Honoring James P. Pappas

The James P. Pappas Scholarship is an annual award made by the Hall of Fame to an adult education major who is working toward the completion of a higher education degree. This scholarship was awarded for the first time in 2016. 

The James P. Pappas Scholarship honors Dr. James P. Pappas, founding Executive Director of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, for his tireless dedication to and support of the Hall of Fame and for his far-reaching contributions to the field of continuing education. 

In 1997, Dr. Pappas was inducted into the Hall of Fame and was a member of the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors from its beginning in 1993 until his death in 2025.

How to Apply

The International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame is pleased to offer a $1,000 USD scholarship each year to a U.S. or international adult education major who is working toward the completion of a higher education degree.

All applicants must:

• Submit the IACEHOF application form, college transcript(s), and a written essay via email to shannonjohansen@ou.edu.
• In addition, two completed recommendation forms are required for each applicant. Applicants should instruct their recommenders to use the IACEHOF recommendation form. Recommendations should also be emailed by those completing them directly to shannonjohansen@ou.edu,

Eligibility Requirements

The eligibility requirements for the James P. Pappas Scholarship are as follows:

• Be currently enrolled in an educational program which focuses on adult and/or continuing education or adult learning at a regional or nationally accredited institution. Acceptable majors include but are not limited to Adult and Higher Education, Educational Leadership, Educational Administration, and Educational Studies.
• Be a first time bachelor or graduate degree seeker.
• Undergraduate applicants must have completed a minimum of 12 hours (units) with a cumulative 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) from the institution; graduate applicants must have completed a minimum of 6 hours (units) with a cumulative 3.0 GPA from the institution. Submit a college or university transcript from your current institution. Transcripts can be unofficial but must contain the Higher Education Institution’s name. 
• Ask two persons to submit recommendations. These recommendations must be completed by persons unrelated to the applicant who will attest to the applicant’s motivation, character, integrity, and educational pursuit. One recommendation must be from a faculty member or academic advisor. Each recommender must use this recommendation form.
• Submit an essay on the topic below which will be judged on written content and writing skills and must range in length between 400-750 words. 

Essay Topic

Describe what you believe are current issues and challenges in the field of adult education and/or continuing education. What do you see as future trends for the field? In what way(s) do you hope to impact the field? What is your personal philosophy of lifelong learning?

Applications that are incomplete or are from ineligible individuals will not be considered.

Finalists may be required to provide additional documentation, if needed. 

Additional Information 

• Applications that are incomplete or are from ineligible individuals will not be considered.
• Finalists may be required to provide additional documentation, if needed. 
• The winner of the scholarship will be invited to make a short presentation related to their essay or their studies, via Zoom, to a meeting of the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors.