Luxury senior living communities are designed to offer enriched lifestyles for older adults, often pairing thoughtfully designed residences with amenities such as fitness centers, swimming pools, educational and entertainment programming, and multiple dining venues. Many also provide hospitality-style services that support ease and comfort in daily life.
Mirabella at ASU fits within this model, offering a wide range of services and amenities alongside well-appointed accommodations. What sets the community apart, however, is not simply the level of comfort it provides, but its uncommon setting and purpose.
It is rare to find a luxury senior living community located directly on a major university campus and fully integrated into university life.
“During the first four weeks, friends were already visiting, even though we were hardly unpacked, because they’d never seen anything like this before,” says Dr. Richard Kramer, a Mirabella at ASU resident since 2021. “They came away from it saying, ‘That’s incredible.’”
While residents enjoy the conveniences of daily living, including multiple dining venues, a fitness and aquatic center, an art studio, a woodworking shop, housekeeping and maintenance services, and primary care through Pine Park Health, they also gain access to the broader academic environment of Arizona State University. For residents committed to lifelong learning, the connection offers a distinctive extension of daily life.
“At 82, it’s so empowering to be learning at the university level and also contributing to the academic community,” says Dr. Karen Busch, who also moved to Mirabella at ASU in 2021. “I’m modeling for students that they can continue to learn and be part of a university long after they’ve graduated.”
Residents are supported by the ASU Lifelong Engagement Team as they navigate opportunities across campus. They can visit the university’s four on-campus libraries, audit from a catalog of more than 10,000 classes, attend weekly lectures, and experience performances at Gammage Auditorium. Through the Artists-in-Residence program, select music and dance students live at Mirabella in exchange for offering performances and classes for residents.
The result is a setting that encourages connection across generations. Mentorship, shared learning, and informal relationships develop naturally, creating an environment shaped as much by exchange as by comfort.
“This is an exciting way to retire with meaning, providing all that wisdom, experience, and passion we retirees can contribute,” Dr. Kramer says. “These students are what drive me today and a major source of enjoyment. If I can make a small impact on even one life, it can make my entire life worthwhile.”