Educational psychology, being part of the youth-oriented education system, has neglected adult development and learning phenomena. Recent major socio-cultural changes challenge the discipline's youth orientation while simultaneously offering opportunities for significant research, teaching and service, and for fertile dialectic within the higher education communities. There have been large-scale changes in national demographics as the once youthful American population grows older. Progressive declines in birthrates accompanied by greater prospects for longevity make the continuation of the traditional youth orientation in higher education less tenable. Several elements have contributed to a definition of higher education which is less youth-oriented: (1) institutional closings, (2) the fading of degree program enrollments, (3) a surge in part-time students, (4) the increasing role of non-credit courses, (5) the growth of non-collegiate postsecondary schools, and (6) the changing profile of the learner in higher education. New conceptions of adult development and the substantiation of life-long learning also indicate a need for research regarding the older learner. (Author/NRB)