Hall of Fame – recognition and responsibility
Some facts about the Hall of Fame
The International Continuing and Adult Education Hall of Fame (ICAE HoF) – hereinafter referred to as the Hall of Fame or HoF – is based at the Centre for Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma in the US state of Oklahoma. There, a small group of dedicated researchers operates as a non-governmental organisation, ensuring the institute's continuity. Established in 1996, it gained its European branch in 2013, named the HoF-European Chapter (HoF-E). This development resulted from excellent mutual respect and collaboration between American and European adult educators. One tangible outcome of this collaboration is the alternating organisation of the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in the US and Europe.
More information about its background and updates on current efforts are available on the HoF website and in the leaflet, while details on the European branch can be found on the HoF-E website.
Each year, a committee of selected HoF members chooses 10–12 significant individuals from around the world from the nominees. Their life and professional stories reflect the diversity of adult learning and education, as they come from various backgrounds and work as leaders, academics, researchers, policymakers and practitioners. Together, they form a global community, testifying to the richness of initiatives, insights, professional solutions and practices while also serving as an inspiration for future generations. HoF members passionately believe in the transformative power of learning and education; they advocate for and implement lifelong learning, leaving a lasting imprint on the field while inspiring participants, professionals and institutions with which they have (or have had) contact.
Including the Class of 2024, the IACE HoF boasts 429 members from 49 countries, with 61 members from Europe. Among them are notable figures in adult education, such as Arne Carlsen, Dieter Dohmen, John Field, Peter Jarvis, Malcolm Knowles, Katarina Popović, Jost Reischmann, Janos Toth, Alan Tuckett and many others. They are presented here.
In Slovenia, we are proud that our internationally renowned adult educator, Dr Ana Krajnc, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Belgrade in 2019. Her HoF profile can be viewed here. In the Slovenian context, Dr Krajnc is well known for her achievements and her current work at the Slovenian Third Age University (SUTŽO). Her contributions to numerous lectures on contemporary topics, such as the impact of artificial intelligence, are also remarkable.
This year, I had the extraordinary honour of joining her in the Hall of Fame upon the nomination by of Gina Ebner, Secretary-General of EAEA.
Florence – the venue for this year's conference and induction of the new Hall of Fame class
Florence has been a significant cultural, political, commercial and financial centre of Italy since the Middle Ages and the cradle of the Renaissance. The capital of the Italian region of Tuscany is also home to the University of Florence (UniFi), which co-organised this event. The university traces its origins to Studium Generale in 1321, where Galileo Galilei also taught. Under its current name and as a public research university, UniFi has operated since 1923. Among its professors are former Italian prime ministers Giuseppe Conte and Mario Draghi, as well as HoF-E member and renowned adult educator Paolo Federighi. Together with his team of professors and students, Federighi ensured the smooth running of the HoF 2024 conference and ceremony.
In recent years, the European Chapter of the Hall of Fame has contributed to hosting professional events alongside induction ceremonies. This year's conference, held in Florence from 7–8 November, was titled Revitalising Adult Continuing Education for Positive Social Changes and Personal Fulfilment. The event was organised in collaboration with 22 institutions, featured with their logos on the event's website, along with 15 publications, including the University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Arts Journal, Studies in Adult Education and Learning.
The conference had an engaging format, as we only briefly gathered in the plenary session for the opening and closing parts, each featuring one presentation, while the remaining time was spent in lively discussions within working groups.
The opening keynote was delivered by Isabell Kempf, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), who emphasised the importance of adult education in improving the quality of life for societies and individuals. She presented the structure of the new GRALE report linked to the Marrakech Framework for Action. She invited attendees to contribute to its development, particularly by supplementing quantitative, statistical data with qualitative, content-based insights – namely, practical examples and findings.
The closing keynote was delivered by Paolo Federighi, who summarised the work of the groups to the best of his ability. He promised that the initiatives and insights would be the focus of further work in the coming months. The overall goal of the event was to foster international partnerships, further exchange experiences, and design joint projects.
During the two days, we engaged in discussions across ten working groups on topics such as:
The Marrakech Framework for Action and an inclusive data collection process set to commence worldwide next year.
Establishing inter-university partnerships in lifelong learning.
Learning and education for immigrants and their integration.
Integrating adult learning principles into learning settings and challenges of professionalisation of the field.
Introducing micro-credentials and individual learning accounts.
