International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame
European Chapter (HOFE)
The International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame honors outstanding leaders in the fields of adult learning and continuing education who are distinguished as a scholar, practitioner, or policy-maker.
The Hall serves as a record of inspiration for the next generation of adult and continuing education leaders.
To be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame, a person must be eminently distinguished in the profession, shall have brought honor or distinction, and shall have contributed to the heritage of adult and continuing education.
Annually, around ten adult and continuing education leaders from around the world are selected for induction into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. These individuals reflect the great diversity of adult and continuing education practice and scholarship and the increasingly global leadership community that constitutes the IACE Hall of Fame.
On this page we supply additional information about and for members of the Hall of Fame specificly in the European region.
Preserving the Legacy of European Adult Education
Arne Carlsen started a series of interviews with HoFE-members. The aim is to strengthen the network among European HOF members and make them more familiar with each other, with their contributions to adult and continuing education, and their reflections when looking back.
The second is with Sturla Bjerkaker
Third interview: Alan Tuckett
Fourth interview: Heribert Hinzen
Fifth interview: Paolo Federighi
More will follow. Enjoy!
Impact of the IACE Hall of Fame Conference in Florence 2024
Working Group 6 on Learning Cities
The International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame Conference in Florence in 2024, organised by the European Chapter and hosted by the University of Florence, has generated a range of significant follow-up activities through Working Group 6 on Learning Cities. These developments demonstrate how the Conference has contributed to sustained international cooperation, research, policy engagement, city-to-city partnerships and academic dissemination.
From discussion to evaluation and policy development
One of the most significant follow-ups has been the review undertaken by Paolo Federighi (HOF 2019) and Arne Carlsen (HOF 2017) of the Italian UNESCO Learning Cities, resulting in the report Governance in Learning Cities in Italy: Evaluation Report. The findings were presented to the involved City Councils at a seminar organised by the City Council of Lucca in April 2026.
The work will receive further international dissemination at the 20th PASCAL Observatory Conference, "Flourishing Learning City Ecosystems for Creative Circular Economies," to be hosted by the University of Pécs in collaboration with the Municipality of Pécs and partner organisations, including PIMA, ASEM LLL (Network 6), IACEHOF Working Group 6, EPALE Hungary and PEACE, on 24–25 September 2026. Arne Carlsen will present the Italian experience, while Balázs Németh (HOF 2017) and Michael Osborne (HOF 2022) are participating in the submissions panel.
Building a North American–European Learning Cities network
The Working Group has also contributed to a new initiative to strengthen cooperation between Learning Cities in North America and Europe. Cork City has taken the initiative to develop a North American–Europe Network of Learning Cities, creating new opportunities for exchange, mutual learning and collaboration between cities on both sides of the Atlantic.
A particularly concrete development was the Learning Cities partnership between Cork, Ireland, and Lowell, Massachusetts. On 8 May 2026, Lowell, the first US member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, signed a Learning Cities partnership and Memorandum of Understanding with Cork. The Cork City delegation, consisting of Lord Mayor Fergal Dennehy and Denis Barrett, Cork Council's Learning City Coordinator and a member of Working Group 6, spent two and a half days in Lowell visiting local community programmes and exploring practical approaches to lifelong learning.
This partnership provides an important example of how the international dialogue promoted through Working Group 6 can lead to concrete city-to-city cooperation.
Extending the Learning Cities concept into local learning ecosystems
The impact of Working Group 6 has also extended into local learning networks. Annalisa Raymer, Chair of Working Group 6, introduced the Learning Cities concept and the UNESCO Learning Cities network to the local Connected Learning Ecosystem (CLE) through a presentation in June 2026. The CLE is itself connected to wider learning networks, and a further presentation is planned for a Climate Resource Fair in autumn 2026.
This represents an important broadening of the Learning Cities approach, linking lifelong learning with community development, connected learning and climate-related initiatives.
New research on teachers as lifelong learners
The Florence Working Group has also created new research connections. Annalisa Raymer and Aaron Benavot (HOF 2023) met through Working Group 6, and this connection subsequently developed into a collaborative UIL-sponsored project involving Aaron Benavot, two colleagues and Annalisa Raymer.
The project will produce a report on Teachers as Lifelong Learners, including monitoring guidelines for governmental and non-governmental entities, including cities. It will bring together relevant literature and data sources as the basis for the proposed guidelines, with a draft report expected in late October 2026.
This initiative illustrates the broader value of the Working Group as a platform for connecting Hall of Fame members and transforming professional encounters into sustained research and policy collaboration.
Strengthening links with UNESCO and GRALE
Another important outcome has been the strengthening of links with UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL). Aaron Benavot shared a UN contact with Margaret Shanahan, a member of Working Group 6, who subsequently passed the information to Annalisa Raymer. This chain of connections helped pave the way for US participation in the UIL Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE VI).
In July 2026, Working Group 6 members Simone Conceiçăo (HOF 2018) and Lillian Hill (HOF 2018) went to UIL to contribute to the GRALE VI process. This demonstrates the capacity of the Working Group to connect the Hall of Fame community with major international policy and reporting processes in adult learning and education.
Academic dissemination and knowledge production
The Working Group has additionally resulted in a substantial academic publication. A special issue of the journal Form@re, Volume 26, No. 1 (2026), entitled "Evaluating the experience and impact of Learning Cities. From reporting to transformative capacity: criteria, evidence, comparability," has been published.
