Age-Friendly U

Building an Age-Friendly University

At Michigan State University, we believe that aging is a lifelong journey of learning, connection, and contribution. That’s why MSU is proud to be part of the global Age-Friendly University (AFU) network, an international movement to make higher education more accessible, inclusive, and responsive to people of all ages.

What It Means to Be Age-Friendly

The AFU designation, adopted by institutions around the world, reflects a commitment to ten guiding principles that support older learners, encourage intergenerational connection, and promote the inclusion of aging populations in university life. For MSU, this designation is more than a title. It’s a framework for action.

Being age-friendly means:

• Expanding access to education at all life stages
• Supporting research and education that respond to aging-related needs
• Engaging communities in lifelong learning and shared well-being

AgeAlive: Stewarding MSU’s Age-Friendly Commitment

AgeAlive leads MSU’s efforts to uphold and advance the university’s Age-Friendly University designation. As a strategic driver of aging-related work across campus, AgeAlive helps ensure that MSU’s programs, partnerships, and research initiatives align with the AFU principles.

From convening cross-disciplinary collaborations to promoting intergenerational learning and inclusive engagement, AgeAlive plays a vital role in coordinating MSU’s institutional response to the challenges and opportunities of an aging society.

A Vision for Inclusion and Impact

AgeAlive’s stewardship of the AFU designation is about more than recognition. It’s about embedding the values of lifelong learning, respect for aging, and social inclusion into the fabric of the university. Through this work, MSU is helping lead a global shift in how higher education serves—and learns from—an aging population.