Maria Allen, MCC; Anna Thoennes, New Frontiers (MCC) and president of Learning in Retirement Associations of Arizona; and Ron Dudos, New Frontiers (MCC)
|
The Senior Adult Network recently held a Lifelong Learning Dialogue Day at the Maricopa Community Colleges, sponsored by mcli and hosted by the Sun Lakes Education Center. Invitees included senior adult program participants and other community members who serve on our District-wide advisory committee, District employees who work with lifelong learners, and governing board members. The primary objective of the dialogue was to examine our strengths and weaknesses and to identify opportunities and threats as they relate to lifelong learning within the Maricopa Community Colleges. This was a continuation of work undertaken over several years to guide the colleges in our efforts to serve older adults in Maricopa County.
Several speakers set the stage for an afternoon of discussion. They included Lionel Diaz, Director of Facilities Planning and Development for the Maricopa Community Colleges, who reviewed strategic and capital planning issues for the next decade; David Mitchell, Director of the State Office of AARP, who addressed national issues related to aging; and John Linda, Training Coordinator for the Area Agency on Aging, Region One, who provided an overview of demographic realities that will impact programming in coming years. The day concluded with a presentation by Ann Marie Grande, Information and Assistance Specialist Supervisor for the Area Agency on Aging, who discussed resources available in Maricopa County via the aging services network.
Participants identified a number of strengths within Maricopa including quality with respect to people, programs, and processes. Our "programs are as good as the people in them" according to one participant. Staff "commitment and solidarity," "enthusiastic and consistent administrative support," and an "involved and supportive faculty" were all heralded along with diversity in our populations, programs, and delivery mechanisms. Appreciation for the opportunity to engage in dialogue was expressed by multiple participants who commended the District for encouraging community awareness and interaction -- making the community a part of the decision-making process.
Roberta Andrus and Phyliss Orsi, both from RISE (Rio Salado College's Sun Cities Lifelong Learning Center)
|
Maricopa's weaknesses are primarily tied to resource constraints: insufficient funding and limited space and facilities. Many older adult participants have a fairly sophisticated understanding of our FTSE-driven budget process that undervalues noncredit programs in planning and resource allocation. They are also concerned about an economy in recession, the implications of deficit spending at both state and national levels, and the effects of terrorism.
The graying of America and the aging of baby boomers create both opportunities and threats. While we need not want for students, we will be challenged by the heterogeneity of an older population that is increasingly varied with respect to interests and abilities. If we are to serve the great diversity that comprises the older adult population, we must attend to the old-old as well as the young-old, the frail as well as the healthy, and the homebound as well as the active. Continued attention to the engaged must be juxtaposed with concern for the confined, obliging us to tap our creativity in developing and delivering new programs.
For information about programs at your local college or in your community, contact:
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Sun Lakes Education Center
Mary Kaye Allen
(480) 857-5505
Estrella Mountain Community College
Community Education Program
Katie Brocker
(623) 935-8492
Glendale Community College
Community Education
Suzanne Higgins
(623) 845-3808
Mesa Community College
New Frontiers for Learning in Retirement
Ann Cox
(480) 461-7497
Paradise Valley Community College
Senior College
Judi Anderson
(602) 787-6802
Phoenix College
Adult Education Program
Colleen Massey
(602) 285-7192
Rio Salado College
Sun Cities Lifelong Learning Center
Charlcey Brabec
(480) 517-8776
Scottsdale Community College
Senior Adult Educational Program
Vincent Huffman
(480) 423-6535
South Mountain Community College
Guadalupe Center
Raul Monreal
(602) 243-8040
For additional information about Maricopa CARES, the Senior Adult Network, college programs, or eldercare, contact: Rose Pfefferbaum at (602) 285-7587.
 Rose Pfefferbaum, Ph.D., mcli
| 
