Thanks to a multi-year collaboration with CédrusNet, John von Neumann University has been awarded the title of "Age-Friendly" University. This achievement marks a significant milestone, as our institution proudly becomes the 100th member of the Age-Friendly Universities Global Network (AFU).
By obtaining this title, educational institutions like ours are dedicated to fostering collaboration between older and younger generations and improving the labor market prospects for older adults. At John von Neumann University, our mission within this framework is to provide education, disseminate scientific knowledge, and facilitate the transfer of cutting-edge expertise across generations. This commitment helps equip older individuals who wish to return to or remain in the workforce with up-to-date, practical knowledge, ultimately boosting their chances of success in today's challenging professional landscape.
The Age-Friendly University (AFU) network is a global collective of higher education institutions that support the 10 AFU principles and have committed themselves to becoming more age-friendly in their programs and operations. These principles emerged from the work of an international, interdisciplinary team convened by Professor Brian MacCraith, then President of Dublin City University (DCU). Their goal was to define how higher education could best address the needs and interests of an aging population. Inspired by Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, these principles were first adopted in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada in 2012.
The 10 AFU Principles:
- Encouraging the participation of older adults in all core activities of the university, including educational and research programs.
- Promoting personal and professional development in the second half of life and supporting those seeking a second career.
- Identifying the educational needs of older adults (from early school leavers to those wishing to obtain master's or doctoral qualifications).
- Promoting intergenerational learning to facilitate the mutual sharing of expertise among learners of different age groups.
- Expanding access to online educational opportunities for older adults to provide diverse pathways to participation.
- Ensuring that the university's research program is informed by the needs of an aging society and promotes communication about how higher education can better meet the diverse interests and needs of older generations.
- Fostering understanding among younger generations about the benefits of longevity and how aging makes our society increasingly complex and rich.
- Improving older adults' access to the university's health and wellness programs, as well as its arts and cultural activities.
- Actively engaging with the university's own retired community.
- Ensuring regular dialogue with organizations representing the interests of older generations.
The AFU network's members are predominantly universities from the USA, Ireland, England, and Canada. Among the 100 members, there are currently a few from Central Europe: one Slovak, one Slovenian, and one Czech university. From Hungary, John von Neumann University is the first to declare, through its membership application, that its leadership and staff consider it important to incorporate and utilize the experiences of the aging population and to meet their educational and cultural needs in its daily operations and strategic goals. The University also intends to continue to pass on this approach to its immediate and wider environment as a member of the AFU Network in the future.