Transforming universities into lifelong learning hubs for all generations changes lives — and helps stem higher education’s looming enrollment crisis.  

When Simon Chan talks about the future of higher education, he sees an elegant solution to two converging challenges: People are living longer than ever before, yet older adults have few places to turn for support during major life transitions. Meanwhile, universities face a steep enrollment cliff as the number of traditional college-age students declines. Chan, the founder and CEO of Adapt With Intent, a Toronto-based consulting firm that advises clients on the impacts of longevity on their business models, says he often hears from the leaders of universities and colleges that they “are running out of customers.”  

As an ambassador for the Stanford Center on Longevity, Chan leads a “tiger team” of experts exploring how universities can reinvent themselves to respond to these stark demographic realities.  

In the United States, the number of high school students will peak in 2025 before declining by 13 percent over the next 15 years. International student enrollment, which has propped up many institutions, especially in the U.S. and Canada, is stagnant or declining. Meanwhile, the 50-plus population — the one demographic segment that is growing — remains largely underserved by higher education. 

“There’s an opportunity there,” says Chan. When he speaks with university presidents and provosts, he finds they’re searching for growth opportunities that align with their institutions’ core purpose such as creating lifelong learning opportunities and creating the kind of multigenerational experience in the classroom that students will encounter in the workplace. “The early feedback has been that this actually does feel mission-consistent,” Chan says. 

Campus Innovation 

Chan identifies several promising models already taking shape, though he emphasizes that these remain largely small-scale pilots rather than institutionalized programs. 

Midlife transition programs represent one significant cluster. Starting with Harvard and adopted by Stanford and Notre Dame in the early 2000s, year-long residential programs attract accomplished professionals — typically ages 55 to 65 — seeking to explore what comes after their primary career. Around 15 such programs now operate in the U.S. and Europe, with costs ranging from $3,000 for shorter, nonresidential programs (see Midlife 101) to $75,000 or more at elite institutions. 

Watch Simon Chan’s interview with three college presidents, “Cogeneration, Innovation, and Higher Ed’s Bottom Line,” sponsored by CoGenerate.