February 20, 1900- August 15, 1982

He died only a few weeks after conducting a Summer Workshop

 

 

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Personal Data

 

Parents:  His father was an ordained Presbyterian Minister and his mother was a Concert Singer (Soprano).  Both parents were college trained.

 

Birth Place:  Whitesboro, New York

 

Married:  Helen Hazel Hartman     August 26, 1930

 

Children:  Edith Lillian, William, Samuel, Frederick Yale, and John Evans

 

 

 

Education

 

1913-18--General Studies, Blackburn Academy, Carlinville, Illinois (pre-college and beginning undergraduate)

 

1921--A.B., English, Park College, Parkville, Missouri

 

1929--Ph.D., Educational Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

 

1933-34--University of London, sabbatical study

 

1945--Post-doctoral Fellow, National Council of Religion in Higher Education

 

Employment

 

1921-22--Teacher of English, Park Academy, Parkville, Missouri

 

1923-24--Research Associate (Commonwealth Fund Fellow) with the Commonwealth Fund investigation of visual education under the supervision of Professor Freeman, University of Chicago and Northwestern University

 

1924-25--Instructor, Education Psychology, University of Michigan

 

1927-34--Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Michigan

 

1934-39--Associate Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Michigan

 

1938-45--Assistant to Vice President in Charge of University Relations in the field of Adult Education, University of Michigan

 

1939-69--Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Michigan

 

1940-42--Associate Director, American Youth Commission, American Council on Education, Washington DC (on leave from U. of Michigan)

 

1943--Consultant to Office of Civilian Defense and Office of War Information

 

1945-48--Director, Bureau of Studies and Training in Community Adult Education, University of Michigan

 

1948-64--Establisher and Chair, Department of Adult and Continuing Education, University of Michigan

 

1964--Appointed Senior Consultant in Adult Education by the United States Office of Education

 

1970-82--Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan

 

1971--Co-Chair, Section on Education, White House Conference on Aging

 

1973-74--Visiting Professor, Adult Education, University of Nebraska

 

 

Awards and Honors

  

1935-38:  Coordinated a Kellogg Foundation project designed to establish community development programs in rural Michigan towns.

 

1950:  Awarded the Michigan Educators Club Trophy for Conspicuous Service

 

1950-51:  Founding of the Adult Education Association of the U.S.A., 1950-51.

 

1956:  Recipient of the Delbert Clark Award in Adult Education

 

1958:  Recipient of University of Michigan Faculty's Distinguished Achievement Award

 

1969:  Recipient of a special award of recognition by the State of Michigan's Legislature for Service to the State.

 

1971:  White House Conference on Aging

 

1975:  Recipient of Adult Education Association of the U.S.A.'s Pioneer Award

 

2002:  Inductee in International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame

 

 

Membership-Professional Organizations

 

Adult Education Association of the USA (AEA) (first president, 1951-52)

 

American Educational Research Association (AERA)

 

American Psychological Association (APA)

 

Commission of Professors of Adult Education (CPAE) (founding member, 1953)

 

Gerontology Society

 

Michigan Academy of Science

 

Michigan Adult Education Association

 

National Association for Mental Health

 

National Association of Public School Adult Education (NAPSAE)

 

National Community Education Association (NCEA)

 

National Education Association (NEA)

 

National Society for the Study of Education

 

National Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Progressive Education Association

 

Publications

 

A bibliography of his books:

Griffith, W. S., & McClusky, H. Y. (1980-82). (Series Co-editors). "The AEA Handbook Series in Adult Education." San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

McClusky, H. Y. (1948). The teacher and the small community. Lincoln, NB: The University of Nebraska Press.

Schorling, R., & McClusky, H. Y. (1936). Education and social trends. Chicago, IL: World Book.

 

In addition, McCluskey has authored about 150 articles, reports, and monographs.

 

Professional Interest Areas

 

Howard has been a man of his own time by changing his primary clients to progressively older people as he himself aged.  He spent much of his first 15 years at the University of Michigan helping to train teachers to work with children.  During the middle to late 1930s Howard became concerned with educational needs of older youth, especially rural youth. Sometime in the early 1940s he began to develop his interest and expertise in adult education.  He continued solidifying this emphasis area, making many valuable contributions to the field of adult education until around the time of his "official" retirement from the University of Michigan.

 

Major Contributions to Adult Education

 

Howard was a multi-faceted individual in talent, interests, and professional training.  In fact, many disciplines considered him as one of their own.  This included adult education, community development, community education, educational gerontology, educational psychology, gerontology, mental health, psychology, public health, rural sociology, and youth work.  He also impacted fairly directly through his speaking and publications such areas as English, library science, music, and speech.

 

He understood well notions of adult development and spoke about them in his graduate courses.  He said this during a keynote speech at the 1979 Adult Education Research Conference: "We must better understand the adult as a developing learner--an analysis of the stages of life is required."

 

Theory:  Howard may be best known for McClusky's Theory of Margin:-  "Margin is a function of the relationship of load to power.  By load we mean the self and social demands required by a power to maintain a minimal level of autonomy.  By power we mean the resources, i.e., abilities, possessions, positions allies, etc., which a person can command in coping with load."  (McClusky, 1970b, p. 27)

 

McClusky Symposium continues his research and is held annually at the National Adult Education Annual Conference 

 

Additional Resources

Articles

 

Photo Gallery

   

Video/Audio

 

Presentations

 

Books

 

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References

 

Hiemstra, R. (1980). Howard Yale McClusky: Adult education pioneer and statesman. Lifelong Learning: The Adult Years, 4(2), 4-7, 25.

 

Hiemstra R. (1993). Three underdeveloped models for adult learning: An update on adult learning theory (New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 57). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

 

International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.  (2002).  Howard McClusky.  Retrieved July 1, 2011, from: http://www.halloffame.outreach.ou.edu/2002/mccluskey.html

 

Jacques, J. W. (1973). Recollections and reflections of professors of adult education: Early 20th century leaders and pioneers in the field (Taped oral interview between Howard McClusky and Joseph Jacques).      Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University, George Arents Research Library. 

  

James, J. M. (1986). Instructor-generated load: An inquiry based on McClusky's concept of margin. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.

 

McClusky, H.Y. (1970).  A dynamic approach to participation in community development.  Journal of Community Development Society, 1, 25-32. (b)