Roger Hiemstra

Roger Hiemstra is Professor and Chair, Adult Education, Elmira College. He received his B.S. degree in agricultural economics from Michigan State University (1964), his M.S. degree in extension education from Iowa State University (1967), and his Ph.D. degree in adult community education from the University of Michigan (1970).

Hiemstra served from 1964 to 1967 as county extension agent for the Iowa Cooperative Extension Service, where he first began his work with communities. During his doctoral work he studied under Howard Yale McClusky, a person who was a model for lifelong learning. From 1970 to 1976 he taught adult education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. During this time he published a number of journal articles and two books, including the first edition of Lifelong Learning. He served as professor and department chair of adult education at Iowa State University from 1976 to 1980. During this period he was involved in one more book project, published several journal articles and monographs, and continued his work with adults as learners. He was Professor and Chair of Adult Education at Syracuse University from 1980 to 1996. During this period he was author or co-author of several books, was elected to a two-year term as President of the Commission of Professors of Adult Education, and directed a multi-million dollar project aimed at enhancing access to adult education resources by adult educators around the world. He holds the position of professor emeritus from Syracuse University. Dr. Hiemstra was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in 2000 . For a complete resumé, go here.

His longtime interest in self-directed, individualized adult learning led him to co-author Individualizing Instruction (1990) and Self-Direction in Adult Learning (1991). His interest in adults' potential to assume the primary responsibility for their own learning was the impetus for work on such writing projects as Creating Environments for Effective Adult Learning (1991), Overcoming Resistance to Self-Direction in Learning (1994), Professional Writing (1994) and The Educative Community (2000).

He has also served as editor of Lifelong Learning: The Adult Years and of the Adult Education Quarterly. He teaches courses on an introduction to adult education, adult learning, conference planning, contemporary issues in adult education, distance education, and research.

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