Tag: andrew carle

This week’s Roundtable featured Andrew Carle, a nationally recognized expert in senior living innovation and a professor in the Aging and Health Program at Georgetown University. 

As founder of UniversityRetirementCommunities.com, Andrew is a pioneer of the University Retirement Community (URC) model—a rapidly growing concept that blends lifelong learning with senior living. He shared how this model is redefining aging by connecting older adults with dynamic, intellectually rich university environments.

Andrew explored how URCs meet the needs of today’s retirees—among the most educated in history—by offering continued growth, intergenerational engagement and deeper purpose. He also discussed the benefits for universities navigating enrollment shifts and for senior living providers looking to evolve. From new certification standards to creative partnership paths, Andrew offered a fresh perspective on how URCs are changing the future of aging.

A BOOMING MODEL FOR A NEW GENERATION 

University Retirement Communities (URCs) are no longer niche—they’re the fastest-growing segment in senior living. With highly educated baby boomers seeking connection, purpose and stimulation, the campus setting is becoming the natural next chapter for active aging.

A WIN-WIN FOR UNIVERSITIES IN TRANSITION

Facing enrollment declines and a shifting donor base, universities are discovering strategic value in URCs. These partnerships offer new revenue streams, deeper alumni ties and a powerful way to serve a changing community where adults 65+ will soon outnumber those under 18.

A CLASSROOM WITHOUT WALLS 

URCs aren’t just homes—they’re dynamic learning hubs. Residents attend lectures and performances, while students gain hands-on experience through internships, jobs and volunteer work. The result is an intergenerational environment rich in purpose, relevance and real-world learning.

A BRAND POWER MONEY CAN’T BUY 

For senior living providers, partnering with a university unlocks something no ad campaign can deliver: lifelong brand loyalty. Residents bring decades of emotional connection to their alma maters, making the campus affiliation both meaningful and marketable.

A PATH FOR EXISTING COMMUNITIES TO LEVEL UP 

Communities that weren’t purposely built as URCs can still evolve into strong university partners. With proximity, initiative and structured programming, even standalone providers can “partner their way” into the model—bringing a new dimension to their resident experience.

CERTIFICATION THAT SIGNALS QUALITY AND CONNECTION 

A new certification program, based on a 5-criteria model Carle established in 2006 and which has been widely accepted as the standard for defining a “University Based Retirement Community (UBRC),” has been launched as a component of UniversityRetirementCommunities.com. 

Varsity’s Roundtable is a weekly virtual gathering of senior living marketers and leaders from across the nation. For updates about future weekly Roundtable gatherings, submit your name and email address here. 

On a recent episode of Varsity’s podcast, Roundtable Talk, we sat down with Andrew Carle, a nationally recognized expert in senior living and the founder of UniversityRetirementCommunities.com. With more than three decades in the field, Andrew has served as a senior living executive, educator, and consultant. Today, he continues to lead innovation as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

In his conversation with Roundtable Talk host Derek Dunham, Andrew shared how university retirement communities (URCs) are reshaping the future of aging. He also shared his five-point framework for successful URCs and his theory that URCs could even slow or reverse aspects of aging by tapping into powerful college-era memories.

The following are some fresh perspectives from the conversation. Check out the full episode here. 

WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN UNIVERSITY RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES (URCS)?

Well, it goes back a ways, but 25 years ago, I had joined George Mason University to create what was then the first academic program for senior living administrators in the country. I found out that there were a couple of universities that had retirement communities. I visited the ones that existed, came back and I realized this could reinvent everything. I created a five criteria model around which I thought they should be structured. I published that in 2006. And in the last 20 years or so, most of them have kind of been built to that model.

WHAT ARE THE MUST-HAVES THAT DIFFERENTIATE A GREAT URC FROM A MEDIOCRE ONE?

Foundationally do this: if you are close to the university, that’s number one. Number two, do you formalize programming between the community and the university? Do you offer the full continuum of care? Then the financial commitment. Both sides financially incentivized for the long-term success. And then the fifth element: you need to have at least 10% of the residents who have some connection with the school. That’s going to bring the culture.

