Faculty and staff from three Penn State campuses recently presented at the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Intergenerational Conference in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This three-day conference, hosted by Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, showcased innovative and impactful intergenerational initiatives from around the Mid-Atlantic region.
Patricia Aguilera-Hermida, M.F.T., D.Ed., from Penn State Harrisburg; Kelly Ann Munly, Ph.D., from Penn State Altoona; and Jennifer Geubtner-May, Ed.D., from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Penn State York, presented their successful yet different intergenerational programs. Their workshop — titled “Successful Intergenerational Programs at Penn State Altoona, Harrisburg, and York” — presented the impact these programs have on older adults and undergraduate college students, the successes and challenges of these programs, recommendations on how to overcome said challenges, and strategies for successful replication of these types of programs.
Dr. Munly is an associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Altoona with a research and teaching focus in adult development and aging. Her doctoral degree in human development, as well as Gerontology and Future Professoriate certificates, are from Virginia Tech. Munly spoke about a successful intergenerational program at Penn State Altoona, “A Healthier You.” This ongoing physical activity engagement program, implemented at a residential long-term care setting, has run under the human development and family studies program since the fall of 2016. The program supports community and positive anticipation of programming throughout the academic year, gives students meaning in service-learning, and provides faculty and staff an opportunity to connect their programmatic areas with the lived realities of the surrounding community.
Dr. Aguilera-Hermida earned her doctorate in lifelong learning and adult education and is an assistant teaching professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Harrisburg. Dr. Geubtner-May is the director of OLLI at Penn State York and has been in the field of education for more than 25 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from West Chester University and master’s and doctorate degrees in educational leadership from The University of Pennsylvania.
Together they presented a collaborative initiative between their organizations that began in the fall of 2023. This 8-week course, titled “Development through Adulthood,” engaged both older and young adults in a classroom setting where they shared wisdom about important topics for “successful” aging, such as relationships, mental health, and caregiving/long-term care. Dr. Aguilera intends to offer this course to Penn State undergraduate students and OLLI members in fall 2025.
Dr. Geubtner-May stated, “Our workshop was a ‘blip on the radar’ with regard to the possibilities for intergenerational programming. The projects led by Dr. Aguilera and Dr. Munly were distinct from one another but utilized theories of intergenerational learning that could be replicated within many entities at Penn State. Intergenerational programming is not merely a service to older adults but can be a valuable pedagogical strategy for young adults.”