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ATLANTA— In 1973, the average price for a gallon of gas was 39 cents, the top grossing movie was “The Exorcist,” and that fall Dr. Barbara Pittard Payne, a professor in the Sociology Department at Georgia State University, launched the university’s first gerontology program.
Gerontology is the study of aging across the life course. It encompasses the social, psychological and biological aspects of the aging process.
Dr. Frank Whittington, who would later become one the directors of what is now Georgia State’s Gerontology Institute, was hired to assist Payne with launching this new program.
“The program started as a master’s program in the sociology of aging,” said Whittington. “Five students enrolled in the program that fall. GSU had had no other academic programs in gerontology in 1973 or, to my knowledge, no ongoing research in aging.”
When the program began, many states, Georgia included, had done very little for or with older people. State, city and county-based aging services didn’t exist, there were almost no senior centers, no assisted living facilities, no nutrition programs (like Meals on Wheels), and the list goes on. There was also very little research about aging and very few academic programs about aging.
“At that time, gerontologists were not widely knowledgeable about the difference between aging and disease, or between physical impairment and functional disability, and we knew very little about the ill effects of over-medication of elders,” said Whittington. “We had no clear grasp of the overarching importance of quality of life, the life course, the continuum of care or personal autonomy. It is hard to imagine what we did know—and did teach our first students.”
Despite being a small program and offering one course in aging each term, word about the new program spread and it rapidly grew. By June 1977, 17 students were awarded certificates in gerontology. In 1978, the Gerontology Center was established with Payne as the center’s director.
Payne remained director until her retirement in 1990 and Whittington would become director in 1995. That same year, the program that started with just five students in the 1970’s became Georgia State’s Gerontology Institute, housed in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Today, the Gerontology Institute has roughly 40 core and affiliate faculty members, all committed to advancing the field of aging and offers several programs for undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Elisabeth Burgess, the College of Arts & Sciences current Dean for Faculty Affairs, served as the institute’s director from January 2009 to August 2022. She said the institute has always attracted students who are passionate about making a difference.
“The Gerontology Institute at GSU has always been committed to preparing students for careers in aging. We brought the aging network into our classrooms through guest lectures, field trips and internships. Our students have gone on to be leaders in the aging network both in Georgia and beyond,” said Burgess.
Graduates of the Gerontology Institute go on to work for local and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, health and long-term-care institutions, financial and legal firms, as well as private companies that develop products and services for older adults.
Recently, the institute commemorated 50 years at Georgia State with a ‘70s-themed celebration. A panel of Gerontology Institute employers and partners took part in the institute’s annual Payne Lecture, named after Barbara Payne. Fifty individuals over the age of 50 who have contributed to the institute and the field of aging were honored. And guests dressed in their disco attire danced the night away to ‘70s music.
Jennifer Craft Morgan, the institute’s current director, said there’s so much to accomplish over the next 50 years, but the institute is in a really great place to train the next generation of gerontologists.
“I think we are set up to create gerontologists who are ready to use their applied research and leadership skills to make a difference for older adults across many domains including senior living, aging services, business and more,” said Morgan. “We have many community partners ready to employ our alumni and make the world a better place for older adults and their care partners.”
To learn more about the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University, please visit: www.gerontology.gsu.edu
-Photo by Raven Schley