By Jennifer Jordan-Wong
A TREASURE ON CAMPUS
An unassuming suite of offices on the fourth floor of the Urban Center Building hosts a jewel. Nestled in the urban plaza at the northeast edge of PSU’s campus, overlooking the university bookstore, the Senior Adult Learning Center (SALC), shines as a beacon for lifelong learners of a certain age.
ABOUT SALC
The Senior Adult Learning Center helps Oregon residents 65 years of age and older enroll in almost any of the University’s 5,000 classes once they have joined the program (a lifetime membership costs $25). If there is room in the course and the instructor grants permission to enroll, seniors can then audit courses for no or little cost in nearly any subject area, from history, geography, art, music, physical education, to literature, to name a few.
“Looking through the PSU course catalog is like being in a chocolate shop and not being able to decide what to get,” says senior auditor Ann Bakkensen, noting that she also appreciates the structure that taking classes gives someone like her who is older and now retired.
In addition to courses, SALC program participants gain access to the campus library, computer lab, and recreation center. They also receive discounts on PSU sports and performing arts events, and can ride the city’s streetcar for free.
For seniors who are uncertain of how to navigate registration or what courses to take, they can find help at the SALC office. “We help people get registered but we’re also here to help with technology needs, such as learning how to navigate the registration hub, Canvas, and Banweb,” says Dani Himes, Graduate Assistant for the SALC office. Dani notes, “Auditors do not take tests or turn in assignments, and therefore these courses are considered recreational learning and cannot be taken for academic credit towards a degree.” Dani feels inspired by her role, sharing, “It’s fun to see what classes people pick; it makes me excited to be an auditor in the future and get to take a bunch of classes with the sole purpose of feeding my curiosity.”
HISTORY & CONTEXT
The Senior Adult Learning Center and its auditing program began at PSU in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until 2009 when a House Bill was passed that mandated seniors across the state of Oregon be allowed to take courses without paying tuition (provided that space is available, the instructor gives consent, and the senior student pays any course fees beyond tuition). And so, SALC fulfills this mandate, and is contained under the umbrella of Portland State University’s Institute on Aging. Even with its legal mandate, running the program does not come without challenges. “The law didn’t guarantee funding,” Director of PSU’s Institute on Aging Paula Carder explains, “The university provides office space and a part time staff member, but most of our funding comes from donors.”
FINDING MEANING IN LIFELONG LEARNING
According to staff, SALC participants frequently donate funds above and beyond the $25 membership fee when they are able, because they recognize the program’s value. Auditors in the SALC program consistently remark on how meaningful it is to be a part of the vibrant learning community at PSU.
“The opportunity to join groups of young people interested in learning about the same topics that I am curious about, has been so rewarding,” shares Norm Kerth, an auditor who took French classes to fulfill his dream of visiting Paris next year. “I wondered if a 70-year-old, who had never learned a foreign language, could learn French. I enrolled in SALC, and spent three wonderful terms struggling to keep up with two dozen 19 and 20-year-olds. And what I have gotten for my efforts is pure joy — a unique joy that comes from using my brain at such an intense level. Seeking that unique kind of joy is now an ongoing purpose of my life.”
Ann Bakkensen audits courses through SALC as a purposeful strategy for healthy aging: “I’m interested in brain plasticity and how the brain can keep growing and changing at any age. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve consciously looked for opportunities to challenge myself to keep my brain young. The Senior Auditing program through SALC is a great opportunity to keep learning and growing.”
AUDITORS BENEFIT THE CLASS AS A WHOLE
By all accounts, senior auditors give as much as they get. Professor Eva Nunez of the World Languages and Literature Dept explains, “Senior auditors benefit the class as a whole in bringing many lessons they have learnt; they help traditional students by providing new ways to handle obstacles, criticism or problems. Their approach to learning and life in general can be usefully instructive to other students in the class.”
Another professor remarks on the unique contributions that senior auditors bring to the classroom: “I love having seniors in the class because they add experiences to the class that normal students do not have,” shares Dr. Burns, Professor Emeritus of Geology. “They are curious and ask great questions,” Dr. Burns says, noting also that because auditors do not take tests or write papers, having them in the classroom does not add to his workload.
Professor John Ott, Professor and Chair in the Department of History echoes these sentiments, saying, “Senior auditors bring a wealth of personal and professional experience into the classroom. Their perspectives can inform class discussions in helpful ways and contribute to the range of voices students hear and learn from.”
Regular tuition-paying students also value having older learners in the classroom. Graduate student Matt Koenigs describes his experience working closely with a senior auditor in his Urban Studies & Planning course: “It was great having him in the class because he knew so much from his life experience,” adding that his classmate “always provided professional insight during class discussions and group projects.”