Learning cities.
Collaboration in the field of publishing.
Gender equality and active ageing.
Education and social activation to combat organised crime.
Collaboration and stakeholder involvement for adult learning and education.
In the last working group, led by Gina Ebner of EAEA, I delivered a presentation about Slovenia and our system of adult education. I provided a detailed overview of stakeholder cooperation, as outlined in our Resolution on the Adult Education Master Plan for the 2022–2030 period, and the coordination of the Lifelong Learning Weeks. The latter follows a top-down approach while also considering the flow of decision-making and operations from the bottom up. Our examples were met with admiration, with comments highlighting how thoroughly and sensibly the field of adult education is organised, which is clearly reflected in practice.
The deep professional background of the conference is excellently presented in a research article by Eva Farkas, President of HoF, along with QueAnh Dang and Francesca Torlone in the journal Form@re.
The induction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2024
The afternoon session on 8 November was entirely dedicated to presenting and honouring the 18 new HoF members. Nine of us, active in Europe, were inducted: Don Luigi Ciotti (Italy), Karen Evans (United Kingdom), Francesco Pedró Garcia (Spain), Timothy Denis Ireland (United Kingdom), Morten Flate Paulsen (Norway), Andreas Schleicher (Germany), Magdalini (Magda) Trantallidi (Greece), Albert Tuijnman (posthumously, Netherlands) and myself, Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik (Slovenia).
Additionally, nine individuals from the United States and other parts of the world joined the Hall of Fame: Lisa M. Baumgartner, Vandana Chakrabarti, Shibao Guo, Vaughn John, Elizabeth A. Lange, Carolyn Medel-Añonuevo, Lisa R. Merriweather, Don Olcott, Jr. and Edward W. Taylor.
An organisation being inducted into the Hall of Fame has been more an exception than a rule, and this year, this honour was bestowed upon the European Association for the Education of Adults in Europe (EAEA). For seven decades, this advocacy NGO has been the voice of adult education in Europe. It brings together 120 member organisations from 43 countries, including the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education. More about their perspective on the three-day event is available in the article.
At the opening part of the ceremony, during the symposium, members of the HoF Class of 2024 delivered five-minute presentations about our personal and professional journeys, as well as the individuals and events that had a decisive influence on us. This was followed by the awarding of plaques and medals, accompanied by brief two-minute thank-you speeches. My speeches are available here.
The December issue of the IACE HoF newsletter is entirely dedicated to the described conference and the induction of the Class of 2024 into the Hall of Fame.
Personal impressions
The nomination for induction into the Hall of Fame came as a great surprise to me. Over time, with the support of my nominator Gina Ebner, colleagues at the SIAE, especially our directress Dr Nataša Potočnik,and later, due to the extraordinary, affirming responses from colleagues both at home and abroad, I have embraced this recognition with pride. Its foundation lies in a fact I highlight at every opportunity: this success belongs to all my colleagues at the SIAE. I have learned from them and followed their steps since December 1995, and I continue to do so today.
My insights and work have also been profoundly shaped by many exemplary individuals and institutions that together form the adult education community in Slovenia in the broadest sense of the term. Together, we have genuinely achieved so much for the benefit of learners, who, in turn, remain my most authentic teachers. Nothing for them without them! Although this is already a well-established slogan, it is still too rarely applied in practice. I advocate for it because, throughout my life, I have always sought to actively participate in solving my own challenges. I have never been content with the role of an object but have always strived to be the subject of a solution-seeking process.
The news of my induction into the Hall of Fame also attracted the attention of several media outlets. I am grateful for the opportunities to raise awareness about adult education, lifelong learning and everything else happening in this field in Slovenia. May their interestedness continue!
We will celebrate next year during the national opening of the Lifelong Learning Weeks, as it is precisely our 30 years of raising awareness for greater participation in learning and education that have attracted European and global recognition and paved the way to the Hall of Fame.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik at SIAE works in the field of promotional and information activities. She is a national coordinator for implementing the European Agenda for Adult Learning. She is interested in pervasive promotional approaches and the integration and participation of stakeholders in adult education.
Čestitke, draga Zvonka
Zvonka, naj ti čestitam še po tej poti. Kdo si bolj zasluži tega oskarja v izobraževanju odraslih kot ti?
Vesela sem, da se lahko učim od tebe in s teboj.
Ana