Céad Míle Fàilte, interpreted, “a hundred thousand welcomes,” was the underlying theme of the FACE Conference held in Cork, Ireland this summer.  And, it was very fitting to meet in Cork, being that it has been dubbed the European Capital of Culture for 2005.   Whether or not it was the luck of the Irish—or non-Irish—I was privileged to represent the National Association for Developmental Education (NADE - USA) in keeping with our reciprocal agreement with the Forum for the Access and Continuing Education (FACE).  The University College Cork served as host site for this annual meeting, with delegates from over 15 different countries and all points of the UK.  FACE members and their guests met for intellectually and culturally stimulating exchanges of information and ideas with their central theme being, “Towards a Global Understanding of Lifelong Learning:  Making a Difference.” 

Keynote Addresses

FACE is chaired by the University of  East London’s own Professor John Storan, an exceptional leader committed to providing quality programs and conferences and overseeing the organization’s research and publications.  He and the FACE Executive meticulously selected keynote speakers and concurrent session presenters for this forum.  There were actually four keynote addresses over a three-day period of time.  Professor Ma’irti’n O’ Fathaigh, Director of the Centre for Adult Continuing Education at University College Cork, and the first professor of Adult Education in Ireland, led in delivering the first keynote address, “Access and Partnership:  Some International and National Perspectives and Issues.”  Professor Sir David Watson, Vice Chancellor of the University of Brighton, addressed the issue of “Telling the Truth about Widening Participation in Higher Education:  An International Perspective.”  Father Sean Healy is Director of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI), and his topic was “Education For All:  Going Beyond Rhetoric.”  Serving as Head of Evidence and Educational Research at the British Education and Communications Technology Agency, Dr. Timothy Rudd talked about “Information Computer Technology,” giving his viewpoints from a commercial perspective.

Concurrent Sessions

Conference attendees had many options of concurrent sessions that they could attend.  Unlike the traditional format of NADE’s concurrent sessions, these were organized by strands of two to three individual presentations.  Selection of a strand meant that the attendee was prepared to participate in all of the sessions listed in that strand, with presenters making their presentations in succession of each other, and in the same room.  A typical strand could be entitled Communities/Democratization of Access to Higher Education, Communities/Lifelong Learning, Widening Participation, Learners/Distance and E-Learning, Policies, Aimhigher, Continuing Professional Development, or others.

The Lord Mayor of Cork

In a very warm reception, the city of Cork extended its welcome to a small delegation of FACE Executives and their guests, I being included.  We were ushered into the Lord Mayor’s office and greeted by her Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Donal J. Counihan.  The Lord Mayor’s office was filled with invaluable historical documents, pictures, and artifacts.  Among the most outstanding to me, and to some of the other guests as well, was the bust of JFK.  Being on foreign soil and beholding this memorial of a former American President—at best—was very touching and sobering.  According to Deputy Lord Mayor Counihan, and in keeping with the inscription on the plaque, JFK donated this piece of sculpture to the city of Cork in dedication of his last trip to Ireland.  He was assassinated shortly thereafter. 

The Lord Mayor of Cork was the guest of honor for the conference’s formal dinner, at which she greeted the delegation and expressed her pleasure at meeting in Cork.  She identified with the University College Cork, as this was her alma mater and place where she and her husband were married.  She told of the tradition there that allows only graduates to exchange their vows in the University’s cathedral; thus, the waiting list for weddings is about five years out.  I asked the Lord Mayor the difference between a Lord Mayor and Mayor, and with hand gestures she said, the Lord Mayor is “up here,” and the Mayor is “down here.”  She further stated that years ago the Queen of England named Lord Mayors over the three largest cities in Ireland:  Cork, Dublin, and Belfast; the other Irish cities maintained Mayor’s status.

