Supporting Adult and Ongoing Learning: Dreeben School of Education Represented at AAACE Annual Conference
Faculty and students of the UIW Dreeben School of Education (DSE) represented the University at the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) 2025 Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada. The AAACE’s mission is to provide leadership for the field of adult and continued education by expanding opportunities in alignment with the belief that lifelong learning contributes to human fulfillment and positive social change (AAACE.org).
This year’s conference theme focused on “creating new trajectories for adult education.”
From the Graduate Studies program, Dr. Lisa Brown, assistant professor of Programs in Adult Education, and doctoral students Pamela McCray, Marissa Molina and Constance Hamner-Campbell all attended the conference, with most presenting research. Among their presentation topics were Brown’s discussion on “Civic Engagement Praxis: The Black Church Juxtaposed White Christian Nationalism: Where 
Do We Go From Here?”, McCray’s “Exploring the Efficacy of the Comprehensive Institutional Model (CIM), An Instrumental Case Study” and Hamner-Campbell’s “Using a Wellness Program to Improve Academic Performance in Adults and Children."
In addition to presenting, UIW’s attendees were recognized at the conference. Molina was newly appointed to serve as the director of the Commission for Graduate Studies, where she will help to support graduate student AAACE members as they purse educational and career goals. Brown was acknowledged for her efforts as chair of the AAACE Conference Proceedings Publications Committee during her 2022-2024 two-year term. Finally, based on her notable academic scholarship and engagement, McCray was awarded the AAACE 2024 Conference Graduate Student Tuition Award, which afforded her the exciting opportunity to present at the conference.
“I am grateful that I received the Graduate Student Tuition Award,” shared McCray. “The conference provided an excellent opportunity to receive feedback and insights from scholarly experts in the field of adult education on my research. The podium session enabled me to hone my presentation skills by sharing the high-level study findings and receive suggestions and comments from the session attendees.”
This was McCray’s first time presenting at the conference, although she did serve alongside Brown on the AAACE Conference Proceedings Publications Committee. She credits Brown for encouraging her and her fellow graduate students to participate in this conference, expanding their skillsets. She found that the conference provided welcoming opportunities for emerging scholars to improve their research and presentation skills and build their doctoral scholarship.
“There’s nothing more exciting about being a faculty member at UIW than seeing the growth and scholarly development of our graduate students,” remarked Brown. “I am in my fourth year here and tell my students at the onset that my motto is, I'm going to do everything for you I wished had been done for me as a graduate student. Seeing the fruits of that academic labor realized in the accomplishments of my mentees is extremely enriching to my spirit.”