This document proposes creating a Community Engagement Online (CEO) Network at Portland State University to engage the large population of retirees in the region. It notes that over 500,000 residents in the Portland area are over 50, and 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 daily, a trend that will continue for 19 more years. This aging population is well-educated and wealthy. The proposal suggests PSU could attract retirees to become "encore students" through civic engagement programs and position Portland as an age-friendly city through urban planning initiatives. This would provide learning opportunities for students and retirees while also improving health and reducing healthcare costs through engagement. The proposal outlines three pillars: encore student programs, age-

1. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ONLINE (CEO) NETWORK
Mining Gold from Silver, Why Grey is the New Green
reTHINK Proposal #94
presented by
George K Beard
Office of Research & Strategic Partnerships
January 2013

2. Observations & Propositions
• Today there are over 500,000 residents in the Portland-
Vancouver, WA region over the age of 50.
• Nationally, 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 today
• That daily rate will continue unabated for the next 19 years
• The typical Boomer feels nine years younger than his or her
chronological age. (Boomers are vain …)
• As a group, Baby Boomer retirees are the best-educated and
wealthiest age cohort in the country.
• This aging market segment is one about which PSU knows very
little!

3. Observations & Propositions
• Retirees in growing numbers are relocating to university towns
—Ann Arbor, Madison, Athens, and Austin. Portland’s mild
climate, excellent healthcare capacity, its mobility options,
cultural amenities, and top-flight airport put it in an
advantageous position to ride this trend and be a leader as an
Age Friendly City.
• PSU could help propel and benefit from the attraction and
cultivation of this growth!
• And many in this “Vital Aging” group might well consider
becoming “emeritus or adjunct students” at PSU as they launch
“Encore Careers”. (Imagine a community corps of “Senior
Fellows” and “Grand Masters” certified and renewed by PSU …
and serving its motto.)

4. Observations & Propositions
• Think of the learning opportunities between young adults and
Encore students as the latest manifestation of co-educational
learning.
• Engaged people are healthier; their morbidity curve is
compacted.
• This reduces the cost of healthcare in last year of life
* * *

5. The Big Picture
(Three Program Pillars)
• Encore students targeted at civic engagement supported by
PSU’s CEO Network.
• Leadership by PSU in modeling and testing innovative urban
planning and design to make Portland a leading Age Friendly
city (Public Health, HSOG, OTREC, Urban Planning)
• Innovation engine for moving some healthcare routines from
hospitals-to-home home via medical informatics,
telemedicine, sensors, and home health paraprofessionals
(some of whom may be Encore and CBL students).

6. PSU: Connector & Glue

7. Closing Thoughts