Impressions

The FACE Conference was very impressive and eye-opening, to say the least, as I observed how educational professionals from other countries are confronted with issues very much like those with which we contend in America.  Inclusion, exclusion, developmental studies, diversity, lifelong learning—these are themes central and very important to us all across the globe; they are areas of common ground.  My thanks go to Professor John Storan, the FACE Executive, members of FACE, and Conference Administrator, Marian Elders, for affording me the opportunity to see how continuing education is practiced in the UK and to validate our common goals of providing prospective students with access to higher education.  Cork was a great place to be for this exchange, and truly, the exchange was a great experience.

Further information on FACE, including details of next year’s annual conference at the University of Wales in Swansea, can be found at the FACE Web Site at www.f-a-c-e.org.uk .   For another look at the FACE conference, see Tony Hudson and Maki Kimura's review below.

2005-2006 EXECUTIVE BOARD GOALS

NADE Executive Board
 

The NADE Board reviewed and reaffirmed goals that they developed for the 2005-2006 year.

I.  Awards

          A.  Review awards procedures.

          B.  Consider creating additional awards.

II.  Certification

          A.  Investigate the status of the revision of the NADE Guides.

          B.  Work with the Certification Council to streamline the certification process.

          C.  Work with Certification Council to establish firm timelines for the                             

                certification process.

III.  Chapters

          A.  Review and evaluate the marketing campaign distribution guidelines.

          B.  Develop a chapter marketing plan outcomes survey.

          C.  Revitalize inactive NADE member chapters.

          D.  Investigate the establishment of new NADE member chapters in states or areas

                where none currently exist.

          E.  Review, evaluate, and report the outcomes from chapter surveys concerning                        

                the marketing campaign.

          F.  Work with chapter leaders to fund chapter treasurers’ attendance at a special          

                training session during the 2006 NADE Conference.

IV.  Committees, SPINs, and Task Forces

          A.  Evaluate the purposes and effectiveness of all committees, SPINs, and task

                forces.

          B.  Determine future of each committee, SPIN, and task force.

          C.  Review and assess the need for a Committee Coordinator.

          D.  Evaluate the need for any additional ad hoc committees.

          E.  Review, evaluate, and respond to the recommendations of the SPIN           

                Coordinator.

V.  Communications

          A.  Develop and advertise a position announcement for a NADE Web

                Administrator.

          B.  Initiate revisions to the NADE Web site.

          C.  Develop strategies to effectively utilize NADE’s email options.

VI.  Conferences

          A.  Continue to work closely with the 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 Conference                    

                Teams.

          B.  Coordinate with the 2005 Conference Co-Chairs to create a revised draft of           

                the Conference Planning Guide.

          C.  Modify the conference registration form.

          D.  Initiate the development of secure online conference registration and proposal forms.

VII.  Fiscal Responsibilities

          A.  Work with the conference treasurers to establish practices consistent with   

                 NADE fiscal policy.

          B.  Work with the NADE Auditor to develop training for the incoming NADE  

                Treasurer.

          C.  Develop a formal plan for NADE investments.

          D.  Review and revise policies related to expenditures as necessary.

          E.  Develop a NADE-sponsored Chapter Treasurer training session for the      

                NADE 2006 Conference.

VIII.  Marketing

          A.  Appoint a chair of the Ad Hoc Marketing Committee.

          B.  Implement the current marketing plan.

          C.  Critique the marketing plan.

IX.  McCabe Project

          A.  Anticipate a new contract for the McCabe Project.

          B.  Appoint NADE liaisons to the McCabe Project.

X.  Membership

          A.  Develop strategies to maintain current membership.

          B.  Increase overall NADE membership.

          C.  Develop strategies to increase involvement of the NADE membership in       

                committees, councils, SPINs, and task forces.

XI.  Procedures and Policies

          A.  Review and update the NADE Policy Handbook.

          B.  Receive recommendations from the 2005 Conference Team regarding

                the Conference Planning Guide

          C.  Coordinate the review of the Policy Handbook with an update to

                the Conference Planning Guide.

XII.  Publications

          A.  Critique the NADE Digest considering information received from member  

                evaluations.

