Don Olcott Jr.

Don Olcott Jr. has played a vital role in the development of the field of adult and continuing education over the past four decades, a period of great technological, social, and institutional change. Drawing on his experience at institutions worldwide, where his leadership, scholarship, and collegiality have been accoladed, he has striven to help institutions adapt to an ongoing revolution in technology, instructional design, institutional support for students, and adult education need. An innovative scholar, he is an especially valued author, editor, reviewer, and member of the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Distance Education.

With twenty-five years of experience in higher education institutions in the United States, and fifteen years living and working in Australia, England, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, and Germany, Olcott is an ambassador for institutional innovation. His work as a scholar practitioner has contributed to new practices in adult, continuing, and distance education. In 1991, his first published article of note - Bridging the Gap: Distance Education and Academic Policy”—addressed the need for new incentives and rewards for university faculty teaching via technology. This led many institutions to revise promotion and tenure guidelines and enhanced scholarship in US higher education on faculty adoption and the benefits continuum for faculty. These changes, in turn, migrated into adult education academic programs and institutional policies. In 1997 Olcott published “Transforming University Outreach: Integrated Technology Systems Design (ITSD) for the 21st Century.” This was a precursor for the game-changing integration of hybrid and blended learning that combines face-to-face and technology-delivered instruction.

Over his career Olcott has developed innovative national and global institutional partnerships in continuing and distance education. He also has been recognized for his teaching by the University of Maryland Global Campus with the Stanley Drazek Award, honoring two decades of teaching returning adult students. Olcott has also created pathbreaking higher education programs for working professionals, including a doctoral program in community college leadership. From 1996 to 2005, he led the Institute for the Management of Distance Education. He has held leadership roles with major US-based associations, collaborating with the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, the United States Distance Learning Association, and the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. He served on the Board of the United States Distance Learning Association (2001–2016), as USDLA president (2006–2007), and board chairman (2007–2008). His work has been recognized by the International Council for Open and Distance Learning, the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia, and EDEN Digital Learning Europe, where he is a senior fellow.

Today, Olcott is still empowering others and still standing up for underserved populations. His international work has resulted in continued collaborations between US and European organizations; his scholarship continues to be cutting edge on micro-credentials, leadership, and cross-border higher education. He has taken openly public positions to stand up for social justice issues and against violations against human rights. He condemns the inhumane use of social media and other digital technologies in Ukraine and Gaza to commit crimes against humanity and genocide, and he calls out university leaders for their silence on critical geopolitical issues where the voices of leadership are desperately needed.