Still, there are close ties between the community and campus.

Some residents are professors, still actively teaching classes. Campus faculty give weekly lectures at University Commons. Graduate students in music perform regularly in the center’s recital hall.

“I feel very involved in one way or another,” Dexter said, adding the activity could be a health benefit.

Mutual benefits

When Campus Continuum announces its first project before the end of the year, it may look something like University Commons.

One of a number of firms that have sprung up in recent years to bring schools, alumni and developers together, its focus is “55-plus active adult communities” — the same model Gustavus is considering.

Managing director Gerard Badler said the communities encourage interaction between students and adults, to mutual benefit.

Like University Commons, the communities tend to attract faculty and staff who are still active on campus. Some seniors serve as mentors or advisors to students, or even a source for a term paper.

“A professor can give an assignment on World War II and then say, ‘Trot across the street and interview somebody who actually lived through World War II,’” he said.

Schools benefit financially from the sale or lease of unused property, as well as the fees adult residents pay for access to campus programs and facilities.

“If the school treats these people in a warm, welcoming way — given that most of them will be hanging around for a longer period of time than most undergraduates — they will think well of the school and give additional donations,” Badler added.

Unknowns

Groups like Campus Continuum target schools like Gustavus, where Westphal said about 120 acres of farmland are available for development. But the land-rich school is poor in some areas that attract retirees.

One issue is the lack of summer programming. Gustavus does not offer summer classes.

“A certain segment of this population might be in Arizona or Florida for part of the winter,” he said. “When they’re here in the summer time, this population is going to want to be active, and there is going to need to be some programming.”