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Changing Conceptions of Social Purpose Higher Education: The Legacy of University Adult Education

  • Maria Slowey

Lalage Bown was an inspirational adult educator who worked tirelessly to bring university education to people of all ages and sectors of society. For her, this was not a one-way process of ‘knowledge transmission’ but rather a partnership to the mutual benefit of both higher education and society at large. In this chapter I illustrate one university’s engagement with its wider community though a social-historical account of the emergence of Glasgow University’s Department of Adult and Continuing Education – from which Lalage Bown retired as Director in 1992.The chapter then explores different interpretations of ‘university adult education’ in Britain and the wider European context – both conceptually and in practical terms. Finally, the question is posed as to whether the time may have passed for the values and ideals espoused by this tradition? Or whether, alternatively, they are interpreted anew through, for example, universities’ commitments to widening access, social responsibility, the Sustainable Development Goals and other forms of outreach and civic engagement?

  • Keywords:
  • Access,
  • Community Engagement,
  • Extra-mural,
  • Social Purpose,
  • University Adult Education,
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Maria Slowey

Dublin City University, Ireland - ORCID: 0000-0002-5063-6491

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  • Publication Year: 2023
  • Pages: 41-54
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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  • Publication Year: 2023
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Changing Conceptions of Social Purpose Higher Education: The Legacy of University Adult Education

Authors

Maria Slowey

Language

English

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0253-4.08

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2023

Copyright Information

© 2023 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

Adult Education and Social Justice: International Perspectives

Editors

Maria Slowey, Heribert Hinzen, Michael Omolewa, Michael Osborne

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

324

Publication Year

2023

Copyright Information

© 2023 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-0253-4

ISBN Print

979-12-215-0252-7

eISBN (pdf)

979-12-215-0253-4

eISBN (xml)

979-12-215-0254-1

Series Title

Studies on Adult Learning and Education

Series ISSN

2704-596X

Series E-ISSN

2704-5781

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