A decade ago the University of Würzburg in Germany took the initiative to start a program that is now called the Adult Education Academy (AEA) for master´s students, doctoral students, and practitioners. A number of partner universities in Hungary, Italy, India, Nigeria, Portugal, Serbia, and Slovenia joined and later invited professional organisations representing providers and practitioners like DVV International and the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA).

The professionalization of adult educators is an important area in the development of quality provision in our field of adult learning and education (ALE). In the age of globalization, the strengthening of international and comparative studies in adult and lifelong learning are a most helpful way and resource.

The program is composed of an online preparatory phase where participants are taking intensive courses on “International strategies in adult education” and “Paulo Freire, adult, and permanent education”. This is also the phase where the comparative groups start working on themes that are changing. In 2023 there are nine groups covering themes like “The third mission of higher education systems”, “Active aging”, “Policy, legislation and financing of ALE”, or concentrating on digitalization, gender, and inclusion. The AEA then meets always for two weeks in February on campus in Würzburg. This was for the first seven years, but then due to COVID, there were two years online only. In 2023 it is in hybrid mode where the first week was digital and most of the participants came to Würzburg for the second week, some joining online. Both weeks are fully packed with contributions by external experts and participants. At the same time, there is intensive group work where the results are presented on the final day in a rotating system involving everybody as presenters and audience groups.

The celebration of the ten years was a nice commemorative event with greetings from the President and the Dean of the Würzburg University and a keynote by Prof. Rita Süssmuth as the former President of the German Parliament who is also the Honorary President of the German Adult Education Association called DVV. Prof. Regina Egetenmeyer as the chair of the professorship in Würzburg provided some of the outstanding results of the ten years of the AEA which has hosted already more than 600 doctoral and master students exchanging with practitioners, and then professors Monica Fideli from Padua and Vanna Boffo from Florence informed on new plans for double degrees for master and doctoral studies.

More details are in the brochure at https://www.paedagogik.uni-wuerzburg.de/fileadmin/06030230/2023/230123_P...

Attached are two photos:

• The group of participants, practitioners and professors of 2023
• Members of the International Adult and Continuing Hall of Fame at the 10 years celebration

Heribert Hinzen, Balázs Németh