Seniors ages 55 to 79 are heading back to community colleges and universities instead of retiring, said Mary Beth Lakin, co-author of the report and associate director for the Center for Lifelong Learning at the American Council on Education.,”Growing numbers of older adults are ditching their knitting needles and fishing rods in favor of pens, pencils and textbooks, according to a report by the American Council on Education.

Seniors ages 55 to 79 are heading back to community colleges and universities instead of retiring, said Mary Beth Lakin, co-author of the report and associate director for the Center for Lifelong Learning at the American Council on Education.

"We've seen a growing interest in lifelong learning," Lakin said. "Part of the interest in lifelong learning has to do with longevity."

Adults are living longer today and retiring early, the report said. Today, the average retirement age is 62 and life expectancy is 78 years old.

Older adults have more time now between retirement and their life expectancy age, Lakin said.

Some older adults are going back to school for the sake of learning, such as an engineer who returned to school to study humanities, she said.

Economic uncertainties are also driving adults back to school, Lakin said. Many baby boomers have to adapt to the changing work place, especially as many health insurance plans change.

"The economic side is really critical to a lot of folks in this age group," Lakin said. Rising unemployment rates also cause people to go back to school, said David Wegener, associate vice president of enrollment services at Cardinal Stritch University.

At Cardinal Stritch, Wegener said older adults are taking accelerated programs created especially for their age group.

"The population over 60 is a growing group that have educational needs just like the rest," Wegener said.

These accelerated programs can last from three to seven days or up to a semester, and are situated around a working person's schedule.

The Emeritus Program at Oakton Community College, Skokie, Ill., is one of the programs designed for adults over the age of 50. Leona Hoelting, manager of the Emeritus program, said older adults going back to school are more than a trend at Oakton.

"It's crazily popular, wildly popular," Hoelting said. "We can't keep sections of classes open anymore."

Adults aren't coming for degrees, but to learn, she said.

Older adults also come back to school to meet people, Hoelting said. She said when adults are younger, they meet friends through they're kids.

"When you're older, that's not so simple, so this is a great way for them to get out of their houses and meet people who are like them," Hoelting said.

Some older adults also enjoy sharing their experiences with younger students, Lakin said.

Marquette has not seen an increase in older adults over the past 13 years, but there have been a steady number of 40 to 50-year-olds who are undergraduate students at Marquette, said Robert Deahl, dean of the College of Professional Studies.

"People are living older, healthier, and see they want to enrich their lives beyond what they do at home," Deahl said.

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