EDU 770: Module 1, Assignment 1.

2 Nathaniel Jones Definition of Adult Education and My Sponsor Organization

Lindeman says that the definition of adult learning is "Education is life--not a mere preparation for an unknown kind of future livingThe whole of life is learning; therefore, education can have no ending. This new venture is called adult education--not because it is confined to adults but because adulthood, maturity defines its limits (Lindeman, 1926)."

Adult education is receiving the necessary training and knowledge to help them to achieve their goals. For example, a person going back to college after being out for an expanded amount of time to gain additional skills to be more marketable for the workforce. They begin taking adult education classes offered by the local college or university to help them increase their knowledge and understanding of a particular subject.

The knowledge that gained will help them to pursue the job opportunities that were not previously available to them due to the lack of their skill set. This case of adult learning has a lot to do with a classroom or assignment. This person on their own has discovered a new destiny and now has the necessary skill set to be more marketable in the workforce.

Adult learning has many different definitions and forms. Adult learning comes from having both internally and externally motivation and is a continuous process from earliest childhood to death.

Sponsoring Organization

The organization that I have chosen to explore and write about is Langston University. It is a small Historical Black Institution set squarely in the middle of the State of Oklahoma. Being this institution is the only of its kind in the state makes it very unique. The school was founded in 1897 and was known as the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University. Langston University was created as a result of the second Morrill Act in 1890. The law required states with land-grant colleges (such as Oklahoma State University, then Oklahoma A&M) to either admit African-Americans, or provide an alternative school for them to attend as a condition of receiving federal funds. Langston University is named for John Mercer Langston (18291897), civil rights pioneer, first African American member of Congress from Virginia, founder of the Howard University Law School, and American consul-general to Haiti.

Through the years Langston University has developed slowly but surely. Some of the most serious problems have been political influences, financial stress, and lack of adequate space and equipment. During the 1960s the campus underwent a complete makeover. New buildings appeared, and additions were made to the library and auditorium. Thus, despite the problems, Langston has braved the storms and produced outstanding graduates. Langston alumni are scattered throughout the nation and are serving humanity with pride. Poet Melvin B. Tolson taught at Langston from 1947 until 1964. Tolson was portrayed by Denzel Washington in the film The Great Debaters

The University offers associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in a variety of disciplines. It is known as a leader in the field of agricultural research, and hosts the internationally recognized E (Kika) de la Garza Institute for Goat Research. The School currently
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has an open doors admissions policy. LU has nearly 3,000 students from several states representing a diverse student body at an Oklahoma college. The university was accredited with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in 2005.

Thursday, October 11, 2012 I contacted the Adult Education Office and spoke with Ms. Linda Williams, Department Head of Adult Education. Ms. Williams gave me a brief background of the adult education academic program and the population that program targets.

REFERENCES

1.

Lindeman, E. (1926). The Meaning of Adult Education. New York: New Republic, 6.