UMAC Online (On Pause) | U of M Advanced Careers Initiative

Are you ready?

To refocus your work and life with a lens of meaning and purpose?

To figure out how you can be part of the change you hope to see in the world?

UMAC Online brings the best of a world class university right to you. Building on our proven model, we offer a framework, guidance, and support as you explore pathways towards meaning, engagement, and contribution in the second half of life. With an interactive format and virtual engagement, you can connect in meaningful ways with people like you in communities around the world!

Through LIVE online meetings with experts, small group discussions, and thought-provoking readings and exercises, we help you take the next step.

Designed by leading experts in the field (our founding director wrote the book Encore Adulthood: Boomers on the Edge of Risk, Renewal, and Purpose), with a focus on renewal and transformation, our series will allow you to dig deep and get clarity in your life while setting the stage for meaningful engagement and social impact.

Part One:

Charting a Course for What's Next

Design a life of purpose, engagement and social impact

Clarify what's important to you
Identify your keys to purpose
Target fulfilling work that builds on your talents and skills
Learn how to create a portfolio life
Tap the knowledge and wisdom of a learning community
Take small steps - starting now

Part Two:

What Difference Can I Make?

Be a positive force within communities

Learn how human centered design can be applied to social impact work
Expand connections and networks in the social sector
Find practical ways to get involved with issues that matter to you
See how your skills translate to social sector work: careers, social entrepreneurship, pro bono

Our curriculum is designed specifically for people at midlife and beyond. With LIVE virtual meetings you can join from anywhere! We offer:

Inspiring speakers
Small group discussions
Curated readings and exercises
Meaningful discussions

About Us

We know a lot about encore adults. We have studied and written about encore adulthood as a new life stage, characterized more by engagement and a desire to give back than frailty and outdated ideas of aging.

We know a lot about curriculum development. Over the years, we have taught many classes and facilitated group learnings.

We have direct experience working with encore adults as they experiment with new ways of working and living.

We are leaders in the field and part of professional communities leading the way in this space, including Encore.org, the Encore Network, and (College at Midlife) communities. We are active contributors to a vibrant community of scholars, practitioners and thought leaders.

We are pioneers in this space, bringing scholarly and practical knowledge to our work with encore adults.

Professor Phyllis Moen is a life course scholar, professor of sociology, and holder of a McKnight Endowed Presidential Chair at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of numerous books, including Overload: How Good Jobs Went Bad and What We Can Do About It (2020) and Encore Adulthood: Boomers on the Edge of Risk, Renewal, and Purpose (2016). She directs the Life Course Center, an NIA designated Center on the Demography and Economics of Aging. Professor Moen also serves on the board of Encore.org, founded by social entrepreneur Marc Freedman.