8 percent of the
population – and 6.5 million of those will be
over 85, according to the Census Bureau. The
array of industries that will be affected by
this shift is quite diverse.
For example, as early as 1987, the National
Institute on Aging predicted that 60,000 -
70,000 geriatric social workers would be
required to meet the needs of older adults
by 2020. To accommodate this demand,
approximately 25 percent of all Master of
Social Work (MSW) students would need to
graduate per year with a focus on
gerontology. However, in 2001, only three
percent of the 150,000 members of the
National Association of Social Workers
identified gerontology as their primary area
of practice.
Below is a list of the 60 institutions
participating in Careers in Aging Week.
|
Assumption
College |
Midwestern
University |
University
of
Houston |
|
Ball
State
University |
Nazareth
College |
University of
Iowa
Center on Aging |
|
Bowling Green
State
University |
North
Shore
Community College |
University
of
Massachusetts -
Boston |
|
Brookdale
Center for Healthy
Aging & Longevity at
Hunter
College
|
Northeastern
Illinois
University |
University
of
Montana |
|
California
State
University
- Northridge |
Penn
State,
Altoona |
University
of
Nebraska at
Lincoln |
|
Central
Connecticut
State
University |
Portland
State
University |
University
of
Nebraska at
Omaha |
|
Clark
University |
Rhode Island
College |
University
of
Nevada -
Las Vegas |
|
Cleveland
State
University |
Saint Joseph
College |
University of
North Carolina,
Charlotte |
|
College of the Holy Cross |
San Jose
State
University |
University
of
North Carolina,
Greensboro |
|
College
of
William
and Mary |
Scripps Gerontology Program at
Miami
University |
University
of
San Francisco |
|
Columbia
University |
Simon
Fraser
University -
Vancouver
Campus |
University
of
Utah |
|
Cornell
University |
Slippery
Rock
University |
University of
Wisconsin -
Madison |
|
East
Stroudsburg
University |
Southern
Illinois
State
University |
Utica
College |
|
Eastern
Michigan
University |
St. Bonaventure University
|
Virginia
Commonwealth
University |
|
Kapi'olani Community College |
St. Cloud
State
University |
Virginia Tech |
|
Kennesaw
State
University |
State
University of
New York -
Oswego |
Webster
University |
|
Kent
State
University |
University
of
Akron |
West Virginia
University |
|
Lindenwood
University |
University
of
Alaska,
Anchorage |
Winston
Salem
State
University |
|
Mansfield
University |
University
of
Evansville |
Worcester
State
College |
|
Michigan
State
University |
University
of
Hawaii
at Manoa |
University
of
Denver |
###
The Gerontological Society of
America (GSA),
founded in 1945, is the oldest and largest
national multidisciplinary scientific
organization devoted to the advancement of
gerontological research. Its membership includes
some 5,000+ researchers, educators,
practitioners, and other professionals in the
field of aging. The Society's principal missions
are to promote research and education in aging
and to encourage the dissemination of research
results to other scientists, decision makers,
and practitioners.
Established in 1974, the Association for
Gerontology in Higher Education is a membership
organization of colleges and universities that
offer education, training, and research programs
in the field of aging. AGHE currently has more
than 300 institutional members throughout the
United States, Canada, and abroad.
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