University of Michigan. Institute of Gerontology

Work on aging at the University of Michigan began under the auspices of the Institute for Human Adjustment. The nation's first adult education program for older people was begun in 1948 by Clark Tibbitts, then director of the institute. In 1951 the Board of Regents of the University created the Division of Gerontology as part of the Institute for Human Adjustment. Wilma Donahue, of the Psychological Clinic, was appointed the division's first chairperson. In 1965 the Michigan State Legislature passed House Bill No. 2748 to create the Institute of Gerontology (IoG), jointly sponsored by the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. Wilma Donahue and Lawrence Power were named co-directors.

In the enabling act, IoG's objectives were defined as: "developing new and improved programs for helping older people in [Michigan], for the training of persons skilled in working with the problems of the aged, for research related to the needs...of our aging population, and for conducting community service programs in the field of aging." To accomplish these objectives, the institute has worked closely with other units of the universities. The IoG offers short courses for in-service training, a curricula at the master's level, and seeks to attract doctoral students in several disciplines to specialize in gerontological problems.

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