North Carolina Adult Education Association
Organizational History

Prior to the formation of a state organization, adult education in North Carolina was promoted through regonal and national conferences held in the state. Statistics on men rejected during World War I by the Armed Services because of illiteracy called for a response from adult educators in 1919. The American Association of Adult Education (later merged into AEA-USA) and the Southeastern Adult Education Association (SE-AEA) also met in North Carolina in 1929 and 1952 respectively.

A joint project by AEA-USA led to the formation of a State Association. Dr. Lucy S. Morgan, North Carolina representative to SE-AA, called a meeting of all North Carolina representatives for July 1953 at Chapel Hill. Participants voted to form a state Adult Education Committee, which held its first state conference in February, 1954 in Chapel Hill with 170 adult educators in attendance. After two more annual conferences, the State Committee adoped Articles of Agreement on February 22, 1957, and officially became the North Carolina Adult Education Association (NCAEA).

 
Malcolm Shepherd Knowles
Founding member of NCAEA

Robert W. Scott

 

  

Through the State committee and later through NCAEA, members have acted to increase public awareness of adult education services and issues. During the 1950's the State Committee attempted to have state officials appoint an adult educator to the NC Department of Public Instruction, and NCAEA participated in an SE-AEA sponsored study of professional adult education degree programs available in the southeast region. The Association also called for and supported the growth of adult educaion professional degree programs, the expansion of adult extension division courses, and the establishment of a state commuity college system. The 1970 Governor's Conference on Adult Education held by Governor Robert W. Scott in Raleigh pointed to the progress made in statewide recogniton of adult education.

During its more recent years NCAEA activities have continued to reflect major trends within adult education, as well as new opportunities and concerns brought about by government and private funding and rapidly increasing enrollments in adult education.