The mission of the Galichia Center on Aging is to provide a focus on aging issues through teaching, research, outreach, and service that orients the talents of the faculty and resources of the University towards identifying and addressing the challenges and opportunities of an aging society. It provides multi-disciplinary education on aging issues, coordinates gerontology curricula, develops educational and training programs, promotes and conducts aging-related research, disseminates knowledge about aging issues, and fosters collaboration with aging-related community and professional organizations. The secondary major in gerontology, which may include an emphasis in long-term care administration, provides students at Kansas State University the opportunity to integrate knowledge received in their major professional disciplines with a program of academic study and field experience in gerontology. These programs are of special interest to students preparing for careers in such diverse fields as nutrition, communication sciences and disorders, family life education, human development, dietetics, social work, interior design, physical therapy, marketing, health care professions, architecture, and business administration.
Over the past five years, there have been an average of 33 secondary majors, 95% of them with junior standing or above. Over the same time interval, an average of 14 individuals have completed the secondary major requirements for graduation. Research conducted by the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education indicate that for 4-year undergraduate programs, the national mean for students enrolled in gerontology programs is 26, with an average of 8 students completing the program each year. Enrollment and completion rates both are well above these norms: 129% of the average enrollment and 175% of the average graduates.
Membership in the Gerontology Faculty is open to all Kansas State University faculty and administrators, and is based on demonstrated expertise in aging-related issues by regular teaching responsibility for one or more courses approved for gerontology credit, research and other scholarly or creative endeavor involving aging-related issues, and/or Extension responsibilities or significant service contributions involving aging-related issues. Members of the Gerontology Faculty are expected to maintain familiarity with current gerontological issues through involvement in research or other scholarly or creative endeavors, involvement in conferences or meetings, or equivalent contact with literature in the field. Currently, there are 28 faculty and 2 adjunct faculty representing 5 different colleges and 17 different departments. A total of 11 of these faculty are from departments within the College of Human Ecology.
Since students completing a secondary major must complete additional academic courses beyond those required for their degree, student commitment to the program is strong. The average ACT
score over the past five years is 23.4. Students completing the long-term care administration emphasis must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in that coursework.
Virtually all recent graduates have obtained employment or gone on to graduate or professional programs after graduation, with approximately 9 out of 10 choosing careers that are aging-related, regardless of their primary majors. Current demographic trends project increasing demand for professionals in all disciplines with knowledge and training in aging. Increased opportunities will be available in the service sector to provide all aspects of health care, social services, transportation, housing needs, and legal assistance. More researchers are needed to study the aging process and diseases associated with aging, more designers are needed to produce products and living areas to meet the special needs of older persons, and more business, financial, and legal consultants are needed for advising older clients.
The Center’s mission specifically identifies service as a core component. Examples of two funded projects (which also support graduate and undergraduate student employment) that are of direct service are a mental health, aging and nutrition initiative whose goal is to improve knowledge of and access to mental health services and a second initiative to promote innovative models of long-term care. The Center fosters cooperation in gerontological education, research, and outreach both within the university and with aging-related organizations and educational programs throughout the state. It is responsible for coordinating the new gerontology specialization and certificate offered through the School of Family Studies and Human Services as part of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GP-IDEA). Partners in one or more of these initiatives are K-State Research and Extension, Central Plains Geriatric Education Center (based at KU Medical Center), Kansas Department on Aging, Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Kansas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Kansas Health Care Association, Kansas Mental Health and Aging Coalition, and the parterning universities for Great Plains IDEA - Gerontology: ISU, OSU, NDSU, CSU, MSU, and Texas Tech.
The gerontology program is interdisciplinary and capitalizes on departmental resources across the university, as well as those at partner organizations. It should be noted that over the past five year period, externally-funded support for Center initiatives has totaled over $1,400,000, or an average of over $280,000 per year. In addition to funding the initiatives listed above, the resources are used to help support the educational activities of the Center, including the gerontology curricula.
1Yankopolus, J. E. (Ed.). (2003). Almanac of Architecture and Design, 4 th Ed. Norcross, GA: Greenway Communications. (The survey combined Interior Architecture and Interior Design Programs at K-State).
2Based on the formula used in a bench marking study (Laughlin & Kean, 2002). [Laughlin, J. & Kean, R. C., (2002). Bench marking for strategic planning based on faculty productivity. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal (20) 3, 147-155.]