Alfredo Soeiro, PhD
Hall of Fame Class of 2006 - European
Alfredo Soeiro, PhD, has contributed significantly to the field of adult and continuing education. Illustrative of his major contributions are the seminal roles he played in establishing professional associations of continuing education throughout the world. As one of the four founders of European Universities Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) established in 1991, he served as its vice president for seven years and was a member of its management committee. He has served as the continuing education representative of the Universidade do Porto in Portugal, and is currently the University of Porto’s academic dean and vice dean of Civil Engineering.
Soeiro was one of the four founders of the Latin American Continuing Education Network (RECLA). In 1995, he founded the Continuing Engineering Education Office of the College of Engineering at the University of Porto. Soeiro also filled the role of pro-rector of Universidade do Porto where he led Continuing Education between 1998 and 2003. Additionally, he was one of the five founders and president of AUPEC – Portuguese Association of Universities for Continuing Education between 2001 and 2005. He was president of the International Association of Continuing Engineering Education, Washington, D.C. (IACEE) from 2001-2004. From 2003 - 2005, he served as president of SEFI, the Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs.
Soeiro was a Fulbright scholar between 1985 and 1989 at the University of Florida where he obtained his doctoral degree. Between 1996 and 1999, Soeiro served as president of the Scientific Commission of the Thematic Network of University Continuing Education (THENUCE). From 1999 to 2005, he worked as a member of the European Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Liaison Committee, representing EUCEN.
Soeiro is an internationally recognized expert and speaker in adult and continuing education. Among his many contributions in this area was his speech in the conference “Universities without Walls” for the closing session of a 1998 program celebrating the 800th Anniversary of the University of the Sorbonne, a program coordinated by the French minister of education, Claude Alegre.
Soeiro has published and edited several articles in newspapers and magazines about lifelong learning, continuing education and the quality of continuing education, including the first 10 editions of the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) newsletter between 1993 and 1997. Since 2001, he has served as a member of the editorial board of The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. Included in his body of work are reports for the Thematic Network on University Continuing Education (THENUCE). These documents provide a reliable reference about the state of the art of university continuing education in Europe. He has also coordinated and participated in several European-funded projects on adult and continuing education.
Perhaps Soeiro’s greatest contribution to adult and continuing education may be his establishment of several thriving professional continuing education associations/organizations where none had previously existed. His efforts have enlarged the field of continuing education globally.