Jost Reischmann
Hall of Fame Class of 1999
Jost Reischmann has been a dynamic force in the field of adult education, building vital bridges between theory and practice. He is the Chair and Professor of Andragogy at the University of Bamberg, Germany, and President of the International Society for Comparative Adult Education.
For 20 years he has partnered the international professional exchange between colleagues and institutions in more than 30 countries through the International Society for Comparative Adult Education (ISCAE) and actively supported the exchange of ideas and persons. In 1995, Dr. Reischmann organized ISCAE's first conference in Bamberg, Germany, attracting researchers from 15 countries. Through his activities and fund raising, he enabled the participation of colleagues from various (especially eastern) countries. He headed the second ISCAE conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1998. He initiated the publication of the results of these conferences in the first international summary of research on comparative adult education, Comparative Adult Education 1998, and in 1999 wrote the first history of ISCAE in Ljubljana. The third conference is planned in 2000 in St. Louis, Missouri.
As the Chair of Andragogy, he is responsible for the qualification of many students at the pre-masters and post-masters level. The course of studies he compiled at Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg, Germany, is renowned for its high quality, building acceptance and appreciation of this new academic and professional field. He collaborates with many adult and continuing education institutions on federal, state, and local levels, with public adult education, church related adult education, and major companies, bringing the principles of andragogy into the field of practice.
He has extensively presented, edited, and written about adult education, with eight books and more than 80 articles to his credit. His works include Evaluation in Adult Education, Open Learning of Adults, and Learning How to Learn.
In 1998, he received from AAACE the President's Award for Exceptional and Innovative Leadership in Adult and Continuing Education.