The issue was edited by Paolo Federighi, with Arne Carlsen, Raul Valdes-Cotera (HOF 2022) and Piergiuseppe Ellerani as guest editors. The publication provides a scholarly platform for examining how Learning Cities can be evaluated, compared and understood in terms of their transformative capacity. Access the special issue of Form@re
Overall impact
The developments arising from Working Group 6 demonstrate a clear progression from the Florence 2024 Conference to sustained international action. The impact can be seen at several interconnected levels:
Research and knowledge production, through the Italian Learning Cities governance review and the Form@respecial issue. Policy development, through engagement with City Councils and the forthcoming work on Teachers as Lifelong Learners. City-to-city cooperation, particularly through the Cork–Lowell partnership and the emerging North American–Europe Learning Cities network. International networking, through the PASCAL Observatory, UIL, GRALE and other lifelong-learning networks. Local dissemination, through engagement with Connected Learning Ecosystems and climate-related learning initiatives. Institutional connections, bringing together Hall of Fame members, universities, municipalities and international organisations.
Overall, Working Group 6 illustrates the lasting value of the Florence 2024 Conference. Rather than being limited to an exchange of ideas during the Conference itself, the Working Group has become a platform through which relationships have developed into partnerships, partnerships into research and policy initiatives, and research and policy initiatives into tangible international outputs.
The experience therefore provides a strong example of the wider impact that the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame can achieve when its members continue working together beyond the formal Conference setting.
More information:
Our 2024-conference in Florence lead to publications, follow-ups and impact! 
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The next induction ceremony of the Hall of Fame (2026) is coming nearer!
More details:
Sad news: Rita Suessmuth + (2026) Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult. Rita Süssmuth Rita Süssmuth died on the 1st of February 2026 at the age of 88 years.
In 2006 she was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. She raised the stature of adult and continuing education in her political roles as a member of the German parliament, as Federal Minister for Youth, Family, Women and Health (1985-1988), and as president of the German Federal Parliament (1988-1998), the highest protocollary position in the German political system. Suessmuth influenced continuing education greatly during her presidency of the UNESCO World Conference on adult and continuing education CONFINTEA V (1997) in Hamburg, Germany. She has been the President of the German Adult Education Association (DVV) from 1988 to 2015. Prof. Süssmuth was an important, well known and highly respected person of public life in Germany.
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Budapest 6 of November 2025 - János Tóth Memorial Conference:
"Connections – cooperation and vision for the future in adult education".János was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, and he was the first Hungarian member of the Hall of Fame. He was a leading figure in adult education not only in Hungary but also internationally. He was the founder of the Hungarian Folk High School Association, as well as the former president of the EAEA and vice president of the ICAE.
75 adult learning professionals attended the conference, and there were three HOF members among the speakers: Per Paludan Hansen (Class 2022 - not in photo), Balázs Németh (Class 2017), Éva Farkas (Class 2019).
Conference Programme
André, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011, was an exceptional active member and held various positions within our organization: He served as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the IACEHOF, was a member of the Executive Committee for five years, acted as the Treasurer of the IACEHOF, co-chaired and actively shaped the HOF-Europe.
Induction into the Hall of Fame 2025 in Norman/Oklahoma
European Inductees:
Lucian Ciolan, Romania: Lucian Ciolan is one of Romania's most distinguished scholars and policymakers in the field of adult education. He has significantly influenced and enriched scholarship, policy making, and practice through his research and development work on continuing teacher education, training of teachers, and adult vocational training. Over the past twenty-five years, he has become a reference in continuing teacher and adult education in Romania and beyond for his model of adult learning and training that integrates learning research and the cognitive sciences. He has helped implement more than forty adult education programs, reaching participants from more than sixty countries worldwide. Agneta Lind, Sweden: Agneta Lind's name is synonymous with the field of adult literacy and international development. Over a more than thirty-five-year career, she championed adult literacy, particularly in Africa, through her work with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Authority (SIDA), governments, UNESCO, universities, and individual practitioners. She served as an expert consultant to numerous African countries, as well as some countries in Asia and Latin America. Lind consulted for the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and the German Adult Education Association, among other organizations. It is her engaged, consistent commitment to adult literacy internationally that stands out as her lasting contribution to the field of adult education. 
Rob Mark, Ireland: Diversity, inclusion, and a concern for social justice characterize Rob Mark's innovative contributions to adult and continuing education over the past three decades. His multifaceted research and projects range from access and adult literacies to age friendliness and social inclusion. He is well respected for his ability to blend practice—as a manager, teacher, and author—with a high level of scholarship. His projects have improved access to and quality of lifelong learning for adults both in Ireland and in the United Kingdom, as well as in many other parts of the world. Oleg Smirnov, Ukraine: Oleg SmirnovOver the past decade, Oleg Smirnov has been a crucial contributor to the establishment of adult and continuing education in Ukraine. Smirnov has promoted adult education as a legitimate and necessary component of the country's national education system, helping to build more professional, resilient, and innovative institutions even in the face of recent war. Throughout his career Smirnov has endorsed adult and continuing education in Ukraine and across Europe by demonstrating the field's relevance in times of crisis, transformation, and reform. His approach highlights how adult education can serve as both a stabilizing force and a driver of long-term recovery. Congratulations to our new inductees!
HoFE-meeting March 2025
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