International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame
The International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame was founded in 1996 "to honor leaders in the fields of continuing education and adult learning and to serve as a record and inspiration for the next generation of continuing education leaders". Annually, adult and continuing education leaders from around the world are selected for induction into the IACE Hall of Fame.
History
The story of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame officially began in the early 1990s with the desire to provide a mechanism to honor and document contributions of the past to better build the future. Dr. Thurman J. White, a pioneer in the field of continuing education for adult and nontraditional students, contributor to the theoretical base of adult education and initiator of the Oklahoma College of Continuing Education at University of Oklahoma, initiated this idea in cooperation with current leaders and officers of several associations and organizations in the USA. The Hall was incorporated in the state of Oklahoma on September 20, 1995, as a nonprofit corporation. The Hall of Fame, in the beginning focused mostly to the USA, more and more inducted members from other countries. In 2006 the first induction ceremony took place out of the USA. Logo of the society:
Structure
The Hall of Fame operates with a small central staff in the Office of the Vice President for Outreach at the University of Oklahoma. Inducted members elect a Board of Directors, which manages the induction process and organizes symposia and other Hall activities.
Hall of Fame Members
Scholars, practitioners, and policy makers reflect the diversity of adult and continuing education practice and scholarship and the increasingly global leadership community that constitutes the IACE Hall of Fame. Anyone may nominate a candidate for induction into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. A Selection Committee reviews nominations and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors, which selects the final group to be inducted every year. The Nomination Instructions claim: "To be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame, a person must be eminently distinguished in the profession, shall have brought honor or distinction, and shall have contributed to the heritage of adult and continuing education." Since the first induction in 1996, the Hall of Fame has inducted more than 250 members from 27 nations.
Location
The official home for the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame is the University of Oklahoma's Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education, Norman, Oklahoma.
Meetings
The IACE Hall of Fame typically holds its annual induction ceremony and symposium in conjunction with the annual conference of a major national/international professional association in the field: for example in 2008 in Budapest in conjunction with the Unesco/Confintea-conference, in 2010 in Guadalajara with CREAD/Inter-American Distance Education Consortium, and 2011 in Toronto with . In 2012, twelve adult and continuing education leaders from around the world were inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame on October 15, 2012 in Reno, Nevada. The induction was in conjunction with the National Council for Continuing Education and Training Conference. In 2013 fourteen adult and continuing education leaders from around the world were inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame on November 19, 2013. The induction was held in conjunction with the 19th Annual Sloan Consortium International Conference. Hosted by Sloan Consortium, the event was held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. In 2014, Adult and continuing education leaders from around the world were inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame on April 29, 2014 in Iasi, Romania in conjunction with The Fourth International Conference on Adult Education in Universities — Local and Regional Perspectives. In 2015, twenty-six exemplary educators were recently recognized with induction into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. The induction for the class of 2015 was held November 18 at the annual American Association for Adult and Continuing Education in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2016, thirteen exemplary educators were recognized with induction into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. The induction for the class of 2016 was held November 15 at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Florida. This year's induction is in conjunction with the Online Learning Consortium International Conference. In 2017, nine exemplary educators were inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. The induction for the class of 2017 was held in Suwon City, South Korea, during the UNESCO CONFITA VI conference on October 26, 2017. In 2018, the 23rd induction ceremony was held on November 10, 2018, in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the national convention of.Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities .Thirteen exemplary educators were inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.
