Age Friendly University Initiative
Age Friendly University Initiative
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Age Friendly University (AFU) initiative at DCU. Since its earliest days DCU has been committed to widening access to higher education, and this includes enhancing the lives of older members of our community through our innovative educational programmes, research and civic engagement.
Reporting to the President of DCU, Professor Brian MacCraith, an interdisciplinary working group set out to identify the distinctive contributions that can be made by higher education institutions in addressing the needs of older adults. As a result, a set of 10 generic principles for an ‘Age Friendly University’ was established, and now adopted by partner universities in Ireland, the UK and the USA.
We were honoured to have the Age Friendly University initiative formally launched by an Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD on 9 November 2012. In congratulating DCU, the Taoiseach commented
'Through this initiative, DCU is taking a leadership role in preparing society for the multifaceted challenges of our aging demographic. It will actively encourage older people to come into our higher education institutions and to become involved in shaping university programmes. The age friendly activities being promoted are both relevant and correctly targeted at promoting the quality of life of our older men and women. It is truly a pioneering initiative and I wish you the very best of luck in the coming years.'
Whether you are a potential participant, a researcher or partner organisation we invite your active engagement with us in areas such as health and wellness, intergenerational learning, lifelong learning, distance education and cultural activities.
Professor Maria Slowey
Director Higher Education Research Centre
Chair of the Age Friendly University Working Group
