March 21, 2018 -- SeniorU is a unique partnership between educational experts at Concordia College New York, and the aging experts at Wartburg Continuing Care for Seniors in Mount Vernon. SeniorU allows retirees to take advantage of a new opportunity to earn a college degree – in a community of learners their own age, at a time of life when pursuing one’s own interests becomes more achievable. Seniors will discover and go after their new purpose in life with other seniors.

SeniorU is sponsored by Westchester County Livable Communities, part of Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services and the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services. The Program taps into the natural impulse to keep learning and growing at every age. SeniorU is available for seniors who hold a High School Diploma or GED.

Commissioner for Westchester County’s Department of Senior Programs and Services Mae Carpenter said: "Making new friends and connections, gaining new skills and information, and giving back to the community are real priorities for Westchester seniors who want to take charge of their own health in mind as well as body.”

The SeniorU college degree makes learning fun and experiential, with classes that are participatory rather than lecture-based. Dr. James Burkee, Executive Vice president of Concordia College New York said: “The goal for SeniorU is not just learning, but learning how, through a re-imagined college curriculum that relates directly to retirees’ lives.” 

Dr. David J. Gentner, Wartburg President & CEO said: “There are thousands of seniors in this region who are within the 'Liberation Phase' of their lives yet many have not had the opportunity to obtain a college degree. SeniorU is truly unique and will help set a precedent in how we define a retired life going forward.  As a senior service provider, Wartburg is thrilled to be a part of SeniorU.”

Here’s a sample of what Seniors will learn and how they will grow:

  • Communicating differently and in highly effective ways through social media, computers, e-mail and FaceTime.
  • Understanding their own possibilities to effectively contribute to their communities by listening more actively, assessing what they hear and see, forming good ideas and advocating to make things better.
  • Protecting their assets, their mental and physical health and their legacies.
  • Improving their minds, their lives, their thinking and their belonging to our world.
  • Sharing their life experience and learning in positive ways so others can learn from them.

One example is a History Class, which can be about their understanding their own personal history, as well as what was going on in the world during their lifetime.

Please contact Concordia College at (914) 337-9300 ext. 2124 for more information and or/to register. More information is also available at www.concordia-ny.edu/SeniorU

Older adults interested in pursuing a high school diploma should contact their local education office or contact BOCES at (914)937-3820 or www.swboces.org.