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When the interim president of Frostburg State University in Western Maryland asked Jane Rohde to tour an empty residence hall in 2023, he posed a question facing many rural campuses across the country: “What do I do? Do I tear it down? Refurbish it?”
Rohde – founder of Live Together, Inc., a nonprofit advocating for intergenerational living – saw beyond the building’s personality-less exterior. She saw a way to turn an underutilized campus asset into a hub for intergenerational connection, wellness, and community renewal.
Today, the project – co-led by Rohde and the director of Frostburg State’s social work department Nancy Giunta – is coming to life. Called Cambridge Residences, the proposed plans combine affordable housing, workforce development programs, elder care services, and wellness programs for residents and community members.
By connecting generations on college campuses, the pair say they can “address housing shortages, build social connections, and strengthen workforce development, while revitalizing enrollment and expanding the purpose of higher education.”
The vacant, six-story residence hall could eventually contain 40 apartments for students, graduates, families, and older adults, plus a five-bedroom assisted living household for older residents who need additional care, and offices for the University’s social work department.
The pair also want to transform the adjacent campus quad – currently underused – into Cambridge Commons, an outdoor space with a community garden, playground, and other gathering spaces where generations can intermingle. Every resident could also be designated as a student and able to access on-campus dining, recreation, and cultural events.
“Historically, local colleges and universities have served as anchors for education and innovation,” Rohde and Giunta say. “Today, they can also become catalysts for intergenerational living, learning, and workforce development.”
Cambridge Residences – and a parallel project they’re working on at Allegany College of Maryland – are answers to several interconnected problems currently unfolding across much of rural America: declining college enrollment, rapidly aging populations, brain drain, housing shortages, and loneliness. These conditions “threaten the vitality of rural higher education and the sustainability of the communities that surround them,” they explain.
Giunta and Rohde learned more about these problems and what services might appeal to county residents in a series of focus groups. They found that both young and old need care and services that aren’t available in the area.
Many elders, for example, said they don’t need to live in a nursing home but still require help getting groceries or mowing the lawn. Meanwhile, a younger interviewee who is a physical therapy student and single mom, said she needs backup childcare if her kid is sick or she has an appointment and her mom can’t help. Intergenerational living could provide that support.
Rohde and Giunta also found that young people are leaving the area because they can’t find affordable homes or adequate employment. Elders, too, want more housing. An older resident, for instance, said there were no small homes to downsize into, forcing her to leave the county.
At the same time, Allegany County is littered with empty lots and buildings in need of refurbishment. Cambridge Residences is one such building, and Giunta and Rohde hope it incentivizes people to stay in the community to continue their education, find jobs, and forge relationships.
Giunta and Rohde don’t just want to renovate a physical space, but foster community engagement. That’s why the proposed plan for Cambridge Residences includes hosting a number of different activities, classes, and meals.
For example, the duo hope a second-floor seminar room might house workshops or presentations from community members. They also want to organize potlucks, food truck pop-ups, exercise classes, and walking groups, all features they’ve seen prove effective in other intergenerational communities. And they’re considering requiring all residents to volunteer together a few times a year.
They also imagine impromptu interactions taking place: An older resident could, for example, provide childcare or babysitting for a young family, while the young family helps the elder with transportation.
FSU’s nursing, physical therapy, social work, psychology, and kinesiology students could also provide interdisciplinary care for older residents. And a proposed, in-building wellness coordinator could help residents of all ages access various wellness services.
The prospectus development, including construction budget projections, is well underway and will be presented to the FSU administration this spring. Live Together, Inc. has signed a memorandum of understanding with Frostburg State University, and a regional contractor is completing preliminary construction budgets. Next, administrations at Frostburg State University and Allegany College of Maryland, along with various foundations and private donors, will review the plans and provide input. Rohde and Giunta are also trying to secure additional financial support, both public and private.
In the future, Rohde and Giunta hope Cambridge Residences could serve as a proof of concept for a larger vision on revitalizing rural areas and serving intergenerational populations. Boyce Williams, dean of Frostburg’s College of Education, Behavioral & Health Professions, agrees. She says the initiative “exemplifies a scalable, transferable model for higher education institutions throughout the Appalachian corridor.”
Ultimately Rohde and Giunta’s vision taps rural areas’ strengths to address their problems. As they explain, rural communities across Appalachia and the Rust Belt “hold deep traditions of mutual care, resilience, and learning across generations—values that can be harnessed to shape more sustainable futures.”
CoGenerate and the Stanford Center on Longevity recently named Live Together, Inc. as one of six winners of the Big Ideas Challenge to Reimagine Higher Education. All winners have the potential to transform campuses into thriving centers for intergenerational collaboration and learning, while fostering economic opportunity, lifelong learning, and institutional sustainability. Learn more about the other winners.
