By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
It’s never too late. Especially in Kentucky – and at Northern Kentucky University.
Thanks to the Herman L. Donovan Fellowship for Older Adults program. The program allows Kentucky residents 65 years of age or older to pursue credit-bearing coursework at Northern Kentucky University for a degree or for personal enrichment withoutpayment of application fees or tuition.
“At NKU, we currently have 54 students enrolled who qualify for the Donovan Scholars Program,” Amy Danzo, Ed. D., Director of Adult and Transfer Center and Director of Testing Services at the University told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “Forty-three of those enrolled are undergraduate students. Some are enrolled to take classes for their own growth, while some are enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s and law degree programs.”
In the 1950s, University of Kentucky President, Herman L. Donovan, attended a seminar with pioneering leaders in the field of gerontology. Following this experience, Dr. Donovan became a strong advocate of higher education for retired persons: “Intellectual life cannot be ignored…Education is a life process.”
In 1964, on the recommendation of then-UK President John Oswald, the Board of Trustees approved the Herman L. Donovan Scholarship for Senior Citizens, waiving tuition for adults 65 and older.
In the Fall of 1964, twenty-six Donovan Scholars ranging from age 65 to 84 joined traditional UK students on campus for the first time. In 1967, Mrs. Amanda Hicks became the first Donovan Scholar to receive a degree. In 1975, Alfred D.G. Arthurs became the first to earn a Ph.D.
The program gained national attention in 1966 in a TIME magazine article. The national publicity resulted in inquiries from across the nation and many foreign countries. In 1976 the Kentucky General Assembly expanded UK’s program by mandating that residents of the Commonwealth, aged 65 or older, receive a tuition waiver for all academic classes
at all state-supported institutions of higher learning.
Today, there are approximately 100 Donovan Scholars taking classes on the University of Kentucky campus every Fall and Spring semester.
“The Adult and Transfer Center at NKU offers programming for all undergraduate Donovan Scholar students, such as coffee and doughnut socials,” said Dr. Danzo, a 17-year NKU staffer. “Students get connected immediately with an advisor to assist with course planning and referrals to campus resources such as counseling, the library, and community agencies with which we partner.”
Those who take part in the Donovan Scholars program are very much integrated into the collegiate atmosphere and have access to all, events and programs that every other student does, Dr. Danzo said.
“NKU was the first university in Kentucky to be designated as an Age-Friendly University,” she said. This distinction helps showcase the work the faculty and staff put-in to making the campus intergenerational in terms of physical and technological access, as well as classroom support and engagement.