HOW CLOSE DOES A COMMUNITY NEED TO BE TO BE CONSIDERED A URC?

The one thing 80-year-olds and 20-year-olds have in common is none of them have cars. Once you got outside of about a mile of that campus, once you got outside that bubble, you didn’t feel like you were part of the campus. I like to see them within a mile. Once you get past three, four, five miles, what do you really have to do with that campus?

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES UNIVERSITIES FACE IN ESTABLISHING A URC?

You can’t find a bigger odd couple than universities and fast paced investor and driven senior living providers. They speak two completely different languages. You need to have the senior living providers who understand how to access the university without being driven nuts by all the bureaucracy.

QUOTES

“The one thing 80-year-olds and 20-year-olds have in common is none of them have cars.” (Andrew)

“They do not want to live on what I call an elderly island. It doesn’t matter how nice it is.” (Andrew)

“Done right, it’s what I call a very rare triple win scenario. You don’t see this in business strategy where there are three parties and all of them can win.” (Andrew)

“We need to stop building what we want to build. We need to start building what our retirees actually want.” (Andrew)

“If one out of every 10 residents is wearing the sweatshirt and screaming at the TV in the pub on Saturdays, that’s going to bring the culture.” (Andrew)

“You can’t find a bigger odd couple than universities and senior living providers. They speak two completely different languages.” (Andrew)

“This is not something that just sounds like fun. It’s hard work, and you need to do your homework.” (Andrew)

“Look, we just want more than ‘it’s not a nursing home.’ That was actually fine when really the only other choice was a nursing home. And we had millions of seniors who lived in a nursing home who did not need to be there… but we need to take that next step now.” (Andrew) 

“This whole website is actually my retirement hobby. I started it the first day of my retirement.” (Andrew)

“If you’re not happy with the status quo, go to work for somebody who also isn’t happy with the status quo.” (Andrew)

“If you take them off an elderly island and put them in an intergenerational environment like a college campus, they’re going to be better.”

NOTES

Andrew Carle is a nationally recognized expert in senior living innovation and the founder of UniversityRetirementCommunities.com. He also developed the first academic concentration in senior living administration at George Mason University and now teaches at Georgetown University.

UniversityRetirementCommunities.com is the go-to resource for information on communities that blend lifelong learning with senior living. The site features nearly 90 communities nationwide and serves as a hub for universities, providers, and older adults exploring this innovative model.

Andrew has over three decades of experience as a senior living executive, educator, and consultant. He’s helped shape the university retirement community model, creating a five-point framework that many of today’s most successful communities follow. His retirement “hobby” is helping others launch URCs the right way—by fostering strategic partnerships and prioritizing campus integration.

The best university retirement communities (URCs) combine proximity to campus, structured intergenerational programming, full continuum of care, shared financial interest, and a strong alumni or cultural connection.

Proximity to campus is crucial to keep residents integrated into university life. Said Andrew, “The one thing 80-year-olds and 20-year-olds have in common is none of them have cars.” 

Organic beginnings often inspired URCs, but today they benefit from structured planning and dedicated leadership—like a “dean of residence” to manage university relationships.

“They want active, intellectually stimulating, and intergenerational retirement environments. I just described a college campus.” Boomers are seeking more than traditional senior living options.

Andrew believes URCs might not just promote better aging—they might actually reverse elements of aging by tapping into what he calls the “counterclockwise bump.”

“We invented 32 flavors of ice cream. We’re not going to settle for vanilla,” said Andrew. The industry must cater to diverse interests and identities within the boomer generation.

URCs are thriving because they’re giving retirees exactly what they want. “Howard Schultz said, you know what? People will pay $4 for a cup of coffee,” said Andrew. “You just have to stop making crappy coffee and give people what they want.” 

Successful URCs require university buy-in, but many institutions underestimate the complexity. Andrew stresses: “Educate the educators.”