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Meredith College Receives CIC Intergenerational Connections Grant

Meredith College is one of a select group of 21 institutions across the nation chosen by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to receive a grant to implement an Intergenerational Connections: Students Serving Older Adults program.

The one-year, $13,000 grant from CIC will be used to enhance connections between undergraduate students and older adults in the community. CIC launched this new initiative with support from the AARP Foundation to encourage colleges to create or extend programs in which students help low-income older adults (ages 50 and older) tackle key life challenges.

Through Meredith College’s project, “Fall-Risk Reduction through Home Safety Modifications and In-Home Exercise for Socially Isolated Older Adults,” college student visitors will work with socially isolated low-income older adults who are living independently within the community to reduce the risk of falling.

Students will administer home safety checks and teach seniors a simple in-home exercise routine to improve balance. Students will then follow up to enhance compliance with recommendations through subsequent home visits. The project will build upon a successful pilot project, and leverage a long-term relationship with a community partner agency, the Center for Volunteer Caregiving.

Meredith College is accepting student applications for the stipends now through June 1. Interested students should email a cover letter, copy of their resume, and the names of three references to EdwardsC@meredith.edu before June 1, 2017. 

“CIC hopes that this pilot project will serve as a first step toward the development of a national network of programs on independent college and university campuses that promote intergenerational interaction between students and community members,” said CIC President Richard Ekman.

These 21 colleges and universities will be part of a new network of colleges that the AARP Foundation hopes will help establish best practices for engaging students in meeting the challenges of older adults—hunger, safe and affordable housing, income-generation, and social isolation—in the communities surrounding college campuses.

More information about the project and the participating institutions is available at cic.edu/programs/intergenerational-connections.

Chartered in 1891, Meredith College opened with just over 200 women. Today, our student body has grown to nearly 2,000, and includes men at the graduate level. Meredith challenges students to explore their interests, expand their skills, and build on their strengths. Our graduates go on to use their intellect and abilities to make a positive impact on the world. And U.S. News, The Princeton Review and Forbes.com have all included Meredith in their “Best Colleges” lists. At 126 years and counting, Meredith College is still going strong.

The Council of Independent Colleges is an association of 768 nonprofit independent colleges and universities and higher education affiliates and organizations that has worked since 1956 to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of private higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on providing services to leaders of independent colleges and universities as well as conferences, seminars, and other programs that help institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, and institutional visibility. CIC conducts the largest annual conference of college and university presidents and of chief academic officers. CIC also provides support to state associations that organize programs and generate contributions for their member colleges and universities. The Council is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.

AARP Foundation works to ensure that low-income older adults have nutritious food, affordable housing, a steady income, and strong and sustaining bonds. We collaborate with individuals and organizations who share our commitment to innovation and our passion for problem-solving. Supported by vigorous legal advocacy, we create and advance effective solutions that help struggling older adults transform their lives. AARP Foundation is the affiliated charity of AARP.

Melyssa Allen

News Director
316 Johnson Hall
(919) 760-8087
Fax: (919) 760-8330

allenme@meredith.edu