Generations Connect

Illinois has taken a giant step forward in the quest to engage every resource to strengthen the educational system. Thirty Generations Connect meetings sponsored by presidents and chancellors featured dialogue: retirees and students discussed their lives, their interdependence, and the future.

Strength and energy were apparent in the 30 Generations Connect meetings, a series sponsored by university and community college presidents and chancellors in September and October. Students, retirees and faculty discussed the importance of linking generations to address problems and challenges of higher education.

The Generations Connect meetings were planned on each campus by a convener appointed by the president or chancellor. The conveners gathered others from campus and the community to prepare an agenda, invite students and retirees, and set the date.

During the planning, students asked, “Why would I want to spend time talking to old people? What would I say to them?” But after the events, these students were the first to ask, “Can we do this again?”
The spirit of cooperation was abundant. The University of Illinois Springfield and Lincoln Land Community College partnered in developing their meeting, which had a timely dimension––caregiving. Information was provided for their employees, which was a project through the gerontology program at UIS.

Some started the meetings with ice breakers. Joliet Junior College gave each student and retiree a paper holding complimentary words, such as salt and pepper, to help them find their partner. Other campuses told stories about the past: Frontier Community College started with a story written in a cookbook. The College of DuPage featured a session on myths about age and youth. Governors State started by telling stories about people who had blessed their lives. Kankakee asked participants to compare slang words of their generation for the names of people or things.

Conveners reported that some dramatic stories were shared by participants. At John A. Logan, a student told about a suicide, and she wondered if it might have been prevented if an older person had been available to talk. A student at Triton shared a touching story about her grandmother and hoped her daughter might have the same experiences.

A retiree from McHenry Community College commented that being around students helps her stay current with the world. At Northern Illinois University, gerontology students compared attitudes about aging in the United States and in India. At Richland Community College, retirees and students agreed that they don’t know much about other generations, and said they need to spend more time around each other. Shawnee Community College participants focused on the workforce and students asked the retirees about jobs.

Several colleges found that Generations Connect discussions worked best in a course, particularly a gerontology course or in cooperation with older learners. Rend Lake College and Southwestern Illinois College piggy-backed on lifelong learning programs. Kishwaukee Community College invited their U of I Extension Master Gardeners to a horticulture class and the wisdom flowed.

Some Generations Connect meetings featured dignitaries. At Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones Jr. and IBHE Chairman James Kaplan attended. At Oakton, intergenerational pioneer Helene Block shared her love of intergenerational programs. Many presidents participated in the meetings, and one, President Al Goldfarb, WIU, hosted the Generations Connect meeting in his home.

There were plenty of creative ideas for future meetings. Chicago State suggested a rap session to discuss barriers in language and share pop culture; Black Hawk
Community College is planning a course contrasting old and current TV segments; and John Wood Community College will pair
student nurses with retirees so they have a better understanding of aging. The Senior Professionals Program at Illinois State University is preparing mock interviews to help students improve their job-seeking skills.

Some of the 30 sites reported having a difficult time recruiting students. Olney Central Community College solved that problem by asking the students to invite older community members to attend. Only one university, UIUC, had multiple meetings which targeted college students and high school students. One meeting was held on campus and the other through the U of I Extension in Mount Prospect, in cooperation with several high schools and senior centers.

Illinois has taken a giant step forward to strengthen education through a growing resource, retirees. Presidents and chancellors understand that retirees have boundless potential. If we don’t make them part of the plan for higher education, we neglect a rich resource.

What’s next? First, campus plans will establish an ongoing system to involve retirees. Second, the next wave of Generations Connect 2007 meetings is being planned. These projects will symbolically weave the strands of age and culture together and increase the momentum for intergenerational leadership.

When asked how older and younger generations could make the world a better place, the Generations Connect participants said create a climate of understanding.

The 500+ retirees, educators, and students who participated in the Generations Connect meetings completed a 12-question survey about the needs and contributions of younger and older generations, their perceptions of what they could do together, their ideas on leadership, and the importance of learning more about other generations.

The most telling finding was that 69.4% of those who completed the survey felt they would benefit from more frequent contact with other generations. Clearly retirees and students find commonalities and similarities and believe it is in their best interest to work together or to at least have regular contact. Administrators and faculty can use this recommendation as a planning point in addressing challenges, such as retention, access and remediation.

Several noteworthy responses came from the question: What is the best way to connect generations on campus? The responses were thorough: lifelong learning programs, a specific program for intergenerational volunteering, the curriculum, and faculty and student organizations.

Participants also had ideas about leadership. They identified the five most important traits of good leaders as possessing the ability to stimulate action and make things happen, showing respect for those who differ, being a good communicator, inspiring commitment, and having great integrity.

How Can Generations Make the World a Better Place? Responses from retirees and students:

1. Create a climate of understanding.
2. Organize a volunteer system to involve all ages,
3. Raise the bar for achievement in education and retirement
4. Promote wellness for all ages.