The state of gerontology--opus one.

An examination of the state of gerontology as observed from the office of the provost prepared for the 2012 GSA Kent Award Lecture. Strengths and weaknesses of the field are identified in the context of the changing environment of higher education. This article identifies specific recommendations for strengthening the field, particularly in the arena of theory development, with the implications for long-range financial support within research universities. The conclusion focuses on GSA leveraging a multidisciplinary team of scholars to sharpen gerontology's underlying theoretical concepts.