Influence

There are only a handful of UWW programs still in operation, but the impact of the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities’ (UECU) ambitious initiative has had a lasting impact on adult higher education, as well as the lives of thousands of adult students.

Many of the former homes to UWW programs still host programs, often in their continuing education programs, incorporating curriculum tools pioneered by UWW and described in terms drawn from UWW’s core rhetoric and philosophy. At some campuses, like New College of Florida, experiential learning has become a principle of learning for all students, not just continuing education students.  Many of the participating schools, like Antioch University of New England, Bard College, and Goddard College, still offer individualized degree programs. The concepts of flexible timing and institutional openness have spread outside the UWW network, and become a basis for the booming online education industry.

On a more personal level, UWW has shaped the lives of many  thousands of students across the US. So many adult learners, unable to navigate their way to graduation through traditional programs, furthered their educational and professional careers through UWW programs, so many went on to achievements they only dreamed of before UWW, that we can only wonder at the loss of human potential that would have occurred without that movement to make higher education more effective and accessible to adults.  UWW students have been stay at home parents and career professionals, retirees and young adults, rich and poor, and everyone in between — learners from all walks of life. And individual UWW programs actively targeted those who traditionally did not have much access to higher education: Native Americans, African-Americans, and Latinos; the LBGT community; migrant workers and shift-workers; the disadvantaged and disabled; convicts and even professional athletes. By offering tools and supports that enabled educational success for all, UWW has given a remarkable gift of knowledge to its students, their communities, and thanks to its geographical breadth, to the Nation as a whole.