Miami Presents: The E.W. Scripps Legacy - 100 Years of Research Excellence

In 1922, E.W. Scripps endowed the Scripps Foundation for Research on Population Problems at Miami University. The first decades of Scripps at Miami resulted in groundbreaking work in demography, including the first study of fertility that used social science methods to understand women’s fertility intentions, and a method of population projection that is still in use today. In 1972, the focus of the center shifted to the study of aging as the most important trend in population change.

Today, the Scripps Gerontology Center provides leadership and ground-breaking work in the field of gerontology. In honor of its 100th anniversary, Scripps is donating materials that document its early fertility work and the evolution of gerontology as an important policy issue and as a field of study.

Suzanne Kunkel, Ph.D. recently retired from her position as Executive Director of Miami University’s Scripps Gerontology Center and University Distinguished Professor of Gerontology.  Her teaching and research has focused focus on the demography of aging; links between community-based programs and social needs and risks related to the social determinants of health; the impact of cross-sectoral partnerships on county- level population health measures; evaluation of innovative programs designed to maximize health, dignity, and independence for older adults in all settings; and age- friendly and dementia-capable communities. She has been Principal Investigator or Co-PI on externally-funded projects totaling more than $11 million. Kunkel continues to work on these funded projects in her current role as Senior Research Scholar at Scrips. Dr. Kunkel has served in leadership roles for two national organizations in her field (Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and Gerontological Society of America), and currently serves on boards and committees for local, state, and national organizations providing housing and services for older adults.