Dorms Beyond the Norm

In the summer of 1940, Ohio Wesleyan University junior Phil Powers was hired to paint the rooms of the school’s Austin Manor dormitory. Today, Powers, 86, is living in Austin Manor again, along with his wife Pat, 76, in a two-bedroom apartment across the hall from two 20-year-olds. That’s because Austin Manor is now an intergenerational dorm—the only one of its kind in the country.

Nationwide, college students are seeing more and more older faces on their campuses. Some 50 U.S. colleges and universities—including Penn State and Notre Dame—have university-linked retirement communities (ULRCs) on or near their grounds. Retirees who live there can take courses and attend campus events.

At Austin Manor, residents get together for potluck dinners and informal lectures. Participating students—all juniors or seniors—must have an expressed interest in intergenerational interaction. Mandi Mosier, 21, moved to the dorm last fall. “I thought the concept was cool, to live with people of different ages,” she says.

Pat Powers agrees. “It’s the best move we’ve made,” she says. “You don’t have that feeling of everyone being old and talking about their ailments. Instead, they discuss classes and other interests.”