          B.  Decide the future role and direction of the Digest.

          C.  Investigate publishing all NADE Newsletters electronically.

XIII.  Reciprocal Relationships and Agreements

          A.  Review and determine the continuation of all reciprocal agreements.

          B.  Charge the Professional Liaison Committee with re-establishing                   

                communication channels with reciprocal organizations to revitalize those

                relationships.

          C.  Develop reciprocal agreements with other organizations with like missions.

IX.  Strategic Plan

          A.  Initiate the process for a review and update of the Strategic Plan.

          B.  Appoint an Ad Hoc Strategic Plan Committee.

GRANTING CHAPTER WISHES

Hilda Barrow
NADE President-Elect

“Guaranteed grant writing success!”  “Let us help you win the grants you apply for!”

Sound familiar?  All of us have received these and similar enticements to purchase assistance with grant writing, and sometimes the intricacies of grant writing require that we go to professionals.

However, I am offering you the easiest grant writing opportunity you have ever had, and no professional help is necessary.  NADE Chapter Grants provide resources for your chapter to secure guest speakers and/or to fund special projects.  The application form can be completed in just a few minutes, and the follow-up forms are equally painless.

NADE offers two types of grants:  Type A and Type B.  Chapters can apply for both types of grants in the same year. Type A grants (maximum of $500) can be used to secure the services of current Executive Board and Emeritus Council members at chapter conferences.  These services may include delivering a keynote address, meeting with chapter leaders, conducting leadership development workshops, presenting a concurrent session, or providing greetings to the conference participants. 

Type B grants (maximum of $500) may be used for financial support to develop chapter promotion materials, provide leadership development, create Web sites, or fund other special projects. 

So far this year, the Board has awarded Type A grants to SCADE, SWADE, TADE, and VADE.  Our hope is that the speakers and activities funded by these grants are beneficial to all conference participants.  Type B grants have been awarded to ArkADE, IDEA, INADE, KADE, JNADE, and TNADE for either conference speakers or special projects.  KADE, by the way, has an interesting leadership development project in the works that I am hoping they will share with the rest of us when it is completed.

The Board encourages all chapters to take advantage of this opportunity to enhance conferences and to provide chapter and professional development. 

As the marketing people say, “When can I expect your application?”

After lengthy discussions concerning what role NADE should take to assist individuals in ravaged coastal communities of the South (see picture below), the NADE Executive Board has decided to offer scholarships to developmental students directly affected by the disasters occurring this year.  Our hope, with your assistance, is to provide as many scholarships as possible for the spring of 2006.  We initiated this special project with $1000 from the general funds.  We hope that you, as a NADE member, will contribute directly to this fund to assist us in this endeavor.  Our goal is to establish a $20,000 fund by the end of the 2006 Conference in Philadelphia.  We expect to distribute the funds before the end of the spring semester.  The number of scholarships distributed and the amount of each scholarship will depend on member response. Scholarships will be no less than $100 or greater than $500 per student. 

Nominations and documentation will come from NADE members to enable us to select students and distribute these scholarships.  The process will be as follows:

1)      Confirm current NADE membership of the individual recommending a student for a scholarship. Only one recommendation per member will be accepted.  Nominations should not be for immediate family members.

2)      Review the application for validity and eligibility.  The student must be enrolled in or have come through a developmental program at an institution of higher education, expect at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average by the end of the spring semester, and originate from an affected disaster area either as a student or a resident.

3)      Distribute scholarships to selected students.  NCADE and LAANE have volunteered their services to screen the scholarship applications.   Only one scholarship will be awarded per student.

This is your opportunity to use your position as a NADE member to make a difference for a developmental student through NADE.  Only students nominated by current members are eligible for these scholarships.  You complete the nomination form.  You verify the information requested.  You meet the deadlines for the student.  You provide the funds to distribute to these students.

Complete a nomination form today.  Forms must be received by 4:30 pm EST, December 1, 2005.  Postmark dates may be used to determine eligibility if available funds do not minimally cover all acceptable nominees.  In other words, first delivered nominations will be first considered.  Forms will be available on the front page of the NADE Web site www.NADE.net.

Thank you for being involved and for making a difference.
 

