NACADA AND ITS COMMITMENT TO ADULT LEARNERS

Cheryl J. Poison, guest editor for the special “Adult Learner” section of this issue of the Journal, is an assistant professor holding graduate faculty status in the College of Education at Kansas State University, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the Department of Adult and Continuing Education. At Kansas State, Cheryl had also been coordinator of the Non-traditional Study Program and then the director of the Advising and Career Counseling Center in the Department of Family and Child Development. Cheryl received her B.S. in Home Economics, with emphasis in Family and Child Development; her M.S. in Family and Child Development, with concentration in Counseling; and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration/Student Personnel Services — all from Kansas State University. She has since pursued postdoctoral coursework at the University of Missouri — Kansas City, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Adult Education. Cheryl's activities with NACADA in recent years include the following: vice president for programs; member, board of directors; editorial board, NACADA Journal; chair, national conference; chair, Research Committee; and chair, Commission on Adult Learners, her current position. Also a member of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), Cheryl is associated with Commission XVII (Commuter Programs); she is a Directorate member and is chair of the Adult Student Task Force. In addition to NACADA and ACPA, Cheryl is affiliated with the American Association for Counseling and Development, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, the Missouri Valley Adult Education Association, the Kansas Adult Education Association, and the Kansas Foundation for Partnerships in Education. Cheryl has made numerous presentations and written over two dozen articles, most of them on the subject of the adult learner.