An experimental program launched Wednesday, the yearlong Distinguished Careers Institute, offers 20 older students the chance to retrain.
"Retirement in the traditional sense is not really healthy," Institute director Dr. Phil Pizzo told the San Jose Mercury News. Pizzo is a 67-year-old pediatrician, researcher and former dean of the Stanford School of Medicine.
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"What you need to stay healthy is to be physically well, intellectually motivated and stimulated to take on new challenges and form social communities," he said.
A poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that half of Americans age 50-70 want to find work that has a social impact after their primary career ends.
Stanford is looking for candidates with 20 to 30 years of career achievement who want to improve themselves and the world around them and who can afford the $60,000 tuition.
The university is working with global search firms and job placement centers to connect graduates with paid or volunteer employment.
Pizzo said the idea for the Stanford program has been developing for years and, if successful, he hopes it can serve as a model for other universities and community colleges.
Enrollment is open now for a school year that begins in January.
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