Undergraduate student and Psychology major Sadye Chester shares, “I had an amazing experience with having a senior auditor in my class,” explaining that she formed a special connection with this person. Sadye recalls how this older adult had a positive influence on others as well: “It was clear to me that his advice and guidance were as impactful to me as they were to the fellow students.”
EVIDENCE-BASED BENEFITS OF INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING
Research confirms the benefits of age-inclusive classrooms, which benefit both younger and older students. In their 2008 article “Intergenerational Learning and the Contributions of Older People,” researchers Newman & Hatton-Yeo found that learners in intentionally designed intergenerational environments gain enhanced knowledge and skills among other benefits, with institutions of higher education ideally placed to promote this type of learning.
LIFELONG LEARNING FOR HEALTHY AGING
Ann Bakkensen participates in the SALC auditing program as a way of engaging in healthy aging: “I’ve read about neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to new situations. When I retired I made a conscious decision to seek new experiences as a way of keeping my brain young.” Ann has gone on to learn Olympic-style weightlifting “as a way to have another new experience,” explaining that at first “it felt awkward to learn something brand new…I’ve had to work on my patience and accept that it would take at least a year for me to have any proficiency. I guess I’m never too old to learn about myself.”
Fellow auditor Norm Kerth says, “Aging is a life-long process, not something that happens late in life.” Norm describes himself as “blessed with incurable curiosity” and pursues learning both in and outside the classroom, explaining that in addition to auditing a French class at PSU, he also designed a couch and coffee table during the Covid lockdown. For Norm, “to learn and to achieve, are important factors to aging-my-way,” adding that “my curiosity will direct my learning activities. I don’t know what I’ll be interested in next, but I’m certain that there will be something I have to explore.”
PSU AS AN AGE-FRIENDLY UNIVERSITY
Portland State University is considered an age-friendly university as it endorses the 10 principles of the Age-Friendly University Global Network. “But, we can always do more,” says Paula Carder, Director of Institute on Aging, explaining that SALC is in the midst of updating photos on their website to accurately reflect older learners, and looking for ways to boost auditor enrollment.
LET KNOWLEDGE SERVE THE CITY
“There is now a global recognition of the need to see older people as learning resources and as assets to the communities” (Newman & Hatton-Yeo, 2008). SALC auditor Richard Ellmyer is an example of such an asset. Richard used a course he audited at PSU to create a citizen activist mapping tool to benefit Oregon residents, stakeholders, and policy makers.
Richard identifies as a lifelong citizen activist and today remains committed “to the truth in all things.” His interest in mapping as a tool for change began when he noticed that public housing was not being distributed equitably. In 2009 he created a paper map of public housing locations in Oregon. He didn’t gain much traction with policy makers until he audited a class in 2019 titled Public Participation GIS, where he met faculty member and cartographer Randy Morris. Together with cartography students Clare Brumbaugh-Smith and Taylor Allen, he created the Metro Oregon Public Housing Location Maps.
“Wherever you fall in the public housing debate, it’s important to have data,” Richard says, explaining that his map, which is unique and does not exist anywhere else in the country, is an interactive online mapping tool intended to help inform stakeholders and policy makers when planning for public housing. So far, he reports that he has been getting positive feedback from experts and policy makers in public planning and government. “No one has challenged its accuracy.”
Richard references the skybridge that stretches over SW Broadway etched with PSU’s mission statement: “Let knowledge serve the city.” It’s apt. I credit PSU, and the people in the Geography Department in particular, for recognizing the value of the map as a truth-telling tool.”
CURIOSITY NEVER GROWS OLD
Whether or not classes are taken for pleasure or to pursue larger projects in the community, SALC members highly recommend taking courses at PSU. “The PSU campus is such a vibrant and exciting place – so much going on!” Ann Bakkensen says, adding “It’s a luxury to audit classes through SALC and not worry about assignments or exams.” Professor John Ott notes that SALC’s senior auditors “are modeling the benefits and pleasures of lifelong learning by continuing their education at PSU, and demonstrating that curiosity never grows old.”
For more information, or to join or donate to SALC, visit their website at https://www.pdx.edu/senior adult-learning-center or email the SALC Office at salc@pdx.edu.
Jennifer Jordan-Wong is a graduate student in PSU’s Educational Leadership & Policy program and volunteered with SALC for the Spring ’22 and Summer ’22 terms.
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College of Education 
Not only did I love the 2 classes I took but meeting in person (precovid) was an important social interaction time for me. There were many positive interactions with students of all ages before and after class as well as during class time.