NADE DIGEST ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR SPRING ISSUE

Laura Villarreal and Jane McGrath
NADE Digest Co-Editors

We want to thank the eight authors whose work appears in the second issue of the NADE Digest, which was mailed to all NADE members in September. If you did not receive your copy, please contact the NADE Office.

The next issue of the NADE Digest will be an excellent opportunity for you to share a best practice, a teaching and learning research summary, or a technique that has enhanced student performance. The submission deadline is October 3, although manuscripts are accepted continuously. Guidelines are available on the NADE web site. The spring issue will be distributed at the February Philadelphia Conference. Members not attending the conference will receive their copy in the mail.

If you attend the NADE 2006 Conference, please join our session “Who me? Yes, you can be published!” where members of the NADE Digest will present guidelines and advice for publishing in the Digest. Practical suggestions for planning, writing, and submitting manuscripts will be provided. Time will be given to answer questions and discuss possible topics for future articles. The Editors of the Digest will also be available during the poster session to answer questions.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Laura Villarreal                               Jane McGrath

Laura.Villarreal@utb.edu               Jellenjay@aol.com                     

                       NADE Digest Co-editors

Association Accomplishments

NADE Executive Board:

• Affirmed necessity for NADE to be an active CAS participant
• Wrote policy formalizing NADE/CAS Director status
• Renewed statement on NADE stationery that NADE is a CAS member

NADE Director:

• Updated NADE website information about CAS, through NADE web administrator
• Represented NADE at October 2004 and April 2005 CAS meetings
• Met with NADE Executive Board regarding NADE/CAS relationship and goals
• Wrote CAS article for Winter 2005 NADE Newsletter and Midwest Regional Association for Developmental Education (MRADE) Spring 2005 newsletter
• Discussed CAS with NADE leaders and members during NADE 2005 Annual Conference Leadership Congress and Business Meeting, March 2005
• Provided CAS materials to all attendees and presented poster session about CAS at NADE 2005 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, NM, March 2005
• Met with NADE Certification Council and ad hoc NADE committee (NADE Guides revision) during NADE 2005 to discuss relationship of CAS Standards and Guidelines to possible revisions of NADE Self-Evaluation Guides
• Provided CAS advertisement for Spring 2005 NADE Newsletter
• Provided CAS brochures for Summer 2005 Kellogg Institute for the Training and Certification of Developmental Educators, sponsored by the National Center for Developmental Education

Association Plans

• Inform NADE members about CAS standards and their usefulness, both in Developmental Education programs and in other initiatives on their campuses; seek feedback from NADE members regarding CAS initiatives and the possible need for additional sets of professional standards.
• Work on revision of NADE Self-Evaluation Guidelines, keeping in mind their relationship with CAS Standards and Guidelines.

On June 10, 2005, the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota (UMN) voted 11 to 1 to approve a series of strategic positioning recommendations made by President Robert Bruininks in order to place the University among the top three public research universities in the world. One of the key statistics used by US News and World Report and other publications and organizations involved in determining the rankings of colleges and universities is the mean standardized test score of the incoming freshman class. As discussed in the recent Public Broadcasting System (PBS) report, “Declining by Degrees,” as well as by Alexander Astin in his 1985 book, Achieving Educational Excellence, institutions that evaluate themselves according to the “resources” model of developmental education are more concerned with entering student characteristics than with learning outcomes.

Thus, it is not surprising that President Bruininks’ recommendations included the closing of the General College (GC), which each year admits more than 800 students who would otherwise be considered “underprepared” for admission to the University of Minnesota, the state’s flagship public research institution. The General College, which was founded in 1932, is one of the oldest developmental education units in the U.S. and currently includes 48% students of color and 26% faculty of color. GC was the 2001 recipient of the National Association for Developmental Education’s John Champaign Memorial Award for Outstanding Program in Developmental Education.  

