Research on Retirement Communities

This dissertation examines why universities are establishing affiliated retirement communities, and the connections that university administrators create between an academic institution and these linked neighborhoods. This is a qualitative study that looks at three public, research universities with affiliated retirement communities using the case study method. This study documents ways in which this new type of affiliation may lead to the advancement of a university's institutional mission, engage a valuable constituency, and ultimately encourage the flow of vital resources back to the university. This study indicates that universities may elect to create a linked retirement community for a number of reasons, including the desire to be responsive to alumni demand and the need to create a suitable source of revenue on university-owned land.