Blending senior living on college campuses offers a variety of benefits, including fostering connections, maximizing engagement, and leveraging university resources.
Just as important, partnerships with nearby colleges can provide access for seniors to educational, cultural, and volunteer opportunities that foster a sense of purpose and connection—helping residents stay mentally and socially engaged while reinforcing the campus’s role as a part of the broader academic community.
At the 2025 Environments for Aging Conference + Expo in Lexington, Ky., April 26-29, speakers in the session “Advanced Degree in Senior Living: Why College Towns Are Attracting Seniors,” discussed design strategies for these projects, the role of flexible approaches to meet evolving needs and offerings, and lessons learned from these intergenerational projects.
The panel included Libby Lauer, cofounder and chief operating officer at Senior Source Consulting Group (Tampa, Fla.); Chris Palkowitsch, senior design leader, partner at BKV Group (Minneapolis); and Michelle Riedel, residential design and services integrator at Oppidan (Excelsior, Minn.).
Connecting senior living with college resources
“When thinking of residents’ health and well-being, there’s lots of opportunities and connections to build and capitalize on all of the things inherently built in and around college campuses—alumni groups, nursing or medical programs, musical performances, and sporting events—as well as the potential comradery that’s built in there, as well,” Palkowitsch said.
Another rewarding outcome of senior living in a college town is the intergenerational relationships that form. “We’ve had students who interned or volunteered at our communities express surprise and admiration, with one remarking, ‘I had no idea senior housing could be like this,’” Palkowitsch said. “These connections don’t just challenge ageist assumptions—they create a pipeline for future workforce development in a field that sorely needs it.”
There are also opportunities for senior living communities to share resources and amenities including restaurants, sports venues, fitness centers, and bike paths.
Riedel challenged the audience: “How can you tap into those amenities without having to reinvent the wheel at your senior living building?”
Flexible design at The Pillars of Prospect Park
At The Pillars of Prospect Park, a 283-unit age-in-place community near the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, flexibility was a key driver in both design and programming. All amenity spaces are located across two central floors, supporting a wide range of programming needs for residents and staff.
“We wanted to make sure that we had amenity spaces that could be flexible and used for big groups and small groups, and fitness classes or chapel services or theater events,” Riedel told attendees.
The club room, for example, features a retractable glass wall that opens into the adjacent community room, making it ideal for large gatherings or special events while also functioning as a stand-alone space for more intimate programs.
Similarly, the large dining venue is creatively zoned using fireplaces, furniture groupings, and columns, making it adaptable for different types of gatherings throughout the day.
Newman Lofts prioritizes amenity spaces
At Newman Lofts, a 91-unit 55+ active adult community located at the edge of Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing, Mich., all amenities are located on a single level with interior and exterior spaces designed to flow together.
Palkowitsch told the audience that the interior amenities such as the clubroom, demonstration kitchen, conference room, and library/co-working areas are arranged to allow both connectivity and privacy depending on the use.
Just beyond the indoor spaces, a large outdoor terrace overlooking the campus serves as an extension of the community room, with areas that support both large-scale events and smaller resident gatherings.
Inclusivity is key
While building opportunities for seniors and students to connect, it’s important for spaces to be inclusive to ensure residents in assisted living and memory care have access to the same opportunities as those in independent living—a critical component that’s often overlooked in planning, according to Riedel.
“We make this possible by including memory care common areas that can accommodate a range of activities, just like the rest of the community,” she said.
For example, at The Pillars of Prospect Park, many of the programs take place in the seventh-floor amenity spaces, which memory care residents can access with help from staff.
Lessons learned
When integrating senior living with a college campus, Riedel noted that it’s important to designate workspaces for visiting university staff and students to support academic collaboration and student-led programming, such as collapsible desk stations in discreet locations.
“These spaces are especially important in communities with high levels of university engagement,” Riedel explained.
Another key lesson is the need for intentional programming. “At the Pillars of Prospect Park, we quickly learned that residents’ appetite for educational and cultural engagement far exceeded our expectations,” Riedel said.
To meet this demand, the senior living community worked with the operator Ebenezer (Edina, Minn.) to designate a director of programming and partnerships to coordinate everything from university lectures to musical performances, fitness classes, and student-led tech tutorials. “This role became the linchpin of our engagement strategy, ensuring residents had consistent, high-quality programming while also facilitating seamless collaboration with campus organizations,” Riedel said.
For more coverage of the 2025 EFA Conference + Expo, go here. And mark your calendars for the 2026 EFA Conference + Expo, to be held March 16-18, 2026, in Phoenix. For more information, visit environmentsforaging.com.