In his recommendations, President Bruininks praised GC for its creative teaching, excellence in advising, diversity of the student body, and for the contributions of the Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy (CRDEUL) to national research related to developmental education and learning assistance. In order to retain the expertise of the GC faculty and staff, components of the General College will become the nucleus of a new department in the reconfigured College of Education and Human Development. Task forces will begin to meet during fall semester to discuss the implementation of President Bruininks’ recommendations. Each task force will complete a report by December 2005. Until that time, little is known about the nature or structure of the new department. Meanwhile, GC will close its doors as of June 30, 2006, just one year short of celebrating its 75^th anniversary.

Reactions to the closing of the General College were mixed, fueling the local newspapers’ editorial pages for weeks. Supporters included distinguished alumni and friends of GC from throughout the nation, including current and past members and officers of NADE. Local supporters held a rally. Current and former GC students camped out in front of the University’s administration building, Morrill Hall, and students participating in a sit-in were arrested when they refused to leave the President’s office at closing time. During a period when higher educators decry students’ lack of activism, GC students used many forms of peaceful protest in order to make their voices heard.

The most commonly voiced concern was for the diversity of the University as a whole, given the proportion of students of color, first-generation college students, and students who are recent immigrants and refugees who are typically admitted annually through GC. However, the UMN administration responded to these concerns with promises of increased need-based scholarships to attract more academically qualified low-income students to the institution. President Bruininks also noted that the University’s retention and graduation rates must improve overall, and that he was dissatisfied with GC’s progress in this area.

GC’s Dean David Taylor resigned and is now serving as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Morehouse College in Atlanta. On behalf of NADE, we would like to thank Dean Taylor for his support of the organization, including GC’s institutional membership, and for providing free copies of the CRDEUL annual monograph for NADE conference attendees. Just as we know that NADE is appreciative of Dean Taylor’s contributions to the profession, the faculty, staff, and administration of the General College thank NADE and its members for their support through a very difficult period. A 600-page book about GC, The General College Vision: Integrating Intellectual Growth, Multicultural Perspectives, and Student Development, will be available free of charge to participants in NADE’s 2006 conference in Philadelphia. 

Reference

Astin, A.W. (1985). Achieving educational excellence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 

Conference Title:            

Towards a Global Understanding of Lifelong Learning: Making a Difference

More than 270 delegates from 15 countries attended the FACE Conference 2005, which was hosted by University College Cork, Ireland.

The opening keynote address was given by Professor Máirtin Ó Fathaigh, whose presentation on "Access and partnerships" examined, from both a national and international perspective, some of the barriers to participation in Lifelong Learning for learners from non-traditional backgrounds. In seeking to locate the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the access process, he argued that ICT often reinforced, rather than ameliorated, inequalities of access and that digital exclusion should be a policy priority.

This contrasted with Dr. Timothy Rudd’s keynote presentation, "Information communication technology: inequalities and personalisation," which explored the possibility and potential of ICT in supporting personalised learning. Whilst the concept of personalisation as a driver for educational change needs to be clarified further and the risk of ICT in reproducing inequalities acknowledged, Dr. Rudd suggested harnessing the positive benefits of ICT to tackling inequalities.

The jewel in the crown was Sir David Watson, whose eloquent keynote presentation, "Telling the truth about widening participation in higher education: an international perspective” captured delegates’ attention as well as the essence of the conference. Drawing on recent national and international data, he posed a series of “hard” questions, such as “Why should we widen participation?” Drawing on Trow’s taxonomy of elite, mass, and universal systems, he cautioned delegates about potential “Trow traps.” For example, in Scotland the provision of HE in FE has led to under-funding and poor rates of progression. Having posed some hard questions, Watson concluded the presentation with observations and answers around the issues of expansion and fairness, institutional resistance, public confidence, credit, deregulation, and innovation. Whilst many issues are capable of generalisation across cultures, others are highly culture-specific.

In addition to the keynote presentations delegates had a choice of 82 papers organised in thematic strands.

From South Africa, Professor Roy du Pre from Vaal University of Technology, South Africa, shared his institution’s experience of “work-integrated learning” in "Hitting the ground running." In the radically changing HE landscape of South Africa, universities are transforming from ivory towers, providing “education for the sake of education,” to engaging with local communities and providing education for the world of work. Service learning, where students apply their theoretical knowledge and skills by working with the local community, is increasingly being adopted by traditional universities, which previously made no provision for experiential learning.  Vaal University of Technology, as a former Technikon with over 20 years of work-based learning components, is well placed to engage with the local community.

