BALTIMORE - Executive education for senior living professionals is now offered at the new Erickson School of Aging Studies, established earlier this year at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The executive development program is created in partnership with the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries (NIC). The first course, "The Business and Strategy of Seniors Housing & Care," will take place on November 10-13, 2004.

The four-day course will analyze the strategy and underpinnings of seniors housing and care, including the drivers of success, real demographics of aging, cost of capital and the evolving marketplace. A major focus will be placed on the role of health care delivery within seniors housing, with attention devoted to the critical role of continuous quality improvement, performance measurement and the determinants of quality care, and resident/family satisfaction. The course will also explore the current legal, regulatory and public policy environments confronting seniors housing, and the challenges they pose for management.

The course is being led by Brian Swinton, recently retired executive vice president of Sunrise Senior Living. Guest lecturers include John Erickson, chairman and CEO, Erickson, Dr. Charles Roadman, former president of the American Health Care Association and former surgeon general for the Air Force, Allen Lynch, partner, Nixon Peabody LLP, and Tony Mullen, NIC research director.

The Erickson School of Aging Studies at UMBC was started through a $5 million commitment made by Mr. Erickson through The Erickson Foundation. His Baltimore-based company has 13 campuses in eight states that are home to approximately 15,000 middle-income people.

In addition to the Erickson support, the school will seek matching funds from other external sources. Along with executive development, the school will eventually offer specialty degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels relating to senior care and aging.

UMBC, an honors university, is a four-year, public research university that is home to leading experts on aging who are active in research, education and service in the field of gerontology. It is one of a handful of universities in the nation to offer the Ph.D. in Gerontology.

NIC, a nonprofit organization, has been the leading source of business and financial information for the senior living industry since 1991. For the last five years, it has conducted executive development courses in operations, management, sales, marketing, development, finance and service quality for emerging industry leaders.

The cost for "The Business and Strategy of Seniors Housing & Care" course is $2750 and space is limited. To register and for more information, visit www.umbc.edu/erickson or call UMBC at (410) 455-3361.