Gerontology minor earns national recognition
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia's gerontology minor has gained recognition as an Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) Program of Merit. UNG is one of 14 schools nationally to receive the distinction. Awarded in fall 2021, the designation runs through 2026.
Dr. Pamela Elfenbein, director of UNG's Institute for Healthy Aging that houses the minor, said the university both prepares students and responds to workforce needs by adhering to AGHE's standards and competencies
"Our faculty are helping our students apply the knowledge they are learning," Elfenbein said. "We focus on how to use this knowledge in the real world."
The Program of Merit designation gives gerontology programs an AGHE "stamp of excellence" that they can use to verify program quality, lobby within their institutions for additional resources to maintain program quality, market the program, and recruit prospective students.
AGHE pointed to multiple strengths of the gerontology minor including community engagement opportunities for students, a curriculum that exceeds the organization's benchmarks, and the amount of professional development available to gerontology faculty members.Our faculty are helping our students apply the knowledge they are learning. We focus on how to use this knowledge in the real world.
Dr. Pamela Elfenbein
Director of UNG's Institute for Healthy Aging
In addition to the minor, the institute offers both undergraduate and graduate certificates in gerontology.
The gerontology minor and certificates each include 18 hours of coursework, capped by a supervised practicum or research experience; students do not need to be enrolled in any other degree-seeking program to pursue the certificates.
UNG's gerontology courses have enrolled an average of more than 100 students each semester, including summer sessions, in recent years. The gerontology minor maintained an average of 23 declared minors in the past five years.
Additionally, UNG will launch a nexus degree in applied gerontology in fall 2022.
The nexus degree is a new academic credential and the first new degree program in the United States since the 1890s, when the associate degree was added. Nexus degrees aim to help meet workforce needs in high-demand career areas. The applied gerontology nexus degree will require 60 hours of coursework.
Due to retirement trends in the past 10 years, the 60-and-over population of Georgia's Appalachian region is growing at a rate faster than the state as a whole. These changes are already having significant impacts on community services and needs, including health care, an adequate workforce supply, and changes in housing needs.
In addition to its gerontology academic programs and community partnerships, UNG is also an internationally recognized member of the Age-Friendly University global network.
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