A partnership between Rockwood Retirement Communities and Whitworth University is flourishing, giving residents access to campus events, classes, and opportunities to take on mentorship roles.

One of just a handful of university-affiliated retirement communities in Washington state, the Rockwood at Whitworth campus is located less than a quarter mile from Whitworth University’s campus in North Spokane.

The roughly 270 residents at Rockwood at Whitworth have opportunities to take some classes for free, receive discounted tuition for other classes, and receive free tickets to events on Whitworth’s campus, as well as access to the university’s library, aquatics center, and dining options. 

Eowyn Sallis, vice president of sales and marketing for Rockwood Retirement Communities, says the retirement community’s proximity to the university is often a significant factor in a resident’s decision to move in.

“When we polled the people who were moving into the community when it first opened, the number one reason people were choosing Rockwood at Whitworth was that university affiliation,” Sallis says. “The residents, generally speaking, have some connection to the university — whether they're alumni, they worked there, a child or grandchild is going there, or they live in the neighborhood.”

In 2019, Rockwood unveiled plans to redevelop the Rockwood at Whitworth community and simultaneously announced a new partnership with the nearby higher-education institution.

Sallis says Rockwood Retirement Communities recognized opportunities to retain or restore connections between Whitworth University and alumni through campus experiences, continuing education, and intergenerational interactions with students.

Some of the residents choose to continue their education through classes at Whitworth; Stephen Collette, general manager of Rockwood at Whitworth, says the school sets aside about eight to 10 spots for residents in a limited number of classes each semester.

Other residents prefer opportunities to learn without leaving the retirement community, Sallis says.

A group of residents have formed a committee to bring Whitworth lectures to Rockwood at Whitworth, with the goal of hosting about 10 lectures per semester. Up to 50 residents attend each lecture held at the retirement community, depending on the topic. 

Collette says that the partnership with the university gives students opportunities, too. Whitworth students in the occupational and physical therapy programs, for example, can be paired with Rockwood resident volunteers for the entire time the student is at the university. 

“With the OT or the physical therapy, one of the things they were doing previously was following (residents) through walking and gait, noticing differences as you age, and providing education and training as to how to improve or gain function that you lost,” Collette says. 

Residents are often enthusiastic about interacting with students, says Jim Maxwell, president and CEO of Rockwood Retirement Communities.

“It's special to see the connections that are formed between the students and our residents, and the benefits that both the students and the residents get,” Maxwell says. “The residents really do love it.”

Rick Meyers and his wife Karen moved from California to the Rockwood at Whitworth community in May 2023. Meyers says a retirement community with a university affiliation was a primary consideration when he and Karen began looking for a place to retire. Their son attended Whitworth University and graduated in 2012, and their niece graduated from Whitworth in 2014, so they were already familiar with the university. 

Meyers says his wife enjoys singing in the Whitworth Community Chorale, and they both regularly attend sporting events, art exhibits, and theater performances on the university’s campus.

Meyers, who worked for an Apple company in the '90s and later worked for educational tech company Aplia, also takes computer science classes at Whitworth.

“Partly, I wanted to take computer science courses … to refresh my knowledge,” Meyers says. “But my primary reason really was to interact with students and to mentor them.”

Meyers says the courses he’s taken are structured around completing several small group projects.

“Most of the time, those are group projects with two or three people, to try to anticipate the way work is done out in the real world,” Meyers says. “I was able to be teamed up with a variety of different students through a term, and do a project with one or two of them every week or two. That gave me a lot of chances to get to know the students, but also to give them some insight based on my experience.”

Sallis says many residents share Meyers’ attitude toward mentorship. 

“I love seeing that they think in the way of how we can help the students,” Sallis says. “I’ve seen a real desire from the residents to be involved in helping to grow what that connection looks like.” 

The partnership has been so popular that Rockwood decided to streamline communications between residents and the university. 

“We've created a community navigator position so that all of the ideas that residents come up with or that the university approaches us with are funneled through one person,” Sallis says.

Rockwood is beginning conversations with the university about expanding the mentorship aspect of the partnership through Whitworth’s Center for Community Engagement, Sallis says. 

Rockwood is also floating the idea of more evening classes at Whitworth, Collette says, as well as the option to host more university events at the retirement community.

“We're going to have some putting green-type competitions here,” Collette says. “One of the things I'm talking with (Whitworth University) about is maybe having some of the students who are golfers come over and do some lessons for golfing. We've got a pickleball court here; maybe somebody wants to come over here with some experience in racquet sports over there as part of their physical education degree. We’re trying to think outside the box.”