About AGHE

Established in 1974, the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE) is a membership organization of colleges and universities that offer education, training, and research programs in the field of aging. AGHE currently has more than 160 institutional members throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad. 

The purpose of AGHE is to foster the commitment of higher education to the field of aging through education, research, and public service. We provide:

  • Unity through common organization;
  • A forum for debate of issues regarding the advancement of gerontology, educational opportunities for older people, and education of society about aging;
  • A network base for communication, interorganizational cooperation and leadership with associations of higher education, public officials, volunteers and others interested in aging education; and
  • Leadership on policies and issues related to higher education.

These goals are accomplished through programs and services such as an annual meeting, the AGHExchange newsletter, and Online Directory of Educational Programs in Gerontology, technical assistance in the development and expansion of academic gerontology programs, research on gerontology education and manpower needs for the field of aging, and the advocacy of public and private support for aging education and research.

AGHE's Mission

Our mission is two-fold:  (1) To advance gerontology and geriatrics education in academic institutions; and (2) To provide leadership and support of gerontology and geriatrics education faculty and students at education institutions.

AGHE and its members are strongly committed to the well-being of older adults. Together, AGHE and aging-studies programs in institutions of higher education strive to:

  1. Prepare service delivery personnel who will work directly with older adults;
  2. Train educators who specialize in the physical, psycho-social, and policy domains of aging;
  3. Educate the society at large about the processes of aging and the implications of an aging society; and leadership on policies and issues related to higher education.

On January 1, 1999 AGHE became an educational unit of The Gerontological Society of America®.