Retirees Move on Campus and Into Blogsphere

July 2, 2008— -- Many retirees are redefining retirement, opting out of condos in Florida and finding new places to call home. Karl and Karen Gotting, for instance, have chosen to retire to the University of Michigan, where they both attended school almost 50 years ago.

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"We met here on a blind date," Karl Gotting said. "As a matter of fact, it was a mistaken blind date because I wanted to get a blind date with her roommate, but her roommate was busy."

After discussing the range of retirement options — Florida and New York states among them — the couple heard about the University Commons program in Ann Arbor, Mich., in an alumni magazine. The program is self-described as a "21st-century approach to active adult communities," with one of its main goals, as well as the Gottlings,' being lifelong learning.

"We had to stay active, stay vital, and we felt part of that was not only physical activity but also our mental stimulus," Karl Gotting said. "And that we found here at the university."

The Gottings live on the north side of campus in a special housing development for those 55 and older. They enjoy the constant activity and vibrancy of a college campus.

"There are things going on here every day. There are recitals, concerts and lectures," Karen Gotting said. "All we have to do is walk across a very small street and we're there."

The couple frequently attends lectures in Hill Auditorium and classes at University Commons.

"There is a camaraderie here that we never found in the neighborhoods in the 40, 50 years that we lived in that situation," Karl Gotting said.

And they are finding that college is better the second time around. While college students tend to be preoccupied with making a grade or going out for the night's party, Karl Gotting finds more value in his education.

"Half the time it wasn't of interest to me, but I had to do it," he said. "I think I could get a better grade now than before."

More than 30 retirement communities with direct ties to universities have popped up, and dozens more are in the planning stages. College communities often have better hospitals, more public transportation and a variety of spaces to exercise the mind and body.