Education programs at the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living at Washington State University will benefit from a $100,000 donation that Bend, OR-based real estate marketing optimization company G5 has pledged.
The company announced the planned contribution, which will be distributed over five years, on Wednesday.
The institute, first publicly announced in 2017, was dedicated in October at the completion of a $2.5 million fundraising campaign. The name honors the late industry veteran, who founded assisted living company Cobbco; served as president, CEO and director of Summerville Senior Living; was president and CEO of Emeritus Senior Living; and then became a board member of Brookdale Senior Living when Emeritus and Brookdale merged.
“The current talent pool for senior living is limited. According to 2016 projections from Argentum, the industry must attract more than 1.2 million additional employees by 2025 to fill talent gaps,” Nancy Swanger, associate dean, Carson College of Business and founding director of the institute, said in a statement. “Helping to fund necessary research and development initiatives for the incoming workforce is a stepping stone for the greater good of the industry, and we’re proud to be part of that with the help of G5.”
Cobb, a former chairman of Argentum’s board (when the organization was known as the Assisted Living Federation of America), died in September 2015 after an intermittent battle with cancer over several years. He was one of the senior living leaders who had helped build the senior living curriculum at Washington State, and he taught a semester-long course in senior housing administration for juniors and seniors, according to R.D. Merrill Co. President Bill Pettit.
The institute’s new curriculum, once consisting of one elective course, now includes an online certificate program. Plans for an undergraduate major through the institute are underway, to prepare students for careers in senior living through courses and industry partnerships.
“We believe our contribution to the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living will help advance the senior living industry and develop new passions and future careers,” G5 CEO Dan Hobin said.
