On the day the Daily Express announces:"The secret to why humans grow old has been discovered by scientists in Britain, paving the way towards radical new treatments for age-related diseases." We knwo there's a growing demand for higher education from older learners:the most recent Ucas figures showed a 63.4% increase in the number of mature applicants for undergraduate courese. Of course, it's the baby boomers. Now hitting old age, they are determined to enjoy the pleasures maturity has to offer. The report coming from Universities UK, talks of unlocking mental capital, promoting well-being and preparing people for the "probable two decades" they 'll have escaped the office, though heaven knwos it's tough to find a college still offering adult education classes these days. Chief executive of Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, says the ideas that people stop making a useful contribution to society when they reach the age of 60 is outdated. "We are facing a situation where older people are living longer and healthier lives and have, as a consequence, a huge amount to contribute. Universities have a significant part to play in developing that contribution," she says. But hang about. Aren't universities in the grip of a funding crisis? There are some who might argue that the baby-boomers ahve had their chance---they've been to universitiy and they didn't even have to pay for it. David Willetts, the Tories' resident egghead certained thinks baby boomers can be held responsible for nicking their kids' future. "Of course, proposals to support older people into universities must be considered in light of the current funding climate facing the sector," says Dandridge. She has a point. We recall the remarkable Bernard Herzberg, a refugee from Nazi Germany, who died in 2007 while putting the final touches to hs second MA degree. He became the world's oldest graduate at age 90 when he completed a BA degree in German literature at London University in 2000. But in these straightened times,can universities afford to priorities the mental situlation and well-being of older people.