About Us
The Gerontology Center at UCCS
Colorado is one of three states within the U.S. with the fastest growing population of older adults. Moreover, the city of Colorado Springs has increasingly become a place where older adults decide to retire and to live an important part of their life. As these developments continue and as the region and state move into a new millennium, the Gerontology Center at UCCS will play a crucial role in linking the work and interests of researchers and practitioners in gerontology with the needs and potentials of the surrounding community and the state.
The Gerontology Center supports the core university functions of education, research, and service with regard to the needs of the older persons and those who serve them. In addition, the Gerontology Center links resources of the University of Colorado Springs (UCCS) in the area of aging to the needs and potentials of the larger surrounding community.
The Gerontology Center at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) was founded in 1984 by Dr. Robert P. Larkin, Professor in Geography. Initially the Gerontology Center offered classes to older adult learners in the Colorado Springs area. Soon the educational program was expanded to include the courses for the academic certificate in Gerontology. From the beginning, the Gerontology Center has been the effort of multiple academic disciplines (e.g., biology, geography, psychology, sociology) and has involved a group of committed faculty members who share a scientific interest in the aging process. This tradition has been and is continued under the leadership of the current director, Dr. Sara Qualls, Kraemer Family Professor of Aging Studies, and is strengthened by the addition of the Beth-El School of Nursing to UCCS.
We are located in suite 350 inside the Lane Center off N Nevada Ave. For more information about the Lane Center, please visit their website here. At this time, we are unable to accommodate drop-in appointments.
For any inquiries, please don't hesitate to contact us at (719)-255-8005 or through our email at geron.uccs.edu.