Gerontology Institute Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

When the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute was established in September 1992, it consisted of one person operating out of a single office. Ten years later it has grown into a multifaceted organization with more than a dozen faculty and staff working in collaboration with gerontology professionals both on and off campus. To celebrate a decade of achievement and growth, the institute is hosting a 10th-anniversary celebration on Thursday, October 10, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Clark Lounge, Egbert Hall. Ithaca College staff, faculty, and administration as well as members of the local community are invited.

"The achievements of the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute are a result of the collaborative efforts of many people and organizations," says John Krout, a professor of gerontology who has also served as the institute's only director. "During our first 10 years, we have striven to help faculty enhance their gerontological teaching and research. In addition, we've worked to offer students more opportunities to learn about the aging process through coursework, research, experiential learning, and interactions with older adults themselves. We've also worked to build a community and regional resource for gerontology practitioners."

The institute's accomplishments include

• establishing a gerontology major as well as a nondegree certificate in gerontology
• maintaining community outreach through conferences, workshops, and speaker series
• participating in the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center consortium in order to assist in the multidisciplinary training of health professionals who diagnose, treat, and prevent health problems common to the elderly
• introducing issues of aging into the social studies curricula of area public schools
• establishing with Cornell University, in the Pathways to Life Quality study, a long-term study of residential change and adjustment in people's later years in Tompkins County
• establishing a partnership with Longview, an adult residential facility in Ithaca, to provide members of the College and Longview communities with opportunities to share intergenerational social and educational experiences

"Gerontology is an interdisciplinary, multi-organizational enterprise that challenges all of us to understand those who ultimately are shaping the future of our own old age," Krout says. "I can think of nothing more professionally rewarding than to be a part of this enterprise at Ithaca College."

For details on these and other accomplishments of the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute, visit www.ithaca.edu/aging. For more information on the 10th-anniversary celebration call 274-1967.