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History & Mission
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In 1979, the College of Public and Community Service (CPCS) of the University of Massachusetts Boston established an
intensive one-year program in Gerontology, targeted mainly at older learners. A grant from the U.S. Administration on
Aging helped to launch the Frank J. Manning Certificate Program in Gerontology, named in honor of a much-revered
longtime advocate for elder issues in Massachusetts.
The first students completed the Manning Program in 1980; since that time over 700 have earned their certificate.
A survey in 1994-95 showed that the median age at the time of completion of the program was 64. Many of those who
complete this intensive program use their training for volunteer work as well as paid employment in the aging field.
By the mid-1980s, many Certificate Program alumni were busy in city and state agencies on aging, in nursing homes;
others were serving as aides and visitors in elderly people's homes and as advocates for the elderly. An advanced
certificate program in gerontological social policy was established, offering further academic credit for a
year-long policy/research project.
The years 1988-90 marked an expansion of Gerontology as an area of academic emphasis within the University:
- In 1988, the Massachusetts Legislature funded the Frank J. Manning Eminent Scholar's Chair in Social Gerontology.
Yung-Ping Chen, Ph.D., an economist specializing in economic security, was appointed its first holder.
- A Research Division was added to the Gerontology Institute. Francis G. Caro, a sociologist and researcher
specializing in social policy research, was appointed its first director.
- Ellen A. Bruce, J.D., an expert in elderly affairs, was appointed the second director of the Public Policy
Division, succeeding Paul Houlihan. Growing numbers of graduates of the Manning Program were moving into
internships within that division, extending both its responsibilities and capabilities for policy activities.
- Gerontology faculty, previously scattered among academic units, were awarded departmental status with the
creation of a separate academic unit for Gerontology within CPCS. Gerontology thus became formalized as a career
center for undergraduate B.A. students within the College. The Gerontology Center now serves as the academic home,
tenure base, and curriculum center for Gerontology faculty.
- In 1989, the Institute's quarterly Journal of Aging & Social Policy first appeared. Scott Bass and Brandeis
Emeritus Professor Robert Morris were the first co-editors. Jill R. Norton was hired in 1988 as managing editor
of the Journal and editor/publications coordinator for the Institute.
- In 1989, the state Regents authorized the University of Massachusetts Boston to offer the nation's second
Ph.D. program in Gerontology and, in the fall of 1990, the first entering
class began their graduate work. The Ph.D. Program in Gerontology was the culmination of several years' work
by Gerontology faculty, and additional faculty were added. The program is helping to produce a new generation
of gerontologists prepared to assist the state and the nation with aging issues.
With this infrastructure in place, Gerontology at UMass Boston was able to maintain a degree of growth despite
the fiscal crisis in Massachusetts of the early 1990s. Grants have played a larger role in recent years in the
financing of Gerontology Institute activities. The Ph.D. program continued to grow- by fall of 1998, there were
41 students and 13 recipients of the Ph.D. degree. These students are involved in research projects for the
Institute as well as teaching in the Manning Program.
The three priority areas for the Gerontology Institute in the 1990s have been (1) productive aging, which
refers to productive engagement in society in paid employment, volunteer work, and caregiving; (2) health care
and long-term care, and (3) economic security. Despite cutbacks in public funding, the Gerontology Institute
continues to work closely with local elder groups, the state Executive Office of Elder Affairs, and national
leaders on such issues as pension assistance, long-term care, quality of care, and Social Security reform.
Mission
The Gerontology Institute, founded in 1984, and the Department of Gerontology of the
University of Massachusetts Boston comprise one of this country's
leading centers for the academic study of social gerontology. The Gerontology Institute at the University of
Massachusetts Boston has as its mission:
- To conduct social and economic research on aging.
- To provide public education on issues associated with aging.
- To expand opportunities for older people to make productive contributions in aging services.
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