Picture this — a current Barnard student, backpack in hand, trekking across campus for her physics class. After class, she’ll meet up with a friend at a coffee shop to discuss the lecture and compare notes. Then, it’s off to the gym for a quick workout before calling it a night.
About twenty-seven miles upstate at Broadview, a senior living community on Purchase College’s campus, a retired Barnard alumna is having the exact same day.
At Broadview, this is the image of a student — not just an adolescent co-ed, but a curious and accomplished senior citizen, looking to learn and thrive in an age-inclusive educational environment.
It’s also where a group of eight Barnard alumnae have chosen to call home.
Marge Feder ’53, Angela Salanitro Bellizzi ’56, Harriet Wasserstrum ’68, Linda Rachele Burke ’68, Linda Cahill ’62, Marion Cantor Cohen ’60, Lucy Shahar ’63, and Julia Hsia ’66 didn’t know each other when they attended Barnard. Decades later, they have all found a haven at Broadview.
Through a partnership with Purchase College, Broadview is a residential learning community for adults 62 years and older. It is one of the first few University Associated Retirement Communities in New York, and the nation, to be located directly on a college campus. A pioneer in age-inclusive education, it is reimagining what we all know to be true; learning is a lifelong journey.
“Broadview challenges age‑based assumptions by fostering a campus community rooted in shared space, shared purpose, and authentic social connection,” said Ashley Wade, Executive Director of Broadview. “When people come together around common interests and values, age fades into the background, and what emerges is possibility.”
Shahar initiated a meeting amongst Barnard alumnae back in March 2024 after finding out about her fellow alumnae through their resident biographies.
“I enjoy sharing memories when we meet,” said Shahar. “I’m also continually impressed by my fellow grads’ careers: medicine, scientific research, university and high school teaching, banking, computer science, and teaching English as a second language.”
“Broadview has turned out to be a community where it’s been easy to find new relationships in general but even so there’s something very comforting about finding other Barnard grads here,” said Cohen, a former zoology major at Barnard.
Maryam Banikarim ’89, both an alumna and a current trustee of Barnard, witnessed the strength of the lifelong Barnard connection after being invited to a brunch with the alumnae when visiting her mother, also a Broadview resident.
“[Broadview] is an amazing place — filled with lifelong learners, like the women from Barnard. Interested, engaged, wanting to continue living with impact,” said Banikarim. “I loved hearing their stories of their time at Barnard, answering their questions as best I could. Mainly I just enjoyed being in their company, which is how I feel about all Barnard women.”
UARCs, like Broadview, offer a combination of residential and educational services. The community fosters an intergenerational environment, greatly benefiting both participating residents and college students.
At the beginning of each semester, Purchase College publishes a list of courses available for Broadview participants to audit. Residents can learn and study among Purchase undergraduates.
"We're so pleased that the distinctive campus community of Purchase and Broadview has brought together so many lifelong learners,” said Purchase College President Michael E. Steiper. “It comes as no surprise that people drawn to the liberal and performing arts, which are so central to both Barnard and Purchase, would find a true home at Broadview and thrive within such a vibrant, intellectually engaged community."
Broadview’s list of residents includes a wide range of retired individuals spanning many fields, from artists to scientists. At the weekly “Sunday Salon,” residents can volunteer to give a presentation in their field of expertise. Broadview also offers mentoring opportunities for Purchase students to learn from professionals in their area of study. For example, a Broadview doctor can mentor a Purchase pre-med student.
Barnard alumnae have maintained their penchant for academic rigor, utilizing Broadview’s many educational opportunities, from auditing classes to mentoring Purchase students.
Many of the Barnard alumnae have maintained positions as active volunteers and presenters in their field of expertise. Burke has spearheaded science workshops at Broadview’s High Point Center for Care, as well as guided campus trail walks focused on plants. Hsia has presented her story of immigrating to the United States from China, as well becoming a running coach.
Broadview residents embrace the Purchase College tagline, “Think Wide Open,” a sentiment which can also be applied to voraciously curious Barnard students and alumnae, who keep learning throughout the course of their lives.
These eight alumnae once found a home in Barnard, a place where they could freely explore their interests and begin anew. While years may separate their time at Barnard and their current occupations at Broadview, the experience is the same — Barnard students, curious and hopeful, stepping fearlessly into a new phase of their lives.