Birth Date - Death Date
02/17/1943
Personal Data
Born on February 17, 1943
Married to Diane and has three children
Education
1964 B.S. degree from Oklahoma State University, Agricultural Education
1965 M.S. degree from Oklahoma State University, Vocational and Technical Education
1969 P.H.D from The Ohio State University, Higher and Adult Education
Employment
1978 to 2013 Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, Dean of Continuing
Education,Professor of Education, Director of Telecommunications at
University of Missouri, St. Louis
1981 - 1983 Director of Lifelong Learning Project funded by W. K. Kellogg Foundation
1974 - 1975 Continuing Education Consultant, Lakes County Area
Awards and Honors
1991 Missouri Association for Adult Education Council and Continuing Education, Distinguished Program Award
1989 Leadership and Service Award, St. Louis Science and Technology Career Center
1988 Award of Merit, Missouri Association for Adult Community and Continuing Education
1984 Meritorious Service Award, American Association for Adult and Continuing Education
1977 Outstanding Adult Educator of the year
1979 Adult Education Association National Leadership Award
1979 Fellow, Danforth Foundation Leadership
Membership-Professional Organizations
Missouri Valley Adult Education Association
Adult Education Association
International Continuing Education Association (ICEA)
Delegate to the International Adult Education Conference
Publications
1999 AAACE: Its Legacy and Future Direction. Adult Learning.
1991 The leadership challenge in continuing education and extension. Adult Learning, 3(3), 14-16.
1986 Marketing continuing education, defining and analyzing the market. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
1986 Defining and analyzing the market. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, (31), 19-28. doi:10.1002/ace.36719863104
1986 Institutional Planning, Adult Learners: Impetus for Change. The American Council on Education.
1985 Collaboration: Vocational education and the private sector - 1985 yearbook of vocational education. Arlington, VA: The American Vocational Association.
1985 (with Johnson, M. I.) The profession speaks on vitalizing state adult education associations. Lifelong Learning, 88.
1983 Materials and Methods in Adult and Continuing Education. Los Angeles, CA: Klevins.
1983 The lifelong learning leaders retreat: Airlie, Virginia, November 29-December 1, 1982. Lifelong Learning, 610-13.
1983 Collaboration in Lifelong Learning. Washington, DC: AAACE.
1980 Marketing Continuing Education. Lifelong Learning.
1974 Comprehensive Programming. Adult Leadership.
Professional Interest Areas
Administration and leadership issues surrounding adult and continuing education programs.
Marketing of adult and continuing education programs.
Major Contributions to Adult Education
Numerous publications relating to the challenges of leadership in the administration of adult and continuing education programs in the academy.
President of AAACE
Advocated for marketing and collaboration in lifelong learning
Additional Resources
Articles
Photo Gallery
Video/Audio
Presentations
In a paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Missouri Association of Community and Junior Colleges, Division of Continuing Education and Community Services Osage Beach, Missouri, November 13-14, 1986 Smith portrayed a frighteningly accurate vision of the road ahead for adult education in his speech “Program Planning for the Nineties.” He summed up the following:
Trends that are already visible on the educational horizon point to additional changes in the role that community colleges can play in the future. First, major shifts in higher education enrollments suggest that participation in informal learning experiences, minority student enrollments, and adult part-time enrollments will increase. Second, the number of providers of lifelong learning programs, such as employers, labor unions, professional associations, and community organizations, is increasing, leaving higher education to provide a little over one-third of the organized learning opportunities available for adults. Third, the jobs, economy, and lifestyles of the future will be based on the creation and distribution of information. Fourth, keeping up with the growth of new knowledge will require people to be broadly educated with the skills to analyze, synthesize, and apply that knowledge. Fifth, systems whereby credit is awarded for learning experiences are becoming increasingly unclear. Sixth, the proportion of part-time faculty has risen along with the proportion of part-time students. Seventh, public governance is increasing while public support is declining. Finally, new technologies will afford more alternatives in educational delivery. In sum, these trends mean that an array of exciting challenges and opportunities awaits the field of continuing adult education. To meet these challenges, community colleges must not lose sight of the need to remain flexible and innovative, and to take risks.
Books
Interesting Facts
During the May 1980 ceremony celebrating the creation of the Department of Education, Wendell Smith, Gene Whaples, and Waynne James were discussing their ambitions while walking down the street in Washington, DC. All three stated their individual desire to become President of the Adult Education Association of the USA. Each subsequently did become president (although the name did change to the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education) (W. James, personal communication).
Wendell Smith has a farm in Oklahoma. (C. Hickman, personal communication, June 24, 2014).
Gave the keynote address at the first Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference held at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois in 1982.
References
Cooper, M. C. (n.d.). Twenty-five years of Midwest Research to Practice. Retrieved from http://learnovation.com/R2P-2014/PDFs/History%20of%20MWR2P.pdf
Curriculum Vita obtained from W. B. James.
International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. (1996). Wendell Smith. Retrieved from http://www.halloffame.outreach.ou.edu/1996/smith.html
Smith, W. L. (1986). Program Planning for the Nineties. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED289544)
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