From Northern Ireland, Damien O’Kane drew on the experience and lessons learned form the “Step-up” to Science programme at the University of Ulster. Now in its sixth year, the project has clearly been successful in terms of both progression to HE (97%) and retention (94%) compared the national average. Not surprisingly, the project is heavily oversubscribed – demand which could be met through additional funding.

In her presentation "Raising achievement and aspirations through football," Karen Duggan shared her experience of working on an innovative Aimhigher National Project, which uses football as a vehicle to raise pupils’ aspirations and widen participation. Attendance at the presentation and attention of the audience may signal the possibility of further utilising sports for widening participation -- a crucial move for the education sector given the context of the 2012 London Olympics.    

Beverley Crooks, in "A tale of two universities," described the impact of a research project into the induction needs of students at a pre and post 1992 university. Not surprisingly different groups (academics, administrators, and students) each had a different perception of the induction process. There was a clear message that induction should not just be seen as a one-week event and that the needs of part-time and mature students should also be accounted for.

In between presentations and at the social events delegates managed to discuss matters of common concern both at home and overseas. One topic of conversation was the introduction in England of Lifelong Learning Networks, which aim to make a step change in vocational progression from FE to HE. Whilst this initiative is welcomed, many delegates both from England and overseas saw this as a rather narrow and restricted interpretation of Lifelong Learning.

In the UK, England has fallen behind the other home nations in terms of lifelong learning initiatives. Hopefully, some of the presentations at next year’s FACE conference will report on the success of the Lifelong Learning Networks initiative and how it could be expanded.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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To subscribe, send an email to LISTSERV@LISTS.UFL.EDU but leave the subject header blank. In the body of the email, put this message: "SUBSCRIBE LRNASST-L [your name here]." You will be emailed shortly by the LRNASST moderator.

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visit the NADE web site:
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visit the NADE web site:
http://www.nade.net/

Hilda P. Barrow

President-Elect

Pitt Community College

P. O. Drawer 7007
Greenville, NC 27835
(P) 252-493-7416
(F) 252-493-7800
(E) hbarrow@email.pittcc.edu

Rural Valley, PA 16249

(P) 724-357-4081
(F) 724-357-6940
(E) paulhrab@iup.edu

Gettysburg, PA 17325

(P) 717-337-3855 Ext. 3013
(F)
(E) rdcasper@hacc.edu

NADE GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

When are the deadlines for submission?

• The deadline for Late Spring/Early Summer edition is April 15th.

• The deadline for Fall edition is September 15th.

• The deadline for Winter edition is January 15th, except when the annual conference falls in February, in which case the deadline is December 15th.

When and how is the NADE Newsletter published?

• Late Spring/Early Summer edition is published by June 15th.  It is published in hard copy and online.

• Fall edition is published by October 15th.  It is published online only.

• Winter edition is published by February 15th, except when the annual conference falls in February, in which case it is published one month prior to the conference.  It is published online only.

What can I submit to the NADE Newsletter?

• Original articles 1000 words or less.  Reprints of articles from chapter newsletters are acceptable.

• Articles are usually focused on NADE news: articles from officers; reports from committees, councils, and SPINs; blurbs from chapters; articles from sister organizations with which NADE has reciprocal agreements; short informative articles of interest to our members (such as how-to articles, book reviews, etc.).

• Research-oriented articles are best steered elsewhere.

How do I submit my article?

• Article must be typed and submitted electronically.  Microsoft Word documents attached to emails are preferred.  Plain text in the body of an email is okay.  Article must be PC-compatible.

• If you have documentation, use APA or MLA style.

• Don’t worry about special formatting.  I will have to change the formatting of what you submit anyway.

• If you have pictures, send them separately from your article.  Make sure that they are in .jpg format. 

Where do I send my article?