Last month, I attended the Longevity Innovations in Higher Education Summit, which took place at Arizona State University (ASU) in the United States. On the very first day, we visited the Mirabella senior living residence, located right on campus.
In my case, the tour was led by Deborah, a former university professor of French who, after retiring, decided to continue living at the university. As we walked through classrooms, common areas, and social spaces, Deborah described her daily life: attending classes, participating in conferences, and engaging in projects with younger students. “Here, I’m still learning,” she told me.
And that is precisely where the true innovation of this model lies.
Mirabella is not just a senior residence integrated into a campus. It is a space where different generations live side by side as equals within a learning community. The residents (who have an average age of 74) are not merely “clients” or “active retirees”: they are students with university ID cards, mentors, research participants, and active members of academic life.
This intergenerational approach creates a unique environment. Younger students benefit from the experience, critical thinking, and life stories of older generations. In turn, residents remain intellectually stimulated, socially engaged, and driven by a strong sense of purpose. This is not just about aging better. It is about continuing to contribute.
At a time when longevity is such a prominent topic, initiatives like this show that the challenge is not only to live longer, but to live those years better, with meaning, connection, and continuous learning.
For universities, this implies a profound shift in paradigm. Rather than institutions centered on a specific stage of life, typically ages 18 to 25, they begin to position themselves as platforms across the entire life cycle. Education ceases to be a moment and becomes a continuous process.
This is also the spirit we have been developing at the Center for Longevity Leadership at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. We believe that longevity is not merely a demographic or health issue, but a structural transformation that demands new responses in terms of education, work, and the organization of society.
Projects like Mirabella show that universities can and should be at the center of this transformation. Not only by educating young people, but by creating lifelong learning opportunities and communities where different generations learn together, collaborate, and create value.
After all, the true luxury of longevity is not living more years. It is having a place where you can continue to grow. Deborah already knows that. And now, so do I.