When School Calls You Back

Pat Duffy
Age: 63
Attended: Metropolitan State University
Program of study: Individualized bachelor’s degree
Lives: Edina
Fun fact: Pat recalls that her father would ask everyone at the dinner table what they learned that day—a habit that inspired a family of lifelong learners.

The challenges that Pat Duffy faces seem formidable. She started her academic career late in life, having taken just a few college courses in library science. She also faced physical challenges. In 1982, inner ear bone deterioration from cancer caused significant hearing loss, and one of the operations to repair the damage affected her vision years later. As a result, she uses special equipment to read textbooks and to listen to lectures.

“My eighty-six-year-old mother still sometimes asks me why I’m going to school—she thinks I’m crazy” she says. “But she knows I have a commitment to making a difference in the lives of the elderly and going to school will help me realize my dream.”

That dream is to create a facility for the elderly where their mind, body, and spiritual needs are met. Toward that end, she’s focused her individualized bachelor’s degree on leadership service, health, and spirituality.

While living in New York City for twenty years, Duffy volunteered at an area hospital and visited housebound seniors. She currently logs more than sixty hours a month volunteering for the nonprofit Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly.

“In my opinion, we don’t care for the elderly properly in this country. There are so many of them who are depressed and lonely, and that needs to change,” she says. “My philosophy is that every human being has the right to dignity and respect, and there’s a better way to extend that to the elderly.”

Duffy knew that making her dream  a reality would require education, and she’s happy that Metropolitan State University allowed her to tailor her academic studies to her interests and was able to accommodate her hearing and visual impairments.

“Without that support, it wouldn’t have been possible for me to study with my challenges,” she says. “It takes me twice as long as other people to do my homework or to take tests. They’ve been so gracious and supportive in giving me the tools I need.”

Duffy’s resolve also goes a long way toward achieving her academic goals. Not only does she plan to finish her bachelor’s degree, but she’s contemplating a master’s degree and PhD sometime in the future. She encourages other older adults to do the same.

“I think those coming to college later in life are more committed to the learning process,” she says. “When I was younger, there weren’t the kind of opportunities there are today, and it’s wonderful to be able